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The Boy
Leo is Mr. Patimkin’s half-brother, whom Neil meets at Ron’s wedding. Leo is a light bulb salesman who laments that he is unsuccessful, and he’s particularly bitter at the contrast between his modest life and Mr. Patimkin’s success. Leo talks about how he can count the good things that have happened to him in his life on one hand, and he wistfully recounts those things to Neil. Neil observes that Leo could find happiness if he were more willing to take risks, but instead he is too fixated on the past, and as a result, he is too pessimistic about the present and the future.
Leo Patimkin Quotes in Goodbye, Columbus
The Goodbye, Columbus quotes below are all either spoken by Leo Patimkin or refer to Leo Patimkin. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 7
Quotes
Then he looked at me. “Whatever my Buck wants is good enough for me. There’s no business too big it can’t use another head.”
I smiled, though not directly at him, and beyond I could see Leo sopping up champagne and watching the three of us; when he caught my eye he made a sign with his hand, a circle with his thumb and forefinger, indicating, “That a boy, that a boy!”
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Leo Patimkin Character Timeline in Goodbye, Columbus
The timeline below shows where the character Leo Patimkin appears in Goodbye, Columbus. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 7
At the wedding, Neil meets many of Brenda’s extended family members, including Mr. Patimkin’s half-brother Leo. At the reception, the band starts to play. Mr. Patimkin dances with Julie, and Brenda...
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When Brenda departs for the bathroom, Leo—who is also very drunk—returns to sit next to Neil. Leo, who is a lightbulb salesman,...
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Leo asks Neil how much he thinks Leo makes in a week. Neil doesn’t know, and...
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Neil suggests to Leo that he go home. Leo agrees, and he says goodbye to Neil, saying he’ll go...
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