Duddy Kravitz : Essay, Research Paper
In the novel The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz the reader feels ambivalent toward
Duddy because we are sympathetic for the prejudices against him and outraged at the same time
that he does what is needed to obtain what he wants, no matter how far he must go to do it.
Ever since he was seven years old, he has had a great ambition for land. Since he is
Jewish, the trek for obtaining the land will be a long and hard one. For this we are very
sympathetic toward Duddy. At the same time we are greatly disgusted at the low lengths he goes
to in order to obtain the land. For example he fraudulently acquires money by forging one of
Virgil’s cheques, and importing/exporting illegal items. He also is manipulating Yvette into
purchasing the land for him since he is underage and Jewish. She is a white French Canadian and
is able to acquire the land easier.
The reader is outraged over his manipulation toward Yvette leading her to believe that he
loves her, when in fact his intentions are to have her buy the land after which he will discard of her
like a possession. We also feel sympathetic to him at the same time since his family does not show
love toward him. His elder brother Lennie is favored by everyone over him.
Throughout the entire novel, Duddy is seeking patriarchal loving and acceptance from
Max. The reader feels sorry for him since his entire life is lacking love. The reader in the end is
disgusted that Duddy trades his acceptance by Simcha, Yvette, Virgil and many others in order to
obtain the land so that Max would accept him and show love toward him.
In the novel he lacks love, in order to gain acceptance by Max, he pursues an adventure to
obtain land by
any means. For “a man without land is nobody.”