All in the family
In The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, family plays more of an important role than many readers believe.
Duddy comes from a family that cares about him more than he knows. His father, Max, acts like the tough father he appears to be on the outside, but is actually a caring individual on the inside.
Lennie, Duddy's older brother by six years, is attending medical school. His education is being paid for by Uncle Benjy, who shows more interest in Lennie than Duddy. Benjy sees his youngest nephew as inferior to Lennie, even though Duddy is the one who has the passion for success.
Minnie Kravitz was Duddy and Lennie's mother. She died when the boys were very young, and Duddy has almost no memory of her being around. Max ended up raising the boys as essentially a single father.
This is where the importance of a caring family comes in. Duddy grew up as a boy without a mother, and one could suggest it is the reason for his lack of proper morals. Mothers tend to influence their children to be positive figures in society, to really do something in their life for the greater good. Without Minnie around to do that, Duddy was left on his own to figure out how the world works. While Duddy does a fairly good job in turning himself into a man, he never really figures out what it means to be truly happy. A caring, supportive mother may have helped.
As was stated earlier, Uncle Benjy was more supportive of Lennie - the older, smarter, but not always wiser brother. Lennie did not have that ability to support Duddy, to nurture him and guide him. Being the older sibling, Lennie could have been the person to teach Duddy to not make the mistakes he ended up making, and could have even given Duddy advice when in a relationship. Duddy isn't exactly very talented at caring for a women who have feelings for him, and he showed this all the time in his relationship with Yvette Durelle.
Perhaps if Duddy had been brought up with stronger relationships connected to him, he could have used those connections to make himself a better all-around individual. Sure, he has plenty of skill at coming up with ideas and schemes, but he never fully understands how to work with the people surrounding him.
Family support is crucial when raising a boy who's lacking a mother-figure. Duddy wasn't fortunate enough to have the kind of person in his life as a child. Mentors can be invaluable when a young boy does not have a mother to go home and see every night. It's not unreasonable to suggest that if Duddy had a supporting mentor in his family, he might not have ruined his relationships with people who cared for him.
Duddy comes from a family that cares about him more than he knows. His father, Max, acts like the tough father he appears to be on the outside, but is actually a caring individual on the inside.
Lennie, Duddy's older brother by six years, is attending medical school. His education is being paid for by Uncle Benjy, who shows more interest in Lennie than Duddy. Benjy sees his youngest nephew as inferior to Lennie, even though Duddy is the one who has the passion for success.
Minnie Kravitz was Duddy and Lennie's mother. She died when the boys were very young, and Duddy has almost no memory of her being around. Max ended up raising the boys as essentially a single father.
This is where the importance of a caring family comes in. Duddy grew up as a boy without a mother, and one could suggest it is the reason for his lack of proper morals. Mothers tend to influence their children to be positive figures in society, to really do something in their life for the greater good. Without Minnie around to do that, Duddy was left on his own to figure out how the world works. While Duddy does a fairly good job in turning himself into a man, he never really figures out what it means to be truly happy. A caring, supportive mother may have helped.
As was stated earlier, Uncle Benjy was more supportive of Lennie - the older, smarter, but not always wiser brother. Lennie did not have that ability to support Duddy, to nurture him and guide him. Being the older sibling, Lennie could have been the person to teach Duddy to not make the mistakes he ended up making, and could have even given Duddy advice when in a relationship. Duddy isn't exactly very talented at caring for a women who have feelings for him, and he showed this all the time in his relationship with Yvette Durelle.
Perhaps if Duddy had been brought up with stronger relationships connected to him, he could have used those connections to make himself a better all-around individual. Sure, he has plenty of skill at coming up with ideas and schemes, but he never fully understands how to work with the people surrounding him.
Family support is crucial when raising a boy who's lacking a mother-figure. Duddy wasn't fortunate enough to have the kind of person in his life as a child. Mentors can be invaluable when a young boy does not have a mother to go home and see every night. It's not unreasonable to suggest that if Duddy had a supporting mentor in his family, he might not have ruined his relationships with people who cared for him.