Reading deeper into “The Last Song” the character development keeps progressing. Nicholas Sparks continues to show how teenagers often are portrayed through the actions and comments of Ronnie, “‘Fine.’ she hissed, digging through her pockets. She passed over a crumpled bill and Jonah pocketed the money. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw her father moving in her direction, his head still going from side to side, and she ducked around the booth” (pg 34). Here it’s obvious that Ronnie’s younger brother, Jonah, knows what kind of attitude Ronnie is prone to having and takes advantage of it by bribing her.

While Ronnie seems to put on a hard, mean girl outer look, there is something inside her that still clings onto the good. Nicholas Sparks wants to show that there is still some good in her that wants to be free. Ronnie may not be all that she says she is, “She wasn’t naive about drugs…everyone but her drank on the weekends. Every club and party she went to had easy access to all of it…Ronnie didn’t want to go there” (pg 30). This brings forth the question that maybe her parents divorce played a big part in her attitude change. She doesn’t get fully involved in the wrong happening all around her, yet she still wants to show her parents that she isn’t the same girl she was before.

At this point in their lives, Ronnie’s mom has tried her best to keep Ronnie under control, but has failed time and time again. Moving in with her father for the summer might just be the change Ronnie needs to get her life on track. Sparks shows us a very laid back father, yet somehow, as readers, we get the sense he knows exactly what he’s doing. He connects instantly with Jonah, whom he hasn’t seen in several months, but keeps his distance from Ronnie. He bonds with Jonah so easily, it leaves the readers to wonder if he can do the same with Ronnie.