Philip Roth Writing Styles in Goodbye, Columbus

This Study Guide consists of approximately 74 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Goodbye, Columbus.

Philip Roth Writing Styles in Goodbye, Columbus

This Study Guide consists of approximately 74 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Goodbye, Columbus.
This section contains 542 words
(approx. 2 pages at 400 words per page)
Buy the Goodbye, Columbus Study Guide

Point of View and Narration

This story is narrated from the first person restricted point of view. Neil Klugman is both the narrator and the protagonist and everything is portrayed from his perspective. This is effective because this is a story about identity and self-discovery; what is important is how Neil perceives himself and his relationships with others, particularly Brenda, and how these perceptions change over the course of the story.

Setting

This story is set during the 1950s in Newark, New Jersey, the New York City metropolitan area, and Cambridge, Massachusetts. The settings are important in establishing the class divisions between Neil's family and Brenda's family. The geography of the city becomes a map of socioeconomic divisions. For instance, Brenda's family used to live in Newark, where Neil now lives with his aunt and uncle. This information indicates that the Patimkins once shared the socioeconomic standing that Neil's...

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This section contains 542 words
(approx. 2 pages at 400 words per page)
Buy the Goodbye, Columbus Study Guide
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Goodbye, Columbus from Gale. ©2005-2006 Thomson Gale, a part of the Thomson Corporation. All rights reserved.