Book Review Blog #2

The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz
By: Mordecai Richler

Duddy Kravitz is a poor Jewish boy who is raised in Montreal, Quebec on St. Urbain Street. As Duddy’s life progresses during the novel he turns from a young troublemaker into an avid businessman. Duddy’s obsession with money and power direct him towards a life style that many would find shocking. He has his eyes set on a large area of land surrounding a lake and will do anything to get his hands on it, even if it means hurting the ones he loves. Duddy believes that land ownership is life's ultimate goal and will make a man out of him. He has to surmount many obstacles to get what he desperately wants, but it comes at a cost.
The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz contains many themes that contribute to the development of the plot. These themes are anti-Semitism, alienation, poverty, morality, materialism, victimization and corruption. In the novel, Duddy and his fellow Jews are discriminated against constantly and often alienated from society. Duddy lives in an area of Montreal that is not very well off, but that doesn’t mean he has to live that way his entire life. Duddy’s life revolves around his want for land and he lets nothing get in his way. Throughout the novel he makes victims out of multiple people through his corrupt way of business. He can easily be accused for having no morals, but later in the novel he starts to feel remorse for his actions.
The author of The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Mordecai Richler, uses post-World War II language and many of the slurs and swears that come along with it. Richler often incorporates French words into the text such as, “I’m a little Jewish pusherke. Right?” The French word is always italicized and in this case, “pusherke” means someone pushy or competitive. Richler writes this novel in the way many people would speak during the time. At times, the language is foul, but the novel is based on a troubled teenager who is becoming a man. The language used in this novel is effective in portraying the fact that life in the slums of Montreal is not easy and requires people to have a hard exterior. The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz is written in third person, which is very effective. The third-person point of view allowed me to be objective because of the large amount of opinions expressed by all the characters.
None of the issues in The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz pertain to me personally. I have had an easy life so far and what I need to thrive is always given to me unlike many of the characters in the novel, such as Duddy. I have never gone through the same things Duddy went through in the novel, but I know there are many adolescents in the world who have. There are millions of young people in this world who need to work extremely hard to succeed in life and often run into the same obstacles as Duddy on the way, such as poverty and discrimination.
The interesting thing about this novel is that it shares many similarities with Great Expectations. In The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Duddy is becoming a man that has to make his own decisions very much like Pip in Great Expectations. Both novels are based around the development of characters. Duddy and Pip both have trouble maintaining relationships in the two novels. Also, they both have to adjust to new life-styles very rapidly. Pip is given the opportunity to become and gentleman while Duddy makes himself into a businessman overnight. In a way, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz also relates to The Kite Runner. There is very apparent discrimination in both novels. In The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Jews are commonly discriminated against and in The Kite Runner Hazaras and most people who have middle-eastern religions living in the U.S. are discriminated against. Also, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz and The Kite Runner tackle the issue of morality. Duddy and Amir both make decisions that question the character’s morals.
I don’t think there is anything that the author could have done to improve this novel. It was a very easy novel to get into. The novel is very humorous, witty and full of real life issues, which is why I would recommend it to others. I would recommend this novel to teenagers and adults seeking to read an interesting, but slightly controversial novel. However, I don’t think that this novel would be appropriate to younger children due to coarse language and some sexual references. I liked the The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz so much because it holds onto to the reader’s attention and does not let go. The novel kept me reading for hours on end and I never lost my interest like some other novels I have read.
The constant use of pathetic fallacy, anaphora and the recurring motif of decay enhanced the writing of this novel. Richler uses pathetic fallacy multiple times in the novel to reflect the feelings of Duddy and other characters. Pathetic fallacy is used by Richler in situations such as, “Next time he woke the room was dark and outside it was raining hard. The thunder and lightning excited him, but after the storm the heat seemed even more oppressive.” (257) In this quote, Duddy is in a state of depression and is doing nothing but sleeping for days. When he wakes up the weather is not pleasant and his room is dark and hot, which reflects Duddy’s depression. Also, anaphora is commonly used by the author to express Duddy’s anger in a series sentences such as, “I would like to sleep now. I am very tired. I must be up in four hours. I am saying good night. Good night.” (210) In these sentences, anaphora helps the reader grasp Duddy’s anger when his friend, Virgil, is keeping him up. Along with this, the motif of decay helps enhance the writing of the novel. The neighbourhood in which Duddy lives in, mainly St. Urbain Street, is very dirty and can be described as “decaying.” This part of the city is described in the quote, “An endless repetition of precious peeling balconies and waste lots making the occasional gap here and there.” (13) The neighbourhood is clearly falling apart, but this decay also describes the lives of the people living in it. This decay is expressed in the quote, “Tara-boom, tara-boom, tara-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM, past the Jewish Old People’s Home where on the balcony above, bedecked with shawls and rugs and a stain of yellowing expressionless faces.” (40) There are many elderly people in Duddy’s neighbourhood and the motif of their decay also develops and supports the theme of poverty due to these people’s situation.
The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz was a great novel with a very interesting plot. This is one of the best novels I have ever read and I especially enjoyed the contrast between both humorous and serious topics. I am looking forward to reading more novels by Mordecai Richler in the future.