Character7


 * __[[image:429978p2.jpg align="right"]]CHARACTER__**

Two important characters in “The Notebook” are:
 * Allie Hamilton
 * Noah Calhoun.

Allie Hamilton is a rich, educated young woman from the upper-class. Her family are in Seabrook for summer vacation. She is bubbly, outgoing and strong-minded. Her parents are extremely wealthy and have high expectations for Allie. She has little choice in her life and is enrolled to attend college after summer. She also feels stifled and restricted by the upper class rules she has to adhere to.
 * __ALLIE HAMILTON__**

Noah Calhoun is a poor, lower-class youth who works at the local timber yard. He is not well educated (even though he reads poetry) and has little prospect of ever leaving Seabrook. He gets minimum wage (40 cents an hour) and lives with his father. However Allie loves him because of his carefree manner and passionate nature. He is a quiet but very determined person who usually gets what he wants.
 * __NOAH CALHOUN__**


 * __TECHNIQUES USED TO SHOW CHARACTER:__**
 * Setting
 * Costume
 * Dialogue
 * Slow Motion
 * Contrast (juxtaposition)

Setting helps viewers understand both Allie and Noah’s character as it helps show the social climate of the time period in which they live. It explains why Allie feels so restricted and trapped. As an upper-class woman and a woman in general Allie has to live to a number of expectations and strict class rules. She has little freedom and no real choice as to what she wants to do with her life. The setting also gives information about Noah’s character. As a lower-class working man of the 1940’s Noah does not have many options either. Working class men during this time were not given many rights and often worked in poor conditions for little pay. They also tended to stay in the same job their whole life. //**(see setting for more information)**//
 * __Setting__**

Costume helps show which social class that both Allie and Noah belong to and what time period they are from.
 * __Costume__**

In the film Allie is always shown wearing colourful, expensive dresses. They are always long and fitting, but also conservative. She wears matching hats, high heel shoes and pin-curled hair. Allie’s costume is indicative of the style of dress that upper-class women of the 1940’s would wear.

Noah’s is usually shown wearing loose cotton shirts, cord pants and tweed caps. This style of dress identifies his character as being of the working class and is indicative of what working men wore in 1940’s America.

What the characters say also gives clues as to Noah and Allie’s character.
 * __Dialogue__**

In the Carnival scene Noah’s friend tells him that Allie’s father has: This helps show that Allie and her family are wealthy and from the upper-class
 * “More money than God”**

In the next scene on the main street of Seabrook Noah tells Allie: This helps show his determined and almost obsessive nature.
 * “When I see something I like, I just gotta…I love it”**

The language that each character uses further reinforces their character. Allie always speaks very proper and pronounces each word correctly. This shows that she is highly educated. Noah uses a lot of working class slang in his speech, for example “gotta”. This shows he does not have the same level of education and is lower-class.

In the Carnival scene Noah sees Allie on the bumper cars. At this point the scene changes to slow motion showing Noah staring at Allie. This shot shows that he is fixated on Allie and reinforces his obsessive and determined nature.
 * __Slow Motion__**

Juxtaposition is used at the start of the scene where Allie and Noah meet on the main street of Seabrook. A long shot is used of Noah walking down the road with his workmates from the lumber yard. They are all in their overalls, dirty work shirts, gloves and caps. At the end of the scene there is a similar long shot showing Allie standing beside her expensive car and black chauffer. Allie is wearing a posh, stylish green dress and has a matching hat and gloves. This juxtaposition of shots shows the contrast between Noah and Allie’s social positions. It emphasises that Allie is from the upper-class and Noah the lower, working class.
 * __Contrast (juxtaposition)__**