Goodbye, Columbus free essay sample

Who am I? This is a question everyone asks themselves at a point in their life, and is the exact question that Neil Klugman faces. In Phillip Roths novella Goodbye, Columbus, there is an ongoing search by Neil Klugman who, according to Helge Nilsen, is involved in a struggle to develop and preserve an identity of his own amid different environments and conflicting impulses within himself, (Nilsen, 97). This search predominately takes place after he meets and falls in love with the stunning Brenda Patimkin. Their love takes place in the summer of the 1950s in New Jersey. Although they both live in the garden state, they could not be further apart from each other in regards to affluence. Neil lives in Newark, where he houses with his Aunt and Uncle, and works at the Newark Public Library. Brenda on the other hand lives in the comfy confines of Short Hills, New Jersey. She lives with her mother, father, and two siblings, and has no economic issues due to her father’s successful Patimkin and Sons kitchen and sink business. In Neils relationship with Brenda, there will be many conflicts that challenge him morally, and he has to figure out whether his beliefs and morals outweigh the desire to obtain the luxurious life of the Patimpkins. Neil never really questions himself about who he is until he begins his relationship with Brenda. He defines himself through the decisions he makes when faced situations he must deal with. A constant factor in Neils decision making, and a component that is always in the back of his mind, is how to get closer to living the life Brenda has. Before meeting Brenda, Neil was living a relatively simple life. After meeting Breda, Neil realizes how great it is living life the way the Patimkins do. Deep down wants the same for him. This desire is evident when he is speaking with Mrs. Patimkin, Brendas mom, about religion. Both Neil and the Patimkins are Jewish, but that does not mean Neil necessarily takes any real interest in his religious background. In Reflections on Identity in Phillip Roths Goodbye Columbus and Mary Doyle Currans The Parrish and the Hill, author Sarah Chambers writes, Neil is an example of a third generation American who is less practicing then his parents. He no longer attends synagogue (Chambers, 6). Mrs. Patimkin on the other hand does, and is part of, written by Deborah Kuhnle in Jewish American Identity in Phillip Roths Goodbye, Columbus: An Analysis of Neil Klugman, a member of Hadassah, a Womens Zionist Organization which puts efforts into health care, education and the needs of Jewish children. (Kuhnle, 20). In their conversation, Mrs. Patimkin asks Neil what kind of Jew he is. Neil, unaware of what kind of Jew he actually is, contemplates what he should say and ends up answering by exclaiming, Well, I havent gone (to synagogue) in a long time. Im just Jewish. (Roth, 70). He hated this conversation with Brenda’s mother because he does not care about his religion as much as she does for herself. Although he does not like the conversation, Neil pretends to be interested because he does not want to rub Mrs. Patimpkin the wrong way, because if he does it ruins his chances of obtaining â€Å"the f-ing life†. Neil badly wants to live the life Brenda lives. Although he has passionate desire for this life, this does not mean Neil shares the same beliefs as Brenda. He believes that Brenda is somewhat of a spoiled child who Sarah Chambers describes as someone who enjoys the privileges and comfort that come with money. (Chambers, 2). Although Neil may not practice his Judaism, Sarah Chambers puts it, his secular Jewish identity is an integral part of his person. (Chambers, 6). Brenda wishes to conform to societal values, which is shown in her and Neils first conversation. Brenda brings up how she got nose surgery because she did not like the way she looked. This was because of what Deborah Kuhrle defines as, â€Å"A typical Jewish facial characteristic- a bump† (Kuhrle, 20). Hearing this, Neil does not understand why anyone would spend that much money on something that makes such an insignificant difference in a person’s appearance. Brenda goes on to say that her brother might also have his nose done. This sends Neil over the edge, and can no longer hide how he really feels. He goes on to say, I dont mean to sound facetious. I mean whys he doing it? (Roth 18). Neil morally objects to this, but does not want to come off too harsh because he, in the words of Brendas uncle, does not want to louse it up. Wishing to live a