Goodbye, Columbus Chapters 4-8

Parallel: Throughout chpaters 4-7, there is talk about Brenda leaving, either she leaves him or she goes off to college. In Chapter 4, Neil is afraid of being in the water to long because he is scared Brenda will leave him. in Chapter 6, Neil says "...I had been more and more with the thought that when Brenda went back to Radcliffe, that would be the end for me". It shows that throughout the end of book, Neil is becoming more aware that summer is ending and that they will no longer be together and hang out everyday. 

Contrast:

In Chapter 7, Neil is at Ron and Harriets wedding. Throughout the wedding, people are telling Neil that he and Brenda will be together for a long time and that they are the next wedding. It seems like the chapter is proof that Neil and Brenda were meant to be and that college and long distance will not come between them but at the end of chapter 7, Neil says "I drove Brenda to the train at noon, and she left me". 

Goodbye, Columbus Chapter 3

Parallel: At the beginning of the book, Brenda has asked Neil if he and his sister were black. Now in chapter 3, Neil says that the little in at the library has a "southern negro dialect". I feel like in each chapter, there is a question or description that involves race and I think that is interesting that it is very present in each chapter. 

Contrast: I thought that there was an interesting contrast between Neil and Julie when he is playing ping pong with her compared to when he was playing basketball. When Neil and Julie were playing basketball, the whole family was watching and Neil let Julie win. Now that the family is out of the house and he and Julie are alone, he plays ping pong with her and doesnt let her win. I thought that was interesting on how he behaves around Julie when people are and arent present.

Props:

Coffee

Orange Crush

Green train cars

Cigarette

Britannica 

Art Books

Glasses

Ice Bucket

Decanter

Mixer

Swizzle Stick

Shot Glass

Pretzel Bowl

23 bottles of Jack Daniels

Greenage Plums

Black Plums

Red Plums

Apricots

Nectarines

Peaches

Grapes

Black, Yellow, Red Charries

Canteloupes

Honey Dew

Watermelon

Keys

Ping Pong paddle

Ping Pong ball

Phone with Cord

Goodbye, Columbus Chapter 2

Parallel: Like in Chapter 1, Chapter 2 starts with Neil, Brenda, and the glasses.It is almost exactly the same beginning, where Brenda asked Neil to hold her glasses while she went swimming. 

Contrast: In Chapter 1, Brenda was always asking Neil if he or his cousin, Doris, were Black. In Chapter 2, on page 23, they describe Mr. Patimkin at the dinner table "pulling his shirt up and slapping his black, curved belly". I thought this was interesting contrast since Brenda was always asking if somebody was black but I dont think anyone ever really thought the Brenda could be black.

Class Consciousness: On pages 25 and 26, Brenda is talking about her mom not wanting to waste any money they have. Brenda sees it in the sense that "she still thinks we live in Newark". Even in brendas family, not all of them feel upper-class. Her mom doesnt want to waste any of the money they have.

Props:

Glasses

Black Tank Suit

Cuban Heels

Knuckle-Sized Rings

Straw Hats

Big Blue Umbrella

Chaise Longues

Irons

Golf Balls

Tennis Can

Baseball bat

Baskeball

Glove

Riding Crop

Chrysler

Goodbye, Columbus Chapter 1

Contrast: On pages 10 and 11, the passage has a cntrast of light and dark. One page 10, it says "the darker it got the more savagely did Brenda rush the net...". On page 11, Neil is describing Brenda as "...tiny-collared white polo shirt, right where her wings would have been if she'd had a pair". I thought of this as a contrast since brenda is being describe in both of these sentences. When stating that it was darker, Neil mentions that Brenda turned into more of a savage, but when he is describing her white polo, he mentions, infering that she looks like an angle. 

Parallel: I noticed that Brenda is always asking what people look like. On page 7, Brenda asks what Neil looks like and on page 12, she asks what his cousin Doris, looks like. I thought this was interesting especially since the beginning of book started with the moment when Neil was holding Brendas glasses while she dove into the pool. I think that Brendas vision may start to play a role in the plot. 

Class Conciousness: On page 8, Neil is driving to the park where Brenda is playing tennis and is describing the streets and places around him. At the beginning of the paragraph he is listing places he is driving past such as Dairy Queen, Lumberyards,  and used-car lots. In the middle of the paragraph, Neil is then describing the house around him and that there long lawns had twirling water, which I would assume are sprinklers. He also mentions that there are streets with names of eastern colleges. At the beginning of the paragraph, Neil is quickly naming the places he passes without giving more detail, but once he gets to the wealthier neighboorhoods, he is describing them in more detail. On page 11, Neil talks about college and automatically assumes that Brenda may go to Boston University, but instead, will be going to Radcliffe, which is an even more prestigious than BU.

Props: 

Glasses

Diving Board

Suburban Phone Book

Telephone Table

Dresser with missing left leg

Black Whirring Fan

Salt Shaker

Copy of War and Peace

Tennis Racket Cover

Map of the Streets on Newark