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The apprenticeship of duddy kravitz pusherke
The apprenticeship of duddy kravitz pusherke
The apprenticeship of duddy kravitz pusherke
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The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz
by Mordecai Richler
In the novel The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Mordecai Richler punishes
Duddy for his wrongs against others in several ways. Each punishment fits the crime, and there is an irony about each one. The three punishments inflicted on
Duddy at the end of the novel are the loss of Simcha's love, the loss of his friends, and the absence of any funds to build on his property.
The loss of Simcha's love is a devastating blow for Duddy. This is evident when Duddy confronts Yvette and asks her, “ Why did you go to my grandfather? Of all the people in the world, he's the only one” (Richler, 1959, 313). Duddy did everything he could to get this land because his grandfather said that 'A man without land is nobody'. Duddy, in his own mind, did it all for Simcha, to earn his love and respect and in the end, he had neither. The loss of Simcha's love did not happen for nothing. It happened because of the way in which Duddy had gone about acquiring his land. Yvette told Simcha, and Simcha did not approve.
He was, in fact, extremely disappointed with Duddy. His disappointment is shown when he tells Duddy,
I can see what you have planned for me, Duddel. You'll be good to me.
You'd give me everything I wanted. and that would settle your conscience when you went out to swindle others. (Richler 1959, 312)
The betrayal of Yvette, her speaking to Simcha, and the loss of hers and
Virgil's friendships also punishes Duddy. They are the only two people in the world who ever loved him for himself, and didn't want anything but his love in return. In the loss of their friendships, Duddy is being punished for his rotten treatment of other people, even his only friends. Duddy may not even know what he has lost, but he will one day, when he misses having someone to share his accomplishments and failures with, like he has had up until now.
The loss of things human is not the only punishment inflicted on Duddy. He also ends up without money left to build anything on the land he has purchased.
This is punishment for all the low down, underhanded things he had to do to get the money to buy the land. The irony of this is after doing everything imaginable to get his money, such as attempted blackmail, selling his uncle
Coming from someone in such a position at that point in Duddy's life, a statement like "a man without land is nothing", has a particularly strong effect. The words themselves are very blunt and closed to interpretation. He wasn't simply telling him it would be nice to own property, his grandfather was telling him he will never have amounted to anything in his eyes, unless he owns land. A message that strong coming from a figure with so much influence on a boy like Duddy can have a very monumental impression. It is clear that Duddy did, in fact, take these words to heart, as he is constantly involved in get-rich-quick schemes, starting when he is still in school. This preoccupation would eventually be Duddy's downfall.
Duddy was not born into money, his father, Max, was a taxi driver, and pulled in a low income. Max’s brother, Benjy had money and always played favourites with Duddy’s brother, Lennie by giving him money and opportunities. Duddy always had to struggle for his money, and in one his many struggles he borrows his father’s taxi cab, which is his only source of income, but does not return it for three days. He was delivering pin ball machines that he had sold. When he returns he finds his father is furious at him just taking off with the cab without permission. “They found Max at Eddy’s, and he was furious, ‘who do you think you are?,’ he said ‘that you can run off with my car for three days? Just like that.’” (Richler, 213). Duddy has a way of burning bridges with the people that he most needs, he only thinks of himself, and has no consideration for the feelings of others, even those who does not want to hurt the most. Duddy’s grandfather, also known as the Zeyda, is Duddy’s mentor and the only person Duddy really looks up to, and the one he does not want to hurt, but ends up hurting him the worst. “‘Yvette came to see me.’…. ’she told me what you did,’ Simcha said, ‘And I don’t want a farm here.’ …. ‘I can see what you have planned for me, Duddel. You’ll be good to me. You’d give me everything I wanted.
take there land away from them . He was not happy because himself and his
money and a life full of luxuries. He fell deeply in love with the young
memories and being loving and caring. All these bitter emotions that keep Vladek from being happy in his
... until he does complete his quest of individuation, he shall never be nor feel whole.
loss, it's to do with futility. For all he did, for all the rules he
some thing wrong he will be punished and for a good deed there is a
The grandmother says “I know you’re a good man. You don’t look a bit like you have common blood. I know you must come from nice people,” showing how she is trying to find a shred of hope in a murderer. O’Connor’s use of southern diction and religious banter develop the grandmother away from superficiality and towards genuineness. The grandmother says “’Listen,’…’you shouldn’t call yourself The Misfit because I know you’re a good man at heart. I can just look at you and tell.’” The Misfit replies “I pre-chate that, lady,’” by using the phonetic spelling instead of proper diction O’Connor is showing that the grandmother believes he is a fellow southerner. The grandmother is talking to The Misfit about salvation and she has an epiphany, O’Connor writes “His voice seemed to crack and the grandmother’s head cleared for an instant. She saw the man’s face twisted close to her own as if he were going to cry and she murmured, ‘Why you’re one of my babies. You’re one of my own children!’” After discussing religion and seeing his perspective the grandmother finally feels real sympathy for The Misfit; up until that point the grandmother had been trying to compliment and talk her way out of being killed along with the rest of her family. Unfortunately this is also when the struggle between good and evil ends with the grandmother being killed, “The Misfit sprang back as if a snake had bitten him and shot her three times through the chest.” The Misfit then says “‘She would of been a good woman’ … ‘if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life.’” He realized that her gesture at that moment was out of pure kindness and
...he still has family - his uncle - he gets hope. There are more and more people who he cares for now.
...this is after she figures out whom he is. The Misfit has all of the Grandmother’s family escorted into the woods and killed. And as the story ends he takes the Grandmothers life when she touches him on the shoulder.
...self, and he regards his individuality as the single lord he must venerate. This conviction that he is the one true owner of his soul shows how highly he holds himself; the respect and protectiveness he fosters for his own being is far above that of all other men.
He lost his best friend, who he spends a great deal of time living alongside. It is unjustifiable to lose a friend, especially for no reason or due to an uncontrollable disease while having to watch in absolute terror not being able to help, but only wish and prey. Subsequently, simultaneous to losing a friend he is struggling to progress on in life during school and extracurricular activities, “none of the boys had ever made overtures of friendship towards him” (Selvadurai 26). Imagine not having any friends in addition to feeling a sense of isolation, only being able to rely on
does not realize it until he is driven mad by it. His aspirations at first look may
carries the idea of selfishness. God should be the only one to through you, love you and others.