The Notebook tells the story of Noah and Allie, as told by elderly Noah to elderly Allie, but throughout most of the movie, Noah goes by the name of “Duke”. In 2004, the romantic drama The Notebook was released, directed by Nick Cassavetes and based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks. The Notebook starred Ryan Gosling as Noah and Rachel McAdams as Allie, boosting their careers and establishing them as romantic leads, even if they later broke that mold with other, very different performances.
The Notebook follows the elderly Noah (James Garner) as he reads his and Allie’s story to elderly Allie (Gena Rowlands), with flashbacks to the 1940s chronicling their love story, from the moment they met, to their breakup and reunion many years later. The Notebook has a heartbreaking twist and ending, earning it a place among the saddest romantic movies ever, and there are a couple of details throughout the movie that help make the twist more meaningful, including Noah going by “Duke” through most of the movie.
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.
Noah Uses An Alias In The Notebook To Protect Allie
When the audience meets Duke, he approaches the elderly Allie to read her a story from a notebook, and it’s the story of how Noah and Allie met and the many obstacles they went through in their relationship over the years. It’s not until late in The Notebook that Duke is revealed (or confirmed, depending on the viewer) to be Noah and the patient he has been reading the story to is Allie, but Allie now has dementia. The notebook was written by Allie in the early stages of her diagnosis so that Noah could read it to her and she could come back to him.
Noah decided to use an alias while with Allie, in the moments when she doesn’t recognize him, in order to not startle her and confuse her or disorient her more. The alias “Duke” is even more important when Noah reads their story to Allie, as it could have been shocking to Allie to make the connection between old Noah and the Noah in the story, which could also be harmful to her due to her dementia. The name change would have also helped Allie remember their story through the events rather than the names, assuring Noah that she’s actually remembering and coming back.
Noah’s Alias Keeps The Notebook’s Big Reveal A Secret From Viewers
Noah using the name “Duke” throughout most of The Notebook is not only helpful to Allie but to the audience, as well. Viewers aren’t supposed to know that the story Duke is telling to his fellow patient is theirs, and the point is that they learn this along with Allie. By using the alias of “Duke”, The Notebook kept its big reveal a secret from viewers, as had he used his real name, it would have been obvious from the beginning that he was reading his story to Allie, and it would have been easy to deduce that the patient was Allie.
Elderly Noah going by a different name throughout most of The Notebook might be confusing to some viewers, but it serves an important purpose both in the story and for the characters and also for the viewers, though the big reveal might be too obvious for some.
