Throughout human history, people have shared a common obsession – ownership.

Human beings have

murdered, died and yet still pursued ownership of money and people. A person without property is
regarded with contempt; hence one tries desperately to make a fortune as to avoid ridicule. For all these
years, making a fortune seems to be our ultimate goal; yet we have seemingly forgotten the other
element – morality. In the ApparenticeshipApprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Mordecai Richler shows
the unworthiness of losing integrity in the pursuit of fortune, thereby disapproving society's acceptance
and modeling of those who obtains fortune through immoral means.
This world, to some degree is fair. This means an immoral deed is only returned with evil
consequences. Towards the end of the novel, Uncle Benjy writes Duddy a profound letter about life,
“...Every year of my life I have looked back on the man I was the year before – the things I did and said
– and I was ashamed...” (p 280). We can imagine uncle Benjy's dilemma as a reflection of Duddy's
future. Here, Uncle Benjy assumes the role of a typical businessman whose morality comes back to
haunt him of the bad deeds he had done to yield a profit. In this way, Richler shows that the individual
may seem fine on the surface, but the underlying guilt will emerge sooner or later that will cause the
doer to regret his or her immoral decisions and Duddy Kravitz seems to be one of these individuals. On
the other hand, one can notice Duddy Kravitz's gradual isolation from his closest community members.
In part I, Duddy had many friends, together conducting mischievesmischief and going against
MacPherson. Despite being poor, Duddy was a happy child with a dream. But they were happy
soulsHowever the tide turns in the end of the book when Duddy cheats on a crippled epileptic by
stealing his money to buy the final piece of land. Here, Kravitz has completely forgotten his moral
identities and meanwhile, he loses the support from many of the closest people to him, including his
grandfather. Duddy, with land at hand was disappointed with his grandfather'severyone’s reaction. He
desperately remarks, “...I'm all alone...” (p 315). In this sense, Richler demonstrates that one's moral
breakdown can leave one to a world of loneliness full of regret. Evil deeds will lead to evil
consequences.
Furthermore, an individual without moral constraint is a fiend. From stealing hockey sticks or known
as the “...hockey stick sideline project...” (p 56) to hiring a blacklisted producer for his Dudley Kane
Enterprise (151), Duddy never considered whether the method in which he tried to attain money was
moral or even legitimate. When he tried to sell the pinball machines, which are transported to Canada
through illegal means as well, Duddy used “...lies, threats, pandering, cajoling, insult and ultimate
appeal to avarice to sell the pinball machines. Sell them he did...” (p 210). This again shows Duddy's
ignorance of the immoral ways for which he uses to achieve his goal. To him, selling the pinball
machines is the most important. Here the phrase “sell them he did” is meant to emphasize Duddy's
focus on the act of selling, the fact it almost sounds extra which helps Richler to achieve his irony.
Moreover, Yvette is like the good voice inside Duddy head and her position seems like a constant
reminder for Duddy's moral conciousnessconsciousness. When he tricks Virgil into clearing his debt
with a truck, Yvette steps into the picture, “I've seen you do a lot of dishonest things in your life, but
never in my life have I thought you'd ever cheat a boy like Virgil...” (216). HerHer pressuring on
Duddy worked, he had to return the money to Virgil. Yet notice that when he relentlessly searched for
money as to buy the final piece of land and eventually decided to lay his black hands on Virgil, an
epileptic in wheelchair; he avoided Yvette's presence,presence; this can symbolize Duddy's will to free
himself from moral constraints in the face of money. “... howHow much have you got, Virgie... and
where did you get it...” (305). His tone almost sounds like a ruthless money craving devil whothat is
ready to rob poor Virgil of every single penny he has. This premonition comes true when Duddy went
further, “... he forged the signature by holding a cheque and a letter Virgil had signed...”(307). At this
stage, Duddy Kravitz has completely shed his moral values and turned into a bloodless demon.

It is the belief of materialism of the main stream that directs some people on the wrong path. Society's
promotion of money leads to people's will to trade in integrity for it. Examining the name of the novel,
one can notice the word “apprenticeship” We can notice the word “apprenticeship” by examining the
title of the novel. Duddy Kravitz's apprenticeship is unlike any other onees. Ts. Here, through his
apprenticeship, Duddy Kravitz learns the importance of money and how it alone can secure his status.
His master being the societySociety is his master, teaching him the mightiness of money while
diminishing the power of morality. For a moment, near the end of part III, Duddy seems to have
regained his moral consciousness after setting Virgil on a wheelchair for life, “...'he's crippled for life,
It's my fault'...” (p 266). That is when Mr. Cohen, a true representation of materialism comes into the
picture:

“...There's not one successful businessman I know, Duddy, who hasn't got something
locked in the closet... the swindling of a widow...funny business with a mortgage...It's
either that or you go under, so decide right now. You're going to drive a taxi all your
life or build a house like this...” (p 266).

Here, his proud tone assures people to think that money is more important than morality and that to be
a “successful businessman”, you must be willing to give in your integrity. Mr. Cohen's is like one of the
fiends that we have previously mentioned, yet his money also makes him one of the role models in
society. In this way, society's role modeling of fiends persuades people like Duddy that it is okay to
attain money through whichever methods. I can say that Mr. Cohen's words contribute to Duddy's
immoral actions in the end. When Duddy has finally got the land he had longed for, his father Max is
already turning his immoral deeds into a St. Urbain Street tale, “…even as a kid…way back there
before he had begun to make his mark…”(318). Duddy has become the new role model, almost like
Jerry Dingleman. In this way, Richler begins and ends in the same fashion. He shows that bad role
models in society can lead individuals off the wrong path,path; the individual becomes successful and
contributes to society in turn dragging more individuals into the picture. Just imagine, Duddy Kravitz
has become the new Boy Wonder, how long would it take before a new Duddy Kravitz emerges.
Richler is fearingfears that more and more people are going to start pursuing money and forget their
morality, what happens when the entire society is filled with fiends?

By showing that the loss of integrity can lead to evil consequences and destruction in humanity and
society's promotion of money only strengthens people's will to abandon their integrities in the face of
money. Richler shows that society should not encourage people to throw their moral values behind their
backs in the pursuit of fortune. After all, a man without land may be nothing, but a man without
integrity is not even a man.