The Concept of I Am Legend - Essay Example

Analysis of Events in ‘I Am Legend’ Analysis of Events in ‘I Am Legend’ The War in Panama In the first part of the novel, thereader is introduced to the struggles of Robert Neville against numerous vampires. The reader realizes that Neville is afraid of the vampires and wants to destroy each one of them. The events leading to these circumstances are explained to the reader. It becomes evident that the United States participated in a Panama war, which culminated in dust storms, large swarms of insects, and a deadly plague. This plague is responsible for the conversion of all human beings into vampires. The reader realizes that Neville is the only normal human being left. He is the fortunate one to have developed immunity against the plague (Matheson, 2011). This happened after a vampire bat bit him, a factor that made him very ill, but helped him develop immunity. The significance of this initial narration is placing the reader in a position to understand Neville’s current struggles and the context of the rest of the book. The Plague At the beginning of the novel, the writer brings out an occurrence, which comes out to form the center of all the events in the novel: the plague whose infection led to the alteration of humans into vampires. Here, Neville turns out to be the only survivor as all the other humans are converted to other creatures that exhibited characteristics that were not close enough to those of humanity (p. 45). The emergence of the plague is a key event, as it is a defining aspect of all the other events in the book. First, the plague changes the theme of the novel from a jovial, practical theme to one that is lonely and full of frustrations (p. 56). The change of the theme creates imagery in the mind of the reader. At this point, the reader can see- albeit at a distance- what can happen next in the novel. Secondly, the emergence of the plague shows the flow and the organization of the novel. The emergence of the plague is the cause of the conflict in the entire story. It explains why Neville was struggling to survive. Moreover, it helps the reader understand the context of other parts of the story especially how the vampire population came about. In addition, all the different populations in the story are in an evident struggle to survive, a situation defined by immense desperation. The sad mood of the novel results from the plague. The Emergence of the Vampire Population As highlighted above, a plague emerged from the Panama war, which introduced new traits in human beings who are infected. The book reveals that all the infected people were converted into vampires. Evidently, this was a major blow to the human population. In addition, it posed a major threat to Robert Neville, the only individual immune to the plague. Neville was compelled to figure out a way of survival. He chose to kill the entire vampire population so that he would be the only surviving individual of the normal human population. His moves did not please many of the vampires, and fuelled the events that resulted in the end of the novel. (p. 98). The Use of a Microscope Any problem with an origin must always have an end. Originally, people do not understand the plague and what could bring an end to it. Most people at this stage believed that the calamity was kind of a curse. Curses have no cure traditionally, which put a lot of suspense to the reader. In the course of the plot, however, Neville shows a dim end in the fight against the pestilence by learning how to use the microscope. The microscope itself symbolizes the belief in getting solutions to the plague scientifically. In addition, the knowledge of Neville in the use of the microscope tends to shed light on the superstition by giving practical proofs. (p. 123) At this point in reading, the reader understands that a solution will be arrived at. Emergence of Mutant Vampires The emergence of mutant vampires such as Ruth and other characters in the novel is a turning point of the events in the story. Neville sought to destroy the entire vampire population because of his evident conviction that they would only cause damage to the society. However, after meeting Ruth, he realized that a mutant population had emerged. This occurs after he became intimate with her and she allowed him to obtain blood samples from her. Upon the examination of the blood sample using his microscope, Neville realized that she was among the mutant population. Moreover, Ruth confessed that the mutant vampire population was seeking revenge against him for killing other vampires. She advised Neville to escape. This event is significant because it give the reader the background information of the events that would follow in the rest of the story. Violence Perpetrated by the New Vampire Society The emergence of a new society of vampires with the mutated form of the germ that caused the plague is also a significant event in the story. The new society was determined to dominate the world. Therefore, it invested in training killers who would get rid of the real vampires and Neville. In one of the escapades, Neville was critically injured. The reader then learns that Neville ended up in a jail hospital. Ruth emerged in the hospital to inform Neville that the new society preferred to use violence as a way of gaining control of the world. At that point, Ruth gave Neville pills that would trigger his death. The final event of the book is marked by Neville’s transition into a legend. Based on the analysis herein, one can say that the writer effectively puts across the theme of socialization. Depending with the understanding of the reader, I Am Legend is one novel which provides many avenues for criticism and analysis. Looking at the key events, however, simplifies the understanding of the novel. The flow of actions, the origin, and demise of the characters, the show of themes, and all other aspects of the novel are clearly anchored around the key events in the novel. Reference Matheson, R. (2011). I am legend. London: Orion Publishing. Read More