Hubley 1
Tyler Hubley
ENG 4U
Mrs. Lebrun
May 3, 2003
The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz
Duddy Kravitz was a young man who frequently found himself in trouble. This
was usually a result of his bad temper, although he also has the characteristics of
someone who was destined to succeed. He has a strong will that can be overmatched by
nothing, along with an attitude that often got himself into trouble. Duddy Kravitz
succeeds because of hard work and determination, which is why he has become a well
known character throughout Canadian Literature. The attitude of Duddy Kravitz is one of
his main vices, but it is miniscule when compared to his will to succeed.
Duddy is a man who is bound and determined to succeed, which is evident
throughout the novel as he is frequently talking about success, "a man without land is
nothing" (Richler, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, 42).
Duddy frequently finds
himself repeating these inspiring words once told to him by his grandfather Simcha
Kravitz. Even when he was very young, success was always on his mind "Duddy found
Hubley 2
the land he wanted quite by accident"(71). As soon as he saw this particular lake inside a
forest, he knew one day he would own it. Anna van Gelderen says "Duddy is the perfect
embodiment of the idea that in America (and obviously Canada) anybody can become
rich if only he wants it bad enough and works hard enough. And Duddy certainly works
his fingers to the bone" (yahoo.com/ shop?d=hv&id=1800028492&cf=info&intl=us). He
always had the mindset of someone who wanted to put there
name on the map.
No matter what others said, Duddy always believed in himself. He always stood
up for himself and his beliefs, "Look here Kravitz, you're a brat and an exhibitionist"(9).