When? Where? How?

(Gabrielle)

PSSST! Before you go so fast without reading this article, thinking you do not need to know more about the background, that this is superficial information...Here is a little fact that you should keep in mind;)

    To truly immerse yourself in a story, it is important to understand the socio-economic context that surrounds it. This helps you to visualize the realities of the characters at that time, in their environment. Because of this, it is easier to understand the consequences of a specific event on a character's community, for example. As well as the values that motivate him and his interactions with characters from other backgrounds throughout the story.

(Elisabeth)

Therefore, here is a little introduction to the background of the story...

The novel takes place in one of the poorest areas of Montreal in the 50's such as St.Urbain Street, which reflects the real life of the author who was raised there. The location where Mordecai was born shows the economic and social situation in which he lived during his childhood and helps to understand the characters in the novel. After World War II, Canada became more flexible on immigration policies, resulting in approximately 40,000 holocaust survivors in the late 1940s. During the following years, Canadian Jews became more and more educated and getting higher-paid jobs. A lot of Jewish people started to move from other cities to Montreal and Toronto, resulting in a lot of Jewish communities in Montreal. However, due to them living in small groups and their cultural differences, they were not accepted as easily as hoped by the government in Canadian culture. It then resulted in them living even more closed off to others and, in a lot of cases, fewer job opportunities. Furthermore, in a lot of Jewish families, the mother doesn’t work and the only income for the family is the father which also explains the pay gap between Canadians and Canadian Jews.

Map of Montreal streets in 1950:

https://archivesdemontreal.ica-atom.org/uploads/r/ville-de-montreal-section-des-archives/1/0/10954/VM66-S6P066op_141.jpg

(Gabrielle)

MAIN POINTS:

When? 

The story begins in the late '50s while Duddy is still in high school.    

Where?

It takes place in Montreal's poorest districts of that time. (Ex: St.Urbain Street).

How?

Isolated in their small cultural community, the main characters are victims of wage injustices as well as the fallout from World War II.