The inevitable future
Randy mentions in the beginning of his lecture that even though he is positive, he already bought a house for his wife and for their children closer to his wife’s parents. Randy did this so his wife will not have to go through everything alone. But the house is also used here as a symbol that stands for the future and for the fact that no matter how hard a person tries, death cannot be avoided.
Positive attitude
A motif in the book is the idea that no matter how dismal things seem to be, Randy tries to maintain a positive attitude and to not let himself be discouraged by the events and the tragedies that were happening to him. At the same time, while was trying to have a positive attitude, he did not ignored the fact that he was going to die and tried instead to have a healthy attitude towards it.
Symbol for the past
Randy decided to use pictures in his presentation and not to use written slides at all. The reason why he decided to use pictures instead of words is because he used the pictures as a symbol for his past. They were a visual representation for the person he was and he wanted to share that with the people who were present at his presentation.
Legacy
For Randy, it is very important to deliver the last lecture and to have it perfect. The reason why that is so important for him is because he sees his last lecture as a symbol for his legacy. It is something that he wants to be remembered, something the he wants to leave behind for his children and for the people who knew him and admired him.
The right to chose
Another motif that appears in the novel is the idea that Randy could have chosen to not do the lecture. Despite being advised not to do it, he still decided to go forward with it and the reason behind it was that he felt like it was his purpose to do the lecture and to present it the best he could.
