The Notebook is a “classic” love story about Noah and Allie,
two teenagers who come from backgrounds that couldn’t be more opposite. In the film, the two lovebirds meet in the
summer around the age of 17-18. Soon
after they meet, they fall deeply in love.
The movie follows their lives and love for the next 60 years to
come.
At the beginning of the film, Noah sees Allie for the first
time at a fair and becomes infatuated with her.
He instantly knows that she is “the one” and he must have her. As I watched this movie (again), I found
myself thinking of Janna Kim’s “From Sex to Sexuality: Exposing the
Heterosexual Script on Primetime Network Television.” The article focuses on the Heterosexual
Script, which is described as “the blueprint for societally sanctioned romantic
and sexual encounters and interactions” (Kim, 2007). The Heterosexual Script is composed of four
elements (the sexual double standard, courtship strategies, attitudes toward
commitment, and homophobia). What’s so
interesting to me as I re-watch this movie is that while it does employ some of
these elements and build on the stereotypes; in a lot of ways, the traditional
feminine and masculine roles are reversed.
For example, according to Kim’s code Masculine Commitment (MC), “men actively avoid commitment, marriage, monogamy, or taking their romantic relationship to the ‘next level’” (Kim, 2007). Noah is quite the opposite. It is Allie who seems to embody this role when she first meets Noah. While at this point sex isn’t a factor in their relationship, Allie is the one “playing the field,” while Noah is chasing after her wanting a relationship. At the same time though, Noah portrays traditional Masculine Courting Strategies by “using active and powerful strategies to win women’s affection” (Kim, 2007). The clip attached below is from the first time Noah sees Allie. He interrupts a date that she is on to ask her to go out with him. He takes a very forward, strong approach with her. He isn’t afraid to show Allie that he is interested in her, and from the beginning, it is very clear that he is interested in more than sex or sexual pleasure (which very much defies this element of the Heterosexual Script).
Below is a second clip of Noah pursuing Allie after the
fair. Again, Noah actively and
aggressively chases after her. I love
that she continues to deny him and say no.
It is clear that Allie sees him as a typical guy who isn’t looking for
something serious. When he tells her how
much he wants her, she says “Ohhh jeez, what a line. Do you use that on all the other girls?”
Throughout the film, Noah shows that he is never with Allie
for sex or anything physical. He doesn’t
pressure Allie to have sex, and on their first date, he doesn’t try to kiss
her. Instead, he asks her questions
about her family, her classes, and what she does in her free time. While at times throughout the film, Noah and
Allie personify traditional masculine and feminine roles as outlined in the
Heterosexual Script, many times they defy them.
I think that this is important that such a classic love story goes
against these traditional roles at times and shows that there doesn’t have to
be such a rigid line between masculine and feminine actions/feelings.
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