The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks - Ronnie's Dinner w/ Will who's... Rich?

When Ronnie finally invites Will over for dinner at her home to meet her family, Will, surprised by the sudden offer, rushes to his home with Ronnie to get spruced up, even though Ronnie insists that there's no need to do so. But when Will insists, Ronnie finds herself in the midst of a beautiful, extravagant, luxurious property, and suddenly feels small, and very different. It was a shock for her to realize just how much more judgmental she had been towards Will, and how more and more her judgments had been false. "Okay, she thought, this was ridiculous. Not jut the grounds with the sculptured rose gardens and the hedges and marble statues, or the massive Georgian mansion supported by elegant columns, or even the overpriced exotic crs that were being waxed by hand in an area reserved for such things - but all of it... And here she was, wearing a T-shirt, and torn jeans. Nice (pg. 225)."

It seemed throughout the book that Will came from an average, middle-classed family, because of the way he presented himself. Shorts, T-shirts, and constantly playing volleyball on the beach with the rest of the town watching close-by. Never had I expected just how different he turned out to be. It reminded me of Ronnie. Ronnie, who has a warm, caring heart on the inside, and loves her friends and family as much as possible, instead chooses to dress up in dark clothing, and make-up, and struts around as if she wouldn't care what other people thought of her. She hides who she really is on the inside, even if she doesn't realize it, and only frequently, does that side of her make a full appearance in front of others. With Will, I had the same type of idea, but with his background. He hangs out with middle-classed people, and chooses not to flaunt the fact that he is in fact above everyone in power and money wise. Only would I have ever even suspected just what type of family background he comes from without traveling to his home, meeting his family, and experiencing it all for myself. Ronnie may not realize just how much she and Will have in common, but this is definitely something that I could tie back to both of them at once.

When Ronnie meets Will's mother, her first impression isn't very good. His mother shows her apparent dislike for Will's new girlfriend, which makes Ronnie rather uncomfortable. After spending a few silent, intense, moments with Will's mother, Ronnie is surprised to find Will's father is full-hearted, kind and enjoyable. She compares him to Will, which makes her realize how much comfortable it is to be around him than Will's father. Although Ronnie is now more comfortable, I suspect her feelings stay the same about feeling different. I know that if I were to have just met a girl who I immediately started to wonder how I felt about, then found out that they were rich, it would surprise me, especially if that person let on that they were a whole different type of person. It would make me disagouraged as well, knowing that the person I fell in love with turned out to come from a whole different history. Unfortunately, it may slightly change the way I feel about them.