The Last Lecture Randy Pausch Literary Analysis

Of the numerous components utilized in creating an intriguing story, the setting tends to play one of the most crucial roles in the way the story is perceived. In Randy Pausch's, The Last Lecture, the setting, Pausch's memory, proves to be extremely significant in that it opens a window into what he recalls and values from his past, and what lessons he has learned that could be beneficial to many others. Also, being figuratively placed into Pausch's memory allows for a greater understanding of the positive, extremely intelligent and determined person Pausch has always been, and desires to be remembered as after he has passed. In the case of The Last Lecture, the setting and one of the fundamental themes prove to be nearly one in the same. A main theme throughout the beginning of the book is the importance Pausch places on memories and the life lessons that can be learned from them. As Pauch explains, he wants his children to know some stories from his life in the hopes that the lessons learned from them will help guide the children once he is gone (Pausch Introduction). This theme of memory would not be so dominant if Pausch had not placed his setting within his memory.

He opens the fourth chapter by stating, "I won the parent lottery" (Pausch 21). Although Pausch truly believes this statement, it is merely an opinion that is lacking support. Pausch needs to support his opinion, in order to make it believable. By bringing in his setting to help explain why he believes he won the parent lottery, using specific memories, such as "They underwrote a fifty-student dormitory in rural Thailand" (Pausch 24) and "My dad was an incredible storyteller" (Pausch 22), his opinion begins to gain credibility because there is reasoning behind it. Moreover, had there been no support from his memory, the statement would remain simply an