The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler In the novel The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Mordecai Richler punishes Duddy for his wrongs against others in several ways. Each punishment fits the crime and there is an irony in each of them. The three punishments given to Duddy at the end of the novel are the loss of Simcha's love, the loss of his friends, and the absence of funds to build on his property. The loss of Simcha's love is a devastating blow for Duddy. This is evident when Duddy confronts Yvette and asks her: “Why did you go to my grandfather? Of all the people in the world, he is the only one” (Richler, 1959, 313). Duddy did everything he could to get this land because his grandfather said that "A man without land is nobody". Duddy, in his mind, did everything for Simcha, to earn her love and respect and in the end he got neither. Simcha's loss of love did not happen in vain. It happened because of the way Duddy had purchased his land. Yvette told Simcha, and Simcha didn't approve. In fact, he was extremely disappointed in Duddy. His disappointment is shown when he says to Duddy, I can see what you have planned for me, Duddel. You will be good to me. You would give me everything I wanted. and this would clear your conscience when you go to defraud others. (Richler 1959, 312) Yvette's betrayal, his talking to Simcha, and the loss of his and Virgil's friendships also punish Duddy. They are the only two people in the world who have ever loved him for himself, and wanted nothing more than his love in return. For the loss of their friendships, Duddy is punished for his poor treatment of other people, even his only friends. Duddy may not even know what he has lost, but he will know one day, when he lacks someone to share his successes and failures with, as he has had until now. The loss of human belongings is not the only punishment inflicted on Duddy. He also ends up with no money to build anything on the land he purchased. This is punishment for all the underhanded and underhanded things he had to do to get the money to buy the land. The irony of this is that after doing everything imaginable to get his money, such as attempting blackmail, selling his uncle