Mélange of Humourism, Judaism and Hebraism in Philip Roth's ‘Goodbye, Columbus': An Analytical Study

Abstract

In the vanguard of rising Jewish ethnicity in America after World War II, Philip Roth penned a novella, 'Goodbye, Columbus'. This incandescently alive novella depicts the embedded flippancy and humor of the lower middle class and upper class. Neil Klugman, a librarian, hailed from Newark. On the other hand, Brenda Patimkin,a college student of an affluent family, lived in Short Hills. Neil, the protagonist and the narrator of the story, falls in love with Brenda.Roth, through the character of Neil, has mildly slated the relationship of Gentiles with other characters. A cursory perusal of the novella also surfaces what elements impelled the writer to show this side ofthe picture regarding the delineation of Jews' internal matters. In this study, we have argued about the novella in terms of its Hebraism and humouristic features; the study has also underpinned how Judaism is reflected in the novella.