Goodbye Columbus

“Once I’d driven out of Newark, past Irvington and the packed-in tangle of railroad crossings, switchmen shacks, lumberyards, Dairy Queens, and used-car lots, the night grew cooler.”

One of the most prominent aspects of Neil’s relationship with Brenda is his insecurity over their class differences, divided by Newark and the suburbs. On his first trip out of Newark to Brenda’s house, he compares the lush lawns and spacious houses of Brenda’s neighborhood to the cramped conditions of his own, and he comments on how the city’s heat dissipates beyond its border, making for a cooler, more comfortable summer.

“It was only eight o’clock, and I did not want to be early, so I drove up and down the streets whose names were those of eastern colleges, as though the township, years ago, when things were named, had planned the destinies of the sons of its citizens.”

Neil once again notices the wealth and privilege that characterizes the suburbs of Newark in comparison with the city where he lives. The streets are named after prestigious colleges, foreshadowing the futures of the children in the houses lining the streets.

“Brenda shook the wetness of her hair onto my face and with the drops that touched me I felt she had made a promise to me about the summer, and, I hoped, beyond.”

From early on in their relationship, Neil looks forward to a future with Brenda. He consistently tries to unify them and becomes paranoid that she does not want him. His focus on the future leads him to neglect the present and fight with Brenda every time he suspects something endangers their relationship.