The Green Notebook: A Symbol of Hidden Truths

What Is the Green Notebook?

The green notebook is a plain school notebook that Eleanor carries in her backpack. It contains a mix of math scratch work and a series of disturbing drawings—images of a woman being stabbed, beheaded, and hung. The cover is marked with a smear of blood-red liquid, making it physically unsettling. Casey discovers the notebook when she searches Eleanor's bag in Chapter 31 and quickly hides it, sensing its importance.

Where the Notebook Appears

The notebook appears at key turning points in the plot:

Chapter 31 – Casey finds the notebook in Eleanor's backpack and hides it before Eleanor returns.
Chapter 34 – Casey retrieves the notebook but is interrupted by Eleanor, who tells a story that mirrors Casey's actions, threatening her.
Chapter 37 – Alone by the fire, Casey examines the drawings and is convinced the victim is herself, leading her to panic about the gun left in the bedroom.
Chapter 48 – After Eleanor leaves, Casey re-examines the notebook and realizes the woman in the drawings has black eyes, a sharp nose, and a beauty mark—features that do not match her own. She also discovers a final hidden page that she believes changes everything.

How Its Meaning Changes

Initially, the green notebook symbolizes the immediate threat Eleanor poses. The graphic drawings make Casey believe she is the target of a vigilante child. The notebook is evidence of Eleanor's disturbed mind and a tool of psychological terror—Casey's fear is amplified by her certainty that the drawings depict her own violent death.

Later, the meaning shifts dramatically. Upon closer inspection, Casey realizes the woman in the drawings has physical traits she does not possess: black eyes, a sharp nose, and a beauty mark. This suggests Eleanor's rage was aimed at someone else—likely the mother figure who abused her. The hidden page at the end of the notebook further recontextualizes the entire object. It implies the notebook was not a death threat to Casey but a record of Eleanor's own trauma and a plan directed at a different person. The green notebook thus transforms from a symbol of personal danger into a symbol of hidden truth, revealing that Casey's initial fear was a misinterpretation.

Character Connections

Casey – Her reaction to the notebook exposes her vulnerability and paranoia. She assumes the worst, which drives her to make rash decisions (rushing to retrieve the gun). Later, her relief when she realizes the drawings are not of her demonstrates her desire to see good in Eleanor.
Eleanor (Nell) – The notebook is an extension of her psyche. The drawings reveal a history of abuse and a thirst for revenge. Yet the fact that she leaves the notebook behind (or fails to retrieve it) suggests she may have been trying to communicate her story.
The Unknown Woman – The true subject of the drawings, likely Eleanor's mother or another abuser, is a silent character defined only through the notebook's images. The green notebook becomes the evidence of her mistreatment and Eleanor's intended retaliation.

Theme Connections

The green notebook weaves together several central themes:

Child Abuse – The violent drawings are a symbolic expression of the harm Eleanor has endured. The notebook records the abuse she suffered and her desire for retribution.
Survival and Self-Preservation – Casey's survival depends on correctly interpreting the notebook. Her fear nearly leads her to give up, but her eventual understanding allows her to survive the night.
Trust and Betrayal – Casey initially trusts Eleanor because she is a child, but the notebook erodes that trust. Eleanor's own story suggests betrayal is inevitable.
Vigilante Justice – The notebook's drawings map out a fantasy of punishing an abuser. Eleanor's belief that "bad people get what's coming to them" is visualized on its pages.
Family Secrets – The hidden page at the end of the notebook is the ultimate secret—it ties back to the truth about Casey's own past and her connection to Eleanor's father.

Study Questions

Question	Answer
How does Casey's interpretation of the notebook's drawings change, and what does this reveal about her state of mind?	Initially, Casey believes the drawings depict her death, reflecting her anxiety and sense of isolation. Later, she notices the woman has black eyes and a beauty mark, features she lacks. This shift shows Casey moving from fear to clearer thinking, and it reveals her underlying desire to see Eleanor as a victim rather than a predator.
What role does the notebook play in escalating the tension between Casey and Eleanor?	The green notebook is the physical object that keeps the threat alive. Casey's possession of it gives her secret knowledge, but also makes her paranoid. Eleanor's awareness that someone might have taken the notebook leads to the threat implied in her "infinity promise" story. The notebook is the catalyst for the power struggle.
Why does Eleanor leave the notebook behind, and what does its hidden page suggest about the novel's resolution?	Eleanor abandons the notebook either by accident or as a deliberate clue. The hidden page—which Casey says "changes everything"—likely reveals the connection between Eleanor, Casey, and the Peterson family. This page sets up the epilogue's revelations that Casey was Ella and that Eleanor (Nell) is linked to Anton and Lee.
How does the green notebook function as a symbol of hidden truth versus perceived threat?	The notebook represents two opposing ideas: to Casey, it is first a terrifying threat (her own murder); to the reader, it becomes a source of hidden truth (Eleanor's abuse and the identity of her real target). The notebook's dual meaning underscores the novel's theme that appearances can be misleading and that the truth is often buried beneath fear.

Conclusion

The green notebook in The Intruder is more than a prop—it is a layered symbol that drives the plot, deepens the themes of abuse and survival, and ultimately leads to the novel's biggest revelations. By tracing Casey's changing perception of the notebook, readers experience the same journey from fear to understanding. For a deeper exploration of the novel's other symbols, visit the main book page.