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Lynn Wang Essay Rough
Lynn Wang Essay Rough
Lynn Wang Essay Rough
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.