Lake St. Pierre Property
The most over symbol within the novel is the land around Lac St. Pierre. This pristine and picturesque bit of real estate immediately captures the heart and imagination of the titular anti-hero as he immediately makes an association with the place and his grandfather’s fabled “land” that will supposedly make him a “somebody.” The property symbolizes all of Duddy’s hopes and aspirations, such as his ardent desire to be recognized and treated as someone of value. It is also one of the few altruistic acts he does in the novel as one of his motivations for purchasing the plot of land is to give his grandfather “the best retirement plan” so it is also symbolic of his love for his grandfather.
Roulette Wheel
A young Duddy, after having saved up what he felt to be a significant amount of cash decides unwisely to do a bit of gambling—betting on roulette—thinking he can grow his cash in this way. What he doesn’t know however is that the game is rigged and he looses all of his hard-earned cash. The roulette wheel is symbolic of a couple of things as this bitter lesson becomes a pivotal learning for him. It symbolizes Duddy’s ambitions and desire for wealth, and how these things can often hamper his sound judgement. The game of roulette was rigged by Irwin Shubert, who is completely inimical to Duddy’s goals of becoming wealthy; as such this crushing loss becomes his first run-in with Anti-Semite sentiments of the world at large, and the game becomes a symbol of that unreasoning racist hate the Jewish community is faced with.
Uncle Benjy
Uncle Benjy is Duddy’s wealthy relative that funds his older brother, Lennie’s eduction through med school. He is far from genial towards Duddy however, as he sees him as a crass swindler that only wants wealth for selfish means. He does however take kindly to Lennie, seeing his desire to pursue medicine as both a manifestation of a sharp intellect as well as evidence of magnanimity of character as a career in medicine as seen as a noble, selfless profession. These leanings and cultural biases effectively turn Uncle Benjy into the symbol for traditional Jewish notions of family and propriety. He also symbolize the socio-economic divide within the Jewish community because of his nasty tendency to look down on Duddy’s entrepreneurial tendencies.
A Career in Law/Medicine
A Career in Law/Medicine is the highest aspiration of every Jewish parent in St. Urbain Street community for their children. This is because many of them view being a doctor or a lawyer as a genteel profession, more noble than say owning a business or being employed by a company, because as a doctor one saves lives and as a lawyer one is able to defend the interests of their “innocent” clients. There is also the tendency to think that making money as a doctor or a lawyer is easier than say running a business or waiting for a paycheck because the money/clients literally come walking right through their doors without any prompting. This idea, in addition to the perceived magnanimity of the profession, turns it into the very symbol of success for both Jewish parents and their children.
Jerry Dingleman
Known in the Jewish community as “The Boy Wonder” he is elevated to mythical status within the St. Urbain Street community for his street smarts and financial savvy. His rags to riches story is recounted with great fondness and begrudging respect. Despite his great wealth however he is also regarded poorly by a number of members in their community as he is seen as a greedy, selfish person who makes money through dishonest, often criminal, means. He is symbolic to the Jewish community as a cautionary tale, a warning to young, impressionable Jews not to sacrifice their souls and their dignity in the pursuit of wealth and recognition.