life he wants to live while still being morally strong is difficult/near impossible with Brenda. Although Neil has not loused it up with Brenda yet, he gets into what is his biggest fight with her since they have been together while visiting Brenda at college. Neil realizes while visiting her that he will make a decision that dictates his future. While in her dorm, the couple starts arguing about a forgotten diaphragm left in the Patimpkin house. The argument eventually turns into a fight about their future as a couple. Neil asks Brenda to disobey her parents for him. He asks this because he knows Brenda would never do such a thing, but if she did then that would prove her love for him. Ultimately she did not go against her parents, and Neil breaks up with her. Neil holds true to his morals and, as Bernard F. Rodgers says in his work â€Å"The Disapproving Moralist and the Libidinous Slob†, â€Å"Refuses to pay the price. He will not sacrifice his integrity for a comfortable position in the Patimpkin household, even if that means losing Brenda†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Rodgers, 42). After the break up, Neil ends up in front of a reflective mirror looking at himself. Deborah Kuhnle describes the significance of the scene by saying Neils self-reflection symbolizes that he can clearly see and state that he is not the way the Patimpkins are. (Kuhnle, 21). Although he wants the life Brenda has and the perks that come along with it, Neil ultimately stayed morally strong and did not falter in his beliefs. Sarah Chambers puts it in perfect words when exclaiming, (Neil) cannot commit to life in an environment that he feels will limit his personal development and play too great a role in defining his identity. (Chambers, 2). Its not only Neil in Phillip Roths novella Goodbye, Columbus who has identity problems. The Patimpkins also have identity issues that need to be worked out. Brenda, specifically, appears disconnected from her Jewish identity. When Neil and Mrs. Patimpkin are talking about the work Brenda does for Hasaddah, Mrs. Patimpkin refers to her daughter as nothing. (Roth 71). Also, down at Patimpkin and Sons, Mr. Patimpkin chimes in on his kids religious knowledge by saying, They’re goyim, my kids, that’s how much they understand. † (Roth 94). It is clear that due to their economic situation Brenda has abandoned her religion and does not feel as strongly about it as her mother and father once did. Another Patimpkin, who Chambers thinks has a phony sense of identity (Chambers, 8), is Ron. Ron, Brenda’s older brother, is almost a caricature of the All-American college athlete. (Chambers, 8). Throughout the novella, Neil would constantly talk about Rons hearty handshakes, and explains them further when he says, Before Id even reached them, Ron stepped forward and shook my hand, vigorously, as though he hadnt seen me since the Diaspora. (Roth 35). Also throughout the plot of Goodbye, Columbus, Neil continuously looks down upon Ron from an intellectual stand-point. Rons lack of depth (Chambers, 8) is shown when Neil asks him, How does it feel? † (Roth 57), referring to his upcoming wedding. Ron, who always lives in the past, thinks Neil is talking about an old sports injury. Chambers accurately states, â€Å"He is more focused on his measurable sporting achievements than on his emotional life or future with his wife. † (Chambers, 8). Ron can’t seem to move on from his old identity, one of a successful athlete, and shape the next chapter in his life. At the beginning stages in the plot of Goodbye, Columbus, Neil falls in love with what initially seems to be his soul mate, Brenda Patimpkin. At the start of their relationship, Neil seemed to be what Deborah Kuhrle puts as, â€Å"instable and insecure in religious and personal identity matters. † (Kuhrle, 21). As the novella progresses though, Neil’s instability and insecurities seem to fade away until he becomes morally impenetrable. The same cannot be said though for the Patimpkin siblings, Ron and Brenda, who still have much more soul-searching left in their quest to reveal their true selves. As Neil leaves Brenda though, he returns to what, â€Å"offers him the most genuine platform for personal development† (Chambers, 12) which is the library. Neil, unlike Ron and Brenda, has answered the question â€Å"who am I? † He has come to somewhat of a realization on who he really is and what he wants out of life, but as Kuhrle perfectly puts, â€Å"One’s identity can only become clearer but never be defined completely. † (Kuhrle, 21).