Fragmentation or Assimilation?A study on The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz

Abstract

Canada has undergone colonisation, territory exploitation and, rapid immigration, yet they focus on the multicultural contributions in the development of their country.The minority writers took the attention of Canadian literature towards multiculturalistic struggle and assertion. Investing on the reality of minorities, the central idea is multicultural fragmentation and conflicts within a self towards absorption into the New. The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitzholds within debatable and argumentative portrait of the Jewish community. The coming of age novel reflects on sacrifice of childhood for materialist greed in acquiring land. The image of land acts as an ambiguous semantics of Jewish religion thereby stands as a challenge between the Jewish heritage and profound Canadian identity. The influence of non-Jewish society on a Jew defines the effect of assimilation either by force or by choice. The prevalent question is will the Self be lost in want for commercial greed.