Headscratchers / The Notebook

Why didn't Noah go to Allie's school or home when she didn't reply

When it became apparent that Allie was not returning any of his letters, why didn't Noah go to her home or her school to confront her. He knew the name of the school she was attending and her new home address as he was sending letters to it. Even if he thought she didn't want to see him, why didn't he at least try?

• Did he know the name of the school? Iirc at the time they broke up she hasn’t even decided on a college yet, only listed those she wanted to go to (and that her parents agreed to her going to). In which case that alone makes going to any of the schools more difficult. Not to mention that even if he did find her specific school he’d have no way to get her class schedule, the address for her dorm/apartment, or any other information about her unless a school administrator is super lax in terms of student safety.
  • In terms of the house that brings up the issue of her parents and the household staff. He already knows they don’t approve of him after all. So showing up on their doorstep asking to see their daughter probably won’t go well, especially when they specifically left their summer home early to get Allie away from him.
  • There’s also something to be said for there just being limits to how far Noah is willing to go. Take the parents. He was always somewhat intimidated by them and when he overheard them badmouthing him toward the end of Act 1 he didn’t barge into the room and defend himself or tell them to go to hell. He turned around and walked away. Not saying this makes him a coward or anything, but it does show that there are situations that his love for Allie won’t just magically allow him to handle. He’s still just a 17-18 year old boy. It could be as simple as him being willing to write the letters and leave it in her hands to respond, but traveling however many miles and just confronting her in-person was too much.