In the biblical tale of the Prince of Egypt Moses’ mother knows her new born son is not safe with her and in order to live he must escape and fast. To save her son from the vicious soldiers she places him in a basket and floats him down a river. As fate would have it he reaches a family that raises and nurtures him as their own, to be a strong, healthy hero. His mother does this because the power of love was so strong however, just because it is done out of love doesn’t mean all ends well. Sometimes when you love someone you do things that are good for them and not you. That very idea is the theme of Nicholas Sparks’ ultimate love story, the Notebook.

As the story unfolds Noah Calhoun meets the love of his life Allie Nelson from the first moment he sees her his breath is taken away. After their love has prospered and bloomed Noah is first presented with the decision that he bases on what’s best for Allie and not their love. When the Nelson’s decide to leave their plantation summer home Allie must leave too, thus separating the two of them. Noah had three options, one to ask Allie to stay, two to go after her, and three to continue to write her after a year. But Noah did neither because he felt that she deserved to go to school and that he couldn’t give her everything she truly deserved out of life. He did this because as the novel says, “he was from a different class, too poor, and they would never approve if their daughter became serious with someone like him” (Sparks 25). He did write her though and as Nicholas Sparks says, “ He wrote her once a month but never received a reply. Eventually he wrote a final letter and forced himself to accept the fact” (Sparks 26).

As the story unfolds fate brings them together again, when Allie comes to see Noah after his picture was in the paper. But when her mother comes to warn her of Lon’s arrival Allie presents Noah with another life altering decision when she departs. He could make it more difficult for her, by asking her to stay. Therefore he says, “Allie, I can’t force you to stay with me. But not matter what happens in my life, I’ll never forget these last couple days with you” (Sparks 142-143). He could also let her go be with someone who can give her much more and please her parents. In the mists of his decision as well as hers Noah tells Allie, “ You can’t live your life for other people. You’ve gotta do what’s right for you, even if it hurts some people you love” (Sparks 141). After carefully deliberating the pros and cons for Allie’s well being he makes a decision that Sparks illustrates by saying, “He watched the car roll slowly forward; he heard the gravel crunching under the wheels” (Sparks 145).

A third case in which such a decision is presented to Noah is when Allie falls ill. When they are old and gray Allie is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, which is a is a terminal disease in which the victim experiences loose of memory, personality change, and dementia. When the news is broken to them by Allie’s doctor Noah says, “I did not know what to say to her as she sobbed on my bosom, so I simply held her and rocked her back and forth” (Sparks 168). Noah can either take care of Allie with the help of their family at their home. He could also place her in a health care facility for the time remaining. But Noah decides to place her in a nursing home and also reside there himself, making the ultimate sacrifice for love. This vital decision effects more then just Noah and Allie and Sparks says, “Everyone was sorry. My children were brokenhearted, my friends were scared for themselves” (Sparks 169).

Throughout the romantic novel Noah makes heart wrenching decisions, being selfless in each one, whether it’s watching Allie leave for the first or second time or not giving up on their love as her time fades. These timeless lovers take their vowels literally and carry them in their heart as they keep true to “for better or for worse.” As Nicholas Sparks’ touching, tear jerking, moving novel unfolds he shows just how powerful and selfless love can and should be.



















Works Cited
Sparks, Nicholas. The Notebook. New York: Warner Books, 1996.