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.”