Irony of Wealth
Duddy’s entire narrative is marked by his mania for pursuing wealth so that he can become the mythical “somebody” that his grandfather speaks so highly of. Unfortunately however his pursuit of wealth is also marked by a great recklessness; as if to say that the acquisition of wealth must be attained by any and all means possible. In the end, though Duddy learns, much to his chagrin that money doesn’t, or rather cannot, buy contentment, respect, or peace of mind that he wants.
Irony of Duddy’s Wealth
Duddy is a schemer through and through and this knack for swindling brings him a consider amount of wealth over time. It is tragic and ironic that his wealth almost always comes from dishonest means. Moreover, his money also often comes at the cost of human suffering as it is always some poor fool that has trusted Duddy that comes away with the proverbial short end of the stick.
Irony of Duddy’s Drive for Success
His pursuit of money originally stems from his desire to give his grandfather a nice place to retire and as a means of validating his worth. Eventually however it takes a life of its own and consumes him to the point that he is willing to cheat and burn bridges to achieve his goals. He becomes driven by the pursuit of money for the sake of acquiring it rather than for what can be purchased by it.
Irony of Uncle Benjy’s Support
Uncle Benjy is more than willing to support Lennie through med school because it is a credit to him to be helping a young man achieve such a noble profession. It is ironic that he didn’t see the potential in Duddy’s entrepreneurial streak, looking down on him instead labelling him as a duplicitous schemer. He may have turned out very differently had Uncle Benjy mentored him on how to conduct business with integrity.
Irony of Yvette Durelle’s relationship with Duddy Kravitz
Yvette is Duddy’s love interest and she is his complete polar opposite. She is honest and more than willing to roll up her sleeves to do an honest day’s work. In addition to being his long-suffering girlfriend she also functions as a highly efficient secretary and personal assistant to him as she has considerable administrative and organizational skills. Given her character and considerable talents it is terribly ironic that she has ended up with a character like Duddy for a boyfriend. His constant fraudulent transactions and all-consuming drive for wealth causes her considerable grief. Add to this grab bag of worries the non-committal nature of his relationship to her despite her actual love for him and how reliant he is on her organizational talents.
