Noah and Allie both pinpoint their night beneath the large oak tree as the night when they fell in love. Noah will later buy the property the tree sits on just so that it can never be cut down. The tree is one of the first thing’s Allie sees when she returns to New Bern. The couple speaks of it often during their two days together. The oak tree is a symbol of solidity and longevity. It was there before Allie and Noah, and it is possible that it outlives them as well. It is a constant reminder to Noah of what he lost when Allie left.

Allie made a painting for Noah before she left the summer the first met. When she returns fourteen years later, she is surprised to see it hanging over his mantel. When he explains that he sees the painting as an extension of her and that he can tell who she is just by the way she performed the brush strokes, she understands that she never should have stopped painting. Noah putting the painting over his mantel guarantees that he will never be able to forget her, even though the memories of the loss hurt him.