In the novel The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz the reader feels ambivalent toward Duddy because we are sympathetic for the prejudices against him and outraged at the same time that he does what is needed to obtain what he wants, no matter how far he must go to do it. Ever since he was seven years old, he has had a great ambition for land. Since he isJewish, the trek for obtaining the land will be a long and hard one. For this we are verysympathetic toward Duddy. At the same time we are greatly disgusted at the low lengths he goesto in order to obtain the land. For example he fraudulently acquires money by forging one ofVirgil’s cheques, and importing/exporting illegal items. He also is manipulating Yvette intopurchasing the land for him since he is underage and Jewish. She is a white French Canadian andis able to acquire the land easier. The reader is outraged over his manipulation toward Yvette leading her to believe that heloves her, when in fact his intentions are to have her buy the land after which he will discard of herlike a possession. We also feel sympathetic to him at the same time since his family does not showlove toward him. His elder brother Lennie is favored by everyone over him. Throughout the entire novel, Duddy is seeking patriarchal loving and acceptance fromMax. The reader feels sorry for him since his entire life is lacking love. The reader in the end isdisgusted that Duddy trades his acceptance by Simcha, Yvette, Virgil and many others in order toobtain the land so that Max would accept him and show love toward him.In the novel he lacks love, in order to gain acceptance by Max, he pursues an adventure toobtain land byany means. For "a man without land is nobody."...
