Unseen but, binding thread of Noah's "Notebook"

In the world of movies, there is absolutely nothing that is worse intellectual junk food than romances and romantic comedies.  The rich and full romantic flavor is incredible to ingest but, like anything that tastes good, is awful for us.  Our emotional cardiovascular system is left weak and prone to heartbreak when real relationships prove to be less cliche, less romantic, less trustworthy, and more hurtful.  All this being said, I admittedly thoroughly enjoy watching these movies and have no intention of stopping any time in the near future.  Asked to write a blog post about "The Notebook", I thought I'd take this opportunity to point out a subtle but deeply moving thread that binds Noah's notebook together.

"The Notebook" is not a complicated story.  It's simple.  The entire plot can be summarized in three sentences (and is in the opening lines of the film), "I am nothing special; just a common man with common thoughts, and I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten. But in one respect I have succeeded as gloriously as anyone who's ever lived: I've loved another with all my heart and soul; and to me, this has always been enough."  Noah's undying love for Allie makes the movie worth watching.  From beginning to end, he never quits.  There is nothing too strong, nothing to awful, nothing that can get in the way of his faithful love.  Each moment is dense with meaningful quotes, not one word placed next another without a reason.

Keeping this in mind, one of the most memorable moments in the movie is when Noah and Allie go to the beach.  Allie runs into the water after a flock of seagulls and turning to Noah says, "Do you think in an another life, I could have been a bird?"  It seems like a weird question to ask.  At first it seems like she's just joking with him but, she starts repeating, "Say I'm a bird!" and runs into his arms.  Noah finally concedes, "You're a bird."
"Now say you're a bird too."
In this moment we can see Noah's heart.  "If you're a bird, I'm a bird."
The significance of these words are far more than they appear in this twenty second scene.  I'd like to go back to the beginning of the story and show you the deeper meaning.  The thread that strings Noah's notebook together.

Remember the opening scene of the movie.  A man, who we could assume to picture Noah, paddling out on a lake at sunrise.  As the sun dispels the darkness on the water, a group of white birds jump from the water and into the sky.  They soar over the man's head and climb up above the water toward the sun.  We see from behind them as their wings slowly lift them toward a window where their reflection reveals an aged Allie watching their morning flight.




If we continue through the movie, we next find the birds in the beach scene I already described:


"If you're a bird, I'm a bird."


Allie and Noah don't see each other for seven long years.  When Allie returns, she finds that Noah has built the house exactly as he had promised her.  Upon returning to the house at Noah's request, he says he has something to show her.


Noah brings Allie to see a group of swans.  Although the most memorable scene in the movie follows this, the conversation Noah has with Allie at the beautiful bird filled lake lays the perfect backdrop:

Allie: It's like a dream.
Noah: Do you want to feed them?
Allie: Yeah.  What are they all doing here?
Noah: I don't know.  They're suppose to migrate back down south.  
Allie: They won't stay here?
Noah: No.  They'll go back where they came from...

In another life, Allie was a bird.  All Noah ever wanted was to be with her.  These three scenes show us the heart of a man who spent many long hours missing a girl.  A man who wrote her every day for a year.  If she was a bird, he wanted to be a bird.  If she was gone, he wanted to be where the birds were.  Noah had realized his bird had returned but, didn't know why.  She wasn't suppose to be here.  He knew she, in all likelihood, wouldn't stay.  All he could do was enjoy the time he got to spend with her while he had the chance.

The story only begins where the movie leaves us.  Noah's bird doesn't go back to where she came from.  She stays with him.  We can assume they lived a happy and full life together.  The heartbreaking reality sets in at the end of their lives.  Allie is taken from Noah once again.  It is no longer money, time, and people that separate the two but, the fading memory of Allie.  She writes "The Notebook" as her parting gift to Noah.  "Read this, and I will return to you."  Just like the swans on Noah's lake.

Chronologically, Noah reads the timeless story of his love at the end of their lives.  The words he used to win her have proven steadfast and true through all of their years: "So it's not gonna be easy. It's going to be really hard; we're gonna have to work at this everyday, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, everyday. You and me... everyday."  And just like a bird making it's last trip home, Allie returns to Noah for the last time.  Neither has stopped loving the other with every fiber of their being.  Noah gets ready for her to fly away but, this time, she's not leaving alone.

Allie: Do you think our love, can take us away together?
Noah: I think our love can do anything we want it to.

The last scene of the movie stands apart from the rest.  A simple story but, a timeless one.  Allie had left and this time, Noah wasn't left behind.  We can see their birds fly off into the sunset.




"Summer romances begin for all kinds of reasons, but when all is said and done, they have one thing in common. They're shooting stars, a spectacular moment of light in the heavens, fleeting glimpse of eternity, and in a flash they're gone."