Later!
-- Oliver (Part 1)

Importance: Oliver’s catchphrase, repeated throughout the novel either as a term meaning goodbye or as an answer to a request from Elio to do something with him. The term is later incorporated into another significant and repeated quote when Oliver asks Elio: “If not later, when?” the implied answer to that question being “now or never.” The word underscores each man’s attitude toward time: Elio is obsessed with the future, endlessly trying to reach a place that he has created in his head. In contrast, Oliver is happier to allow events to unfold at their own pace rather than trying to force circumstances into existence.

Just be quiet, say nothing, and if you can’t say “yes,” don’t say “no,” say “later.
-- Elio/Narration (Part 1)

Importance: Elio reflects on the potential meaning of Oliver’s repeated use of the term “later.” This suggests Elio’s endless internal analysis of his own...