Interperating The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

In this excerpt of the novel The Notebook, by Nicholas Sparks, Allie is the main speaker. In the beginning of the book she starts out as Noah’s girl friend, and she then becomes his wife. At the time she is writing this letter she is old, probably about seventy or so. There is no reference to her physical appearance in the letter, but she does describe Noah as having speckles of gray in his hair at one point. I would imagine Allie to be wearing her pajama’s when she is writing this letter, because she tells him in the note that she will soon be joining him in bed, and he is already sound asleep. Her posture is most likely hunched over a little bit because she is writing, and age has most likely taken its toll on her. Allie’s social status has nothing to do with this letter, but I know that she is a southern socialite, and her family has money. (Now, nearly fifty years later, I’m not sure what their status in life was.)
The audience of Allie’s letter is Noah Calhoun, her beloved husband and best friend. This is made very obviously because of the fact that it is a letter- and the first line is: Dear Noah. The relationship between Allie and Noah goes deeper than any re

The time of day that Allie is writing this letter is at night, I would assume about ten or eleven o’clock pm. I say this because Allie mentions that Noah is already asleep and she is about to go to bed as well. The day of the week and month are not specified either, the letter is not dated. The letter was not inspired by any particular event, Allie just wanted her husband to know that she loved him and always will- regardless of her disease. Past and present tense are used in the letter. Allie wrote about how she spent the night with Noah, then left the following day- but she came back. She remembers all the good times they had together, her career, their children. In the end Allie states that wherever you are, and whenever this is, I love you. I love you now as I write this, and I love you now as you read this. Allie does not move from the desk, she write the letter until it is finished and she has said all she needed to say.

I remember coming back to you the next day, the day my mother visited. I was so scared, more scared than I have ever been because I was sure you would never forgive me for leaving you. I was shaking as I got out of the car, but you took it all away with your warm smile and the way you held your hand out to me. “How bout some coffee” was all you said, and you never brought it up again. In all our years together!