The Last Lecture: Chapter 30 Summary & Analysis

Randy’s mom always calls him Randolph, even though he hates that name. As a teen, Randy confronted her about it, but she remained resolute in her right as his mom to call Randy whatever she wanted. When he was in college, Randy would return the mail his mom sent him unopened because she addressed the letters to “Randolph.” In an act of compromise, his mom began to address them “R. Pausch,” and those ones he would open. However, all these years later, Randy has given up on getting his mom to call him Randy. He has realized that he’s so appreciative to have her that if she wants to add an “olph,” he’s willing to put up with it, because “Life’s too short.”