Goodbye, Columbus Questions and Answers
Goodbye, Columbus
What are the themes of Goodbye, Columbus? What characterization or symbolism support those themes?
Like much of Philip Roth's fiction, Goodbye, Columbus features central characters who assert their individuality but feel strong ties to a heritage about which they are nonetheless ambivalent. The...
Goodbye, Columbus
What are some of the complexities of Neil's and Brenda's romance?
Some of the intricacies in both the relationship that Neil and Brenda share exist on social and psychological levels. One of the reasons why their relationship is a challenging one is because of...
Goodbye, Columbus
In Goodbye, Columbus, what is the climax and what the falling action?
The climax of Roth's novella Goodbye Columbus occurs when Brenda invites Neil to Boston to celebrate the Jewish holiday of atonement, Rosh Hashanah, also the Jewish New Year. Brenda and Neil had...
Goodbye, Columbus
In Goodbye, Columbus, Philip Roth presents us with a fractured hero, a man struggling with his own Jewishness as much...
Goodbye, Columbus is a kind of a prototype within Philip Roth's oeuvre of his depiction of conflict and and ambiguity in a young man's perception of his religious and ethnic background. Neil is a...
Goodbye, Columbus
What are important quotes related to identity and love from the book Goodbye, Columbus?
Here are some quotes from Goodbye, Columbus related to identity and love: Brenda says to Neil, "I had my nose fixed." When Neil asks, "What was the matter with it?" Brenda replies, "It was bumpy"...
Goodbye, Columbus
How is the main character Neil an outsider both in his New Jersey World and in American society?
Neil is an outsider because of his complex construction. His entire relationship with Brenda makes him an outsider to his New Jersey world. Neil embodies this outsider condition in the way he...