Genre
Satire
Setting and Context
the poor districts of Montreal, Canada
Narrator and Point of View
from a third-person point of view
Tone and Mood
Satirical, Jovial, Solemn, Mysterious, and Chaotic
Protagonist and Antagonist
Duddy Kravitz (Protagonist) vs. Himself, primarily and Dingleman, secondarily (Antagonists)
Major Conflict
Duddy's struggle to buy the land he wants despite Dingleman, who is planning to buy it and the fact that Duddy has to forge a check.
Climax
When Duddy obtains the land.
Foreshadowing
Duddy having no friends is foreshadowed early on in the book.
Understatement
The opulence of other people in Canada is understated in the book
Allusions
Mordecai Richler's other works, geography, popular culture, and to religion ("God's little acre").
Imagery
Richler uses intense imagery to underscore the severity of the poor economic conditions many face
Paradox
Duddy finally owns the land he has always wanted but no longer has any friends.
Parallelism
The story of poor Canadians are often paralleled.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
Canada is personified throughout the book
