During their fourteen years apart, Noah’s memories of Allie sustain him, as well as torment him. He works very hard to distract himself, but he is never able to forget her. He codifies his memories of her through the letters he writes, the diary he keeps, and the poetry he reads—all of which reminds him of her. When Allie returns to New Bern, he describes her as a living memory.

Allie’s experience of Noah is similar, but her memories of Noah are tinged with regret. She moves on rather than seeking Noah out to see why he never wrote to her. But she also writes letters to him, reinforcing her own memories of their summer together. When they reunite, it is almost as if the fourteen years never happened. Allie and Noah are happy for decades, until Alzheimer’s erodes Allie’s memories. Soon she cannot remember who she is or recognize Noah and her children. Memories are a precious commodity in The Notebook. The notebook that Noah reads to Allie from is itself a monument to their memories, preserving his own, as well as hers. During their time at Creekside, the return of her memory is what inspires Noah’s devotion.