The Notebook by Nicolas Sparks - Theme Essay

In the novel The Notebook, by Nicolas Sparks, Noah Calhoun demonstrates two major themes. The first theme he expresses is love conquers all. This is shown throughout the novel when Noah is in love with his girlfriend Allie Nelson. Another major theme in the novel which Noah illustrates is to follow your heart. Even though Allie and Noah might have fought a lot during their summer romance in the end of the novel when they are grown up they had gotten married and were in love for the rest of their lives. Noah Calhoun is a major part of the theme because he is the one retelling the story of their lives to Allie because she has Alzheimer's disease and cannot even remember who own beloved husband Noah is.

Noah is living away from his children and grandchildren in a nursing home with his sick wife Allie because he does not have the heart to leave her there alone. Allie does not remember who Noah is, all she thinks of him as is a friend. Noah decides to read Allie the story of their lives together to try and get her to remember the story of her life: "... I check my watch. I realize lit is time to go. I stand from my seat by the window and shuffle across the room stopping at the desk to pick up the notebook I have read a hundred times" (kindle?) Noah is convinced that by reading her what she had wrote in her journal about their life she will remember everything, but the doctors keep telling him that she will never remember or if she does she will forget soon after. As a matter of fact that is what happens. Towards the end she remembers that they are married and they start dancing together and kissing but in a very short amount of time she forgets everything, she seems very scared and started screaming for help. Allie is not able to grasp the concept of them being together. This leaves Noah very upset and disappointed with the whole situation. Noah ends up with tears trickling down his face because he hates seeing his wife this way.

Love conquers all is another key theme in The Notebook. No matter how many times Noah and Allie get into fights or separate love always seems to bring them back together. Their love all started with their summer romance in Charleston, South Carolina. Noah fought for Allie's love in the beginning. It was a difficult fight because Allie's parents were completely against their relationship, but in the end they were inseparable. When Noah found out that Allie was going up north for college he did not know what he was going to do. He tried to make the last bit of the summer the best it could be. They ended up breaking up at the end, but it was not truly over for either of them. Noah wrote letters to Allie every day for one whole year. But when he did not get one response he gave up. They had not heard from each other for seven years, eventually Allie got engaged to another man Lon, and happened to see Noah's picture in the newspaper. She decided she wanted to go back to