The Last Lecture Literary Elements

Memoir

The action described thatches place in various places in America from the author’s childhood until the end of his life.

The memoir is told from Randy’s point of view and also a chapter is told from Jai’s point of view.

Positive, upbeat

The protagonist is Randy and the antagonist is his own illness.

The major conflict is an internal one and is the result of the fact that the author knows that he only has a few more months to live.

The memoir reaches its climax when Randy tells his audience that the lecture is not only for them, but for his children as well.

The way Randy was raised and the education he received foreshadowed the way he treated his own children because he tried to offer them the same education he was offered by his parents.

When Randy claims that he is healthy while doing some push-ups on the stage is an understatement as he later admits that he will most likely die in a few months.

When Randy talks about his imminent death, he also talks about his wife and about the roles she will have to fill in when he dies. While he doesn’t argue that she will take care of their children just fine, Randy does express his worry that their children will be raised without a father. He thus alludes that for a children to grow up harmoniously, he needs both a mother and a father because if he lacks a parent, then the education he will receive will not be harmonious and balanced.

Randy talks about his interaction with some of his colleagues and some of his friends and what becomes a common element is the idea that they think that Randy is too proud. Thus, Randy presents this image of himself on stage and is not ashamed to admit that they may be right.

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Randy make reference frequently to the "brick walls’’ he had to get over in his life. In this context, the brick walls are used in a metonymical sense to make reference to every hardship Randy had to endure in his life.

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