The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz--The Fall of Duddy
A man must pursue his dreams. This is certainly true for everyone of the humankind, for if there were no dreams, there would be no reason to live. Duddy Kravitz from The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler understands this perfectly, that is why he is one of the most ambitious young men of his time. From the moment he hears
his grandfather say, "A man without land is nobody," he is prepared to seek the land ofhis dream no matter what the cost would be. This ambition of his is very respectable, but unfortunately his methods are atrocious. Duddy is a pursuer; a formidable competitor and also a manipulator. It is true that he has obtained all the land that he desires at the end, but he succeeds through immoral, despicable and contemptible means. It is clear then, that Duddy has failed in his apprenticeship and has become the "scheming little
bastard" that Uncle Benjy has warned him against.
Ancient Roman bust (so-called "Bust of Vergil") fr...
The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (novel)
1st edition (publ. McClelland & Stewart)There is little doubt that Duddy is very shrewd and clever, but his lack of
moral principles attributes to his final failure. In fact, his immorality goes back to a very young age. During his study in the parochial school, he starts his journey by earning money through methods that hardly agree to goodness. Taking advantage of the fact that minors cannot be sued in Canada, Duddy defrauds stamp companies and sells
stolen hockey sticks. Perhaps he cannot distinguish right from wrong; perhaps he does not care, but nonetheless it is not right for him to engage himself into these kinds of activities. Duddy emerges himself deeper when he establishes Dudley Kane Enterprises. With his limited knowledge of movie making and his mistaken trust in John Friar, his firm produces...