Literary Analysis: the Last Song

Literary Analysis: The Last Song “Life…was much like a song. In the beginning there is mystery, in the end there is confirmation, but it’s in the middle where all the emotion resides to make the whole thing worthwhile” (Sparks 391). The novel The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks has a deep meaning and a life lesson to it that relates a lot in today’s society, says most people who have read the book in the past. This novel is a long journey made up of family problems. Ronnie, the teenage daughter, hits a road block in life with her dad Steve, whom she is mad at for walking out on the family, when he develops a deadly illness. She ignored her dad for three years, then her mom decided it would be good idea for Ronnie and Jonah, Ronnie’s little brother, to spend the summer with their dad. Ronnie did not like this idea at all, but learned in the long run there was a reason behind it all. The relationship Ronnie and her dad had together can be seen in many perspectives; it all depends on the situation at hand. This story tugs at the heartstrings because it is so similar to situations that fills today’s society (Formy-Duval). Before the divorce, Ronnie and her dad had one thing in common: music. They would compose songs together all the time. The piano was kind of their serenity place where they could go and spend some quality father-daughter time together, and it was something they both enjoyed doing. After the divorce, Ronnie gave up on both composing and playing. She figured there was no use for it anymore. Her thoughts came to pass that if her dad gave up on the family then it was okay for her to give up on playing. Ronnie ignored and rejected her dad for three years and got into many different kinds of trouble; she was even thrown in jail for shop lifting at one point. That summer Ronnie had a change of heart and started to regret ignoring her dad for all those years. Someone once said, “You never know what you got til it’s gone.” Ronnie finds this out quickly during the time she spends with her dad.
The summer got off to a bad start, at first, Ronnie would not even speak to her dad. She spent most of her time out on the beach or at the market with some people she had made friends with the first day at her dad’s (Sparks). Most teenage girls can relate to this because they know what it is like to be really mad at their dad, so they do whatever it takes to stay away from him. As the summer progressed, Ronnie started to notice that her dad had still been composing and playing. Come to find out he was doing it just for her with the hopes that she would come to visit him sometime in the future. This was so he could play for her and try to convince her to start playing and composing again (Sparks). Girls also know what this is like, because whenever a dad makes his little girl mad he tries to make it up to her by doing something for her that brings back good memories. Unfortunately, Ronnie did not want anything to do with composing or playing the piano anymore and she blamed it all on her dad. Towards the middle of the summer things started looking up for Ronnie and her dad. They started bonding together and talking to each other again, but it still was not enough to get Ronnie back to composing and to playing again. It actually took her finding out about her dad’s illness to bring her back to playing and to composing again. Meanwhile, while playing her dad’s piano one day, she stumbled upon a piece of music that her dad was in the middle of composing when his illness became worse. Ronnie got the idea to make the past three years up to her dad; she would finish composing the piece before he died. Even after Ronnie’s dad died, she continued composing and playing in memory of her father. She even decided to go to Juilliard, just like her dad dreamed about her going to since she was a little girl (Sparks). I can relate to this particular situation between Ronnie and her dad, because I too have anger problems towards my dad. He left my mom, my two brothers, and I for another woman when I was just five years old. I have had so much anger bottled up towards him over the past fourteen years. Some days I just break down into tears for no reason at all. I know it is not healthy for me, but it seems like I have no other choice. I do not want my dad out of my life because no matter how mad I get at him I still love him. I know one day he will not be here on earth anymore, so when I get to see him I try to make the best of it. I do not want that day to come where I know my dad is dying and I have to make up for the years in the past, or get a call one day saying my dad has died and I regret not ever giving him the time of day. In saying all this, remember not to ignore or reject a loved one that has let you down in the past. When he or she is gone and there is not an undo button that is when one will truly miss him or her (“Essay Review…”). It is sad that a tragedy had to occur in Ronnie’s life for her to get her life back on track, but sometimes that is what it takes. This novel, The Last Song, has a great life lesson behind it that everyone should take to heart. No matter how mad one gets at a friend or loved one, he or she never needs to start ignoring or rejecting that certain person. That friend or loved one may not live to see the next minute, let alone the next day, to be forgiven. No one wants to end up like Ronnie in the story. In other words, do not let grudges go unforgiving. I know I try everyday to think of my dad, and I do not want him to leave this earth wondering what went wrong with mine and his relationship. Remember to “appreciate and cherish the loved ones you have now, for they are not promised to you tomorrow” (“Essay Review…”).