and in the end, what remains...

The last lines of  Montana  1948 are "Later that night, after everyone was in bed, I came back down to the dining room.  I sat in the chair where my father had sat and lightly put my hands on the table.  For an instant I thought I felt the wood still vibrating from my father's blow."  This passage clearly shows one theme of the novel--the events of the past haunt us.  However, this is not the only theme in the novel.  What do you people is a key theme of the book and give us a passage that lead you to believe this?   Please make sure to comment on what previous posters have said.  If you are the first to comment on this blog, reply to my introduction here.  (The deadline to post a response is midnight, June 27, 2014.  Blogs on A Lesson Before Dying will begin July 1st.  The first blog will cover Chapters 1-12.)