Goodbye, Columbus

What does the title mean in Philip Roth's Goodbye, Columbus? On the most literal level Ron Potemkin has a record that he plays again and again made for graduating seniors from Ohio state - clips from sports events (he's mentioned as a departing b-ball star ) and other nostalgia - he mentions it early in the piece but we don't hear the contents until a tour de force section near the end (did such records really exist?) so it's partly leaving the simple world of college behind - an experience the working-class Neil never has - but also the ref to Columbus - is it perhaps we are no longer discoverers of america - the ship has departed for the new world and we're left ashore. But I think it's also that we are in the new world saying goodbye to the explorer who has opened the continent to Europe - he has gone back to Europe leaving the natives behind - each of which touches on Neil's life ( and Roth's and many others) - facing decisions about career and independence from fam torn between aspiration ambition and ambiguity - is Brenda really such a great "catch" or prize as her fam at the wedding seem to think or would marriage to her consume Neil and destroy him?

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