Social Class In Goodbye Columbus By Phillip Roth

Members of different social classes typically behave in different ways. The social class that you belong to can determine your way of life and the decisions that you make. In the novella “Goodbye Columbus” by Phillip Roth, the two characters Brenda Patimkin and Neil Klugman come from different social classes. Neil is from Newark, a city in New Jersey, and is lower middle class. Like Neil, Brenda was also born in Newark, but her family eventually moved away to Short Hills, an affluent suburb. It’s evident that the Patimkins are much richer in comparison to the Klugmans. Although Neil and Brenda are a couple, they are still very different people. One might assume that since Brenda and Neil are in a relationship they must share some things …show more content…
Their differences in social status seem to have an enormous effect on their behaviors. Throughout the story Neil has an inferiority complex about the Patimkins being richer than him and his family. He constantly seems to think Brenda is looking down on him for how he lives. On one occasion he becomes defensive when Brenda questions him about his job and living situation. He starts sarcastically saying things about himself and tells her “At Newark Colleges of Rutgers University I majored in philosopy. I am twenty-three years old. I-- ” (51). Brenda cuts off his ramble by asking, “Why do you sound nasty again?” (51). This is a question Brenda asks Neil multiple times throughout the story because he often lashes out at her. Brenda is self-assured, but Neil is insecure and thinks he doesn’t fit into her rich lifestyle. Their different personalities cause conflict between them, because Brenda can be entitled and Neil often feels insulted and used by her. At one point Neil foreshadows his negative feelings for Brenda and says “I did not want to voice a word… and reveal that hideous emotion I always felt for her, and is the underside of love” (27). Neil often feels this hideous emotion for Brenda. For example, he becomes angry with her when she asks him to babysit her sister, Julie. He feels that Brenda is using him and treating him like a nanny. During his stay at Brenda’s home, she starts having Neil run every day while she times him. This reveals that she dislikes their differences and wants Neil to become more like her so he can fit in with her life. Brenda tells him, “you look like me. Except bigger” (70). Neil seems uneasy with the idea that he is becoming athletic and more like Brenda. He doesn’t agree with her attitude, but despite these feelings he still loves her. However, Neil is self-conscious and his insecurities about their relationship lead to further turmoil. He doesn’t believe that Brenda