Goodbye, Columbus Morality and Ethics Quotes

Shvartze is Hebrew for black, and there is a debate over whether it is offensive to refer to a person in this way. The woman Neil hears saying this bought something from a black child (probably) in an "exotic" location. Also, did you notice? This moment totally foreshadows the arrival of the black boy and his interest in Paul Gauguin's art set in Tahiti.

Neil thinks that getting a nose job to look less Jewish is akin to not recognizing the beauty of Jewish heritage and throwing away something valuable.

It scares Neil a little that everybody lets Julie win. The girl gets mad when she loses, because she's been taught that she's entitled to win. It's surprising that a family so into sports wouldn't teach Julie to be a good sport.

Go to "What's Up With The Title?" for the ethical debate surrounding Gauguin and his work and how this informs our reading. We promise you won't be disappointed.

When Neil mirrors Julie in the ping-pong game by cheating, and not letting her win, she might see how she's been acting for the first time. But it isn't clear if Julie learned a lesson from Neil or not. Is he trying to help her, or does he just get carried away with the competitive spirit? Does he steal fruit? Is she right in accusing him?

Mr. Patimkin is pumping Neil about how involved he and his family are involved in Jewish activities and groups. Judaism is very concerned with doing good works, and planting trees is considered a good work. The high value she places on these activities probably explains Mrs. Patimkin's disappointment with Brenda, who doesn't participate in these things.

On the first day of the job, Ron values the store being continually manned over the workers going to enjoy lunch at the same time. Mr. Patimkin thinks that being open that extra hour isn't worth the loss of morale. What do you think?

On an analytical level, it's confusing that Brenda doesn't seem to feel that sex before marriage is wrong, but feels that getting a birth control device from a doctor is. When one considers the social stigma surrounding birth control, especially for unmarried women in the 1950s, we understand some of Brenda's moral confusion. Click here for a timeline that might put things in perspective.

We think Mrs. Patimkin is upset about Brenda and Neil having sex before marriage rather than objecting specifically to the diaphragm or to birth control. The debate over whether or not sex before marriage is morally wrong is common to many religions and time periods. Here in the 2010s it's still going strong.