The Longest Ride: Theme and Characterization

      Sometimes, I just decide to pick up the most random books and start reading them. This time, I've chosen the book The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks. This is actually my first time reading a Nicholas Sparks novel. If you didn't know earlier, they are usually full of romance and all that mushy gushy stuff. Well, that's what I originally thought as well. But as I started reading this particular novel, that's not what it's all about, at least yet.
      For a brief synopsis of what I've read so far: There is an old man by the name of Ira who is currently stuck in his car during a severe snowstorm. He is recalling all of his memories while in wait of rescue with his wife, whom he is hallucinating an image of as she is already dead. Then, the book completely changes perspectives over to a college senior named Sophia who is just getting over a really bad breakup with her old boyfriend. She is in the process of befriending a bull rider whose show she saw at her pity party thrown by her sorority sisters.
      A theme I'm seeing so far is moving on, at least with Sophia. After a really violent encounter with her ex-boyfriend Brian, she is talking to new people like Luke, the bull rider whom I mentioned earlier. However, I'm seeing the exact opposite theme with Ira. He is reliving his past as opposed to moving on. He is battling so many illnesses and ailments and still he's refusing to die. A line from the book that shows this is:
"It's snowing and people are already driving slowly. Surely someone's going to find me. They have to find me. Right?"
This line shows that he's in denial that he can die despite being in a snowstorm at his age battling as many illnesses as he is.
    Ira is a very interesting character with an interesting background. I haven't really gotten to know him as a person yet, but I know his background. The only thing I know about his personality right now is that he's a fighter, and he really doesn't want to die. This is a pretty important character trait but I'm sure there is more to him. His background is that his family was in the Holocaust, but that they were able to come to America quickly enough to survive. His wife's family was in a similar situation, except she lost a lot of family members in the Holocaust.
   I feel like I've learned more about Sophia as a person than I have about Ira. She is a sweet, modest person from the voice the author incorporates about her. Her background is very normal as well, but she has a big heart. Her family isn't very affluent and she is in college based solely off of merit.
   From reading the back cover of the book, I know that Ira's and Sophia's paths are going to cross at some point, but my main question is: How? I'm excited to keep reading and find out what'll happen next!