State University in Columbus, Ohio. However, this "truckload of nostalgia" also represents Neil's longing for his fleeting summer romance with Brenda. Similar to college years, Neil, who narrates the story, recognizes that his time with Brenda is something he can never revisit. As he reflects on their relationship, the narrative is filled with a sense of nostalgia for a bittersweet youthful experience.

Neil eventually finds a connection with a young boy who visits the library every day to admire a book showcasing Gauguin's paintings of Tahiti. For the boy, these images represent a fantasy of a faraway paradise, vastly different from his own reality. In a similar way, the wealthy and lavish world Brenda belongs to is a fantasy for Neil. He realizes that immersing himself in Brenda’s world is like getting lost in the pages of a book. This world of luxury feels like a paradise he can never truly inhabit. When the book is finally borrowed by another library patron, it symbolizes Neil's realization that Brenda could never genuinely be "his," signifying only a temporary escape into a fantasy world.

Brenda's family has a strong passion for sports, athletics, games, and competition. Throughout the story, Neil employs these themes as symbols to illustrate his relationship with Brenda and his interactions with her family. He frequently perceives himself as being in a competition with Brenda and her family, which underscores his feelings of inadequacy compared to their upper-middle-class lifestyle.

Told from a first-person perspective long after the events have taken place, Goodbye, Columbus is rich with nostalgia. Neil's narrative is populated with characters longing for experiences and moments from their past that they can never reclaim. Leo Patimkin recalls an evening spent with a woman during his military service; Ron holds onto the joy of his college days; and Neil, through the telling of his story, reveals his struggle to move on from the summer he spent with Brenda. Even when Neil deviates from the main storyline, he demonstrates his preoccupation with the past. While Brenda is in New York City looking for a bridesmaid dress, Neil travels to the Orange Mountains, where he watches children feeding deer. Yet, his attention is drawn more to their mothers, "a few of whom I recognized as high school mates of mine." He contemplates their lives, considering how time will affect them and how they will manage the years between marriage and retirement. In these moments, Neil seems profoundly affected by the relentless passage of time and the certainty that he, much like the mothers he observes, will grow older.

The theme of the nature of love is central to Goodbye, Columbus. Roth is particularly intrigued by how individuals come to understand their partners and, perhaps more importantly, how they come to understand themselves in the context of love. During his summer of infatuation, Neil occasionally engages in philosophical reflections, pondering how well he truly knows Brenda, if at all.

While waiting in a church as Brenda is fitted for a diaphragm, Neil's thoughts are more reflective than prayerful: "What is it that I love, Lord? Why have I chosen? Who is Brenda? The race is to the swift. Should I have stopped to think?" Neil's internal monologue suggests that such doubt might doom a romantic relationship to failure. It is fitting, then, that Neil contemplates these thoughts in a church setting. Roth implies that genuine love, much like religious faith, demands complete surrender and the absence of doubt. Although not a reverent book, Goodbye, Columbus frequently draws parallels between love and religious devotion.

In addition to delving into the complexities of romantic relationships, Roth explores the intricate dynamics within family ties. One of the most contentious familial connections in Roth's book is between Brenda and her mother. Brenda perceives that her mother harbors resentment towards her, and the story provides no evidence to challenge this perception. At one point, Brenda contemplates the source of their conflict and concludes that her mother is envious of her youth and the opportunities available to her. Typically, parents strive to offer a better life for their children than they had themselves. Mr. Patimkin clearly takes joy in doing so, frequently reminding Brenda that she can have anything she wishes for. While choosing silverware patterns for Ron's wedding gifts, Mr. Patimkin reflects, "'When I got married we had forks and knives from the five and ten. This kid needs gold to eat off.'" Roth implies that parents might also react to their children's more privileged upbringing with jealousy and bitterness.

Neil's Aunt Gladys, his only remaining family after his parents move to Arizona, seems to hold some resentment towards Neil's desire to enter a higher social class. Aunt Gladys and her generation worked hard to establish themselves in the less affluent neighborhoods of Newark's inner city, unlike the Patimkins, who relocated to the suburbs. When Neil first meets Brenda, Aunt Gladys is wary; when he spends a week at the Patimkin home, she feels disappointed. Although depicted with a humorous touch, Gladys's character underscores how families might react when a member appears eager to leave their socio-economic background behind.