The Notebook has a couple of details that hint at the tragedy of the story of Noah and Allie, and the most frequent symbolism throughout the movie is birds. Directed by Nick Cassavetes and based on Nicholas Sparks’ 1996 novel of the same name, The Notebook is a romantic drama film that tells the story of Noah (Ryan Gosling) and Allie (Rachel McAdams), as told by the elderly Noah (James Garner) to a female patient at the nursing home they live at. For that, The Notebook takes the audience back to the 1940s to meet a young Noah and Allie, who meet at a carnival in South Carolina.
That was only the beginning of a journey of heartbreak, love, and tragedy, as Noah and Allie were apart for many years before finally reuniting and realizing they still loved each other and wanted to be together. The ending of The Notebook earned it a spot among the saddest romantic stories in film, and there are some hints and details throughout the film that make Noah and Allie’s bond more special and their ending more bittersweet, as is the case of all the birds’ symbolism.
Is The Notebook Based On A True Story?
The 2000s movie The Notebook is known for its sad, romantic plot, and Nicholas Sparks was motivated to write his popular novel based on a real couple.
Allie’s “If You’re A Bird, I’m A Bird” Scene Is About Togetherness
One of the most memorable (and endlessly mocked) scenes in The Notebook is the one with young Noah and Allie at the beach. There, Allie runs to the ocean and declares she’s a bird, encouraging Noah to say the same. Noah then says the now-famous quote “if you’re a bird, I’m a bird”, showing her that wherever she goes, he will follow. Allie’s declaration is one of freedom, something she longs for but doesn’t have at that moment, and Noah saying they’re both birds is all about togetherness.
Later on in The Notebook, when Noah and Allie reunite years later, they go on a boat to see a flock of geese who, according to Noah, were supposed to have migrated away, as they were only going to be there for a while before returning to where they came from – just like Allie was only there temporarily and would eventually return home to her husband and the lifestyle she had become used to.
Birds in The Notebook are also a symbol of enduring partnership, which is confirmed in Noah and Allie’s relationship when it’s revealed that Duke is Noah and the patient he has been reading to is Allie, who now has dementia.
The Notebook’s Final Bird Scene Is About Going Home
The Notebook has two different endings, but both have one final moment of symbolism through birds. After the elderly Noah lies down next to Allie, they hold hands and say goodbye to each other, a flock of birds is shown flying over a lake. The other ending of The Notebook confirms that Noah and Allie die together, and the birds, as they are migrating, symbolize Allie and Noah finally “going home” together. This meaning is even more special as Allie recognized Noah in her final moments, so they truly left together.
The core of The Notebook is the love story between Noah and Allie and the many obstacles and challenges they had to overcome, both together and separately, and the lessons they had to learn so they could be together. Birds are more than just a symbol of the freedom Allie longs for during her teenage years, as they also represent the journey of her relationship with Noah up to its very end.
The Notebook
Adapted from Nicholas Sparks’ novel of the same name, The Notebook is a romantic drama film that follows a couple who fall in love during the 1940s. Duke, an older man, recounts the story of two young lovers whose lives never lined up quite right to a fellow patient in his nursing home. Reading from the notebook pages, the movie keeps flashing from the present into the past to tell the story of the one that got away.
- Release Date
- June 25, 2004
- Director
- Nick Cassavetes
- Cast
- Ryan Gosling , Rachel McAdams , James Garner , Gena Rowlands , James Marsden , Kevin Connolly , Sam Shepard , Joan Allen
