The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz Essay PDF

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Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz Essay...

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ELA Literary Focus 30S February 22 2018

The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz As the advancement in industrialization and technology takes place in the society, the inhabitants of the earth are becoming greedier. Through Duddy Kravitz, a young man who desires to make himself great in a community that values wealth and power, Richler reminds of the greed, materialism and selfishness in the community. Through the novel, the reader learns of Duddy Kravitz, a character who proves to be immoral through his scheming ways to get land. However, he is not the only selfish character as others like Max, Dingleman, and Mr. Friar perfectly epitomize the corrupt and selfish modern society through their selfish, greedy and narcissistic actions in the novel.✓ Richler uses satire to examine several human flaws. He for instance, uses Mr. Friar to satirize artistic pretension (McSorely 51). The author develops Friar as a character who is confident in his art yet he is nothing but a communist. In fact, when addressing Duddy about the movie, Mr. Friar tells him not to get involved in the artistic side of it. Mordecai Richler uses Friar’s pretence to develop his greed and selfishness. First, Mr. Friar lied about his past career on the apprenticeship to secure a job with Duddy. He also lies about documentary films he made for Venezuelan Oil Company that won a prize in Turkey, where he mentions that “even though I directed it, my name was not actually in the picture for dark reasons” (Richler 115). He and Duddy succeed in

defrauding Mr. Cohen by producing a substandard✓   movie at bar Mitzvah and when Mr. Cohen discovers they persuade him not to interfere with the artistic expression. The character’s hypocrisy is also visible when he tries to lay down Siegel's daughter whenever Duddy is away. Max Kravitz is Duddy and Lennie’s father. Richler builds Max as a psychologically immature person✓ who failed in contributing positively✓ to his son’s apprenticeship. The author developed him as one of the characters who inspire Duddy to work and achieve his goals. Max is proud of his elder son Lennie because he is a scholar and goes to medical school,✓ but is also an individual who supports Duddy to choose his desired kind of life. However, the character is built to suit a person who does not take an interest in his life nor that of his younger son. He is ignorant of Duddy’s faults though he agrees that his son is a “BTO” and a “troublemaker” (Richler 27). Although the father knows that his son acquires valuables through selfish means which does not please Zeyda, never does he rebuke him. Max endorses and supports mediocrity, and never makes an effort to correct his son. In saying, Boy Wonder from "apprentice to legend" while Duddy's life was "apprentice to a perverted myth" shows that Max desired materialistic and selfish life (Richler 35). Jerry Dingleman, the Boy Wonder is developed as a respected person in the community. In fact, he is Duddy’s role model. Mordecai Richler built this character in an amazing way such that he is two-sided; one a legend, and the other a person in the society living a normal life like everyone else. Through his role Dingleman also contributed a lot to the theme of greed and selfishness in “The Apprenticeship of Duddy

Kravitz.” The book at one point describes the Boy Wonder as a proverbial boy who managed to move from rags to riches, from a street urchin to a successful and wealthy person (Henighan 25). Sarcastically, it presents the real Boy Wonder rather than the legend as a person who shares the same habitat, physical and temporal setting with Duddy Kravitz, the protagonist. Dingleman was a cruel and unforgiving man who did everything to get what he wanted. The realization disables Duddy from maintaining his sustained idealization. “And what is he now?” “The Gangster” (Richler 21). Dingleman’s selfishness can be identified in several places in the novel especially when he used Duddy to smuggle heroin across the border. In conclusion, greed, materialism, and selfish interests play a huge role in Mordecai Richler’s “The apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz.” The author through Duddy shows how relationships’ dignity, and morality can be destroyed because of immoral behavior. Duddy might not have been a wrong person but wasn’t good enough in applying moral traits from other characters. The other characters through their greed and selfish interests contributed a lot to Duddy’s vices which not only ruined his life but also those of people close to him and those involved in molding him and making his dream into reality. Although “The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz” was written many years ago, it is a mirror of materialism and greed that has been prominent in the society until now.✓

Works Cited Henighan, Stephen. "Myths of Making It: Structure and Vision in Richler andBeauchemin [A]." Essays On Canadian Writing 36 (1988): 22. Literary Reference Center Plus. Web. 11 Jan. 2017. Pp. 22-35

 r, the Anxiety of Influence." McSorely, Tom. "The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitzo Contemporary Literary Criticism, edited by Jeffrey W. Hunter, vol. 271, Gale, 2009. Literature Resource Center. Web. 11 Jan. 2017. Reprinted from Canada's Best Features: Critical Essays on 15 Canadian Films, edited by Eugene P. Waltz, Rodopi, 2002, 51-71. Richler, Mordecai. The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz. Toronto: Penguin Canada, 2005. Pp.

Student: Gordon Chow Knowledge of Texts Analysis Writing

7.5/10 7.5/10 8.5/10

Total

23.5/30

Comments: Thank you for catching up on this assignment, Gordon. This paper indicates that you have some knowledge of the novel and some understanding of essay structure. I can see you working to develop a useful introduction with a clear thesis that replies to the assigned question, and I can see you working to develop three body paragraphs of discussion, each organized around a single main idea. All this is good. This essay lacks substantial content. It contains very little in the way of direct quotation. This is an indication that your content is weak. Keep working to present facts that support your assertions. If you are arguing that Mr. Friar is a greedy selfish guy, you simply need to present examples of his greedy selfish behaviour, and you need to present these examples so clearly that I can see it happening and agree with your conclusions.

Here, you point to events in the novel, but you need to describe them move clearly so that your reader can easily follow and understand them. You also need to comment on your evidence, explaining what it reveals. I am pleased that you pulled in some material from the critics. You do want to find relevant ideas that usefully support your argument. You have a good understanding of essay structure. You want to polish your writing. Every sentence should convey a single main idea clearly and unambiguously. I’d be happy to look at any of these issues with you if you want to revise this paper....