I Am Legend Research Paper

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I Am Legend is regarded as a horror fiction novel by Richard Matheson. It has strong influence in the development of later science-fictional works. The successful novel was adapted to film several times after the novel was published, most recently as I Am Legend in 2007. The novel begins as the Earth has been destructed, first by nuclear war, then by a mysterious plague that mutated every human being into vampires. The novel focuses on Robert Neville, who managed to survive an incurable virus and became the last man on the Earth. The street were overgrown with weeds, cars and houses were abandoned, garbage was seen everywhere. Down in the street, a car was racing, driven by the only left man Robert Neville who was hunting for his meals. With…show more content…
He captured vampires and constructed basic tests to find the relatedness among vampires. He got frustrated and began to smash things, or drank himself into oblivion periodically. Living alone over a long period of time have placed Neville into an unstable mental state. He was trapped simultaneously in the jungle of isolation and predation. Every time, he was at the verge of breakdown, but the fear surpassed it and became his motivation of continuous fighting. By reading the novel, I can feel Neville's anxiety, his fear of losing individual identity has haunted him personally, and universal fear of losing the final mankind also became the most crucial concern. Throughout the novel, I keep asking myself a question: can a man survive on his own? Apparently no, the fate of Neville was determined when he met Ruth. Ruth is remnant of infected carriers who was sent to spy on Neville. After the three years of chaos, the infected have slowly adapted to the diseases and being able to face sunlight for a short amount of time. The medication they developed also helped them to overcome the symptoms of the infection. They attempted to build a new society. Neville, instead of being characterized as the last hope or mankind of the Earth, he became the potential risk of creating a new society which must be

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