The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz Essay Example

In the book The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler, Duddy Kravitz is the apprentice to life in order to find out the truth about himself. Different characters come in and out of Duddy's life and act as masters towards him. These people all have specific lessons to teach him, and it's up to him to either act upon what he's learned or ignore it. Duddy Kravitz is a young man whom we can say is being an apprentice to life. What he needs to do is to discover the truth about himself and how to apply it to his life. His quest through his apprenticeship is to find his true identity and to succeed in the goals that he sets for himself. By being an apprentice to life, Duddy is learning about how to be different types of people by imitating their personalities. When he comes out of apprenticeship and becomes a man, Duddy has to decide on one type of person to be for the rest of his life. Duddy's Uncle Benjy tried to explain this and make it clear to Duddy in his letter by saying, "A boy can be two, three, four potential people, but a man is only one. He murders the others." (p.279) I think that this was the best advice he ever got, but he didn't need it; in the end he allows himself to become the con-artist, the sly scammer person without even realising that he had a decision in the matter. Simcha, Duddy's grandfather, was the person whom Duddy looked up to and wanted to please because he was the only one who truly respected and loved Duddy. It was also Simcha who planted the dream for land into Duddy's head when he said to him, "A man without land is nobody." (p.101) In Duddy's apprenticeship, Simcha is one of his masters who teaches Duddy about striving for something and having the determination and perserverence to achieve in life. What Duddy failed to hear or understand was that the achievement of a dream would mean nothing if it wasn't achieved honestly and fairly, respecting the rights of others. By being an apprentice, Duddy is allowed to make mistakes