Monster Character WiKi

           R o b e r t  N e v i l l e

 

          Robert Neville is no stranger to the vampire world. In the novel and film, I Am Legend, Robert plays the role of what we would call a “character in monster literature”. Robert is a unique character because he is trying to discover the source of why the vampires have changed and his goal is to stop the spreading of the disease. Although the movie was produced after the novel was written, the main focus of both of them stay almost equivalent in terms of how Robert deals with the vampires surrounding him. How a reader views his character in the novel and how they may interpret him in the movie can vary from person to person. Robert is not defined necessarily by the novel or the movie, he is a character that allows for variability. Overall, Robert has this struggle of a “vampire plague” that he battles getting to the root of while dealing with his surroundings leaving him in an atmosphere of loneliness and seclusion.

 

            The way Robert handles himself in both the novel and the film screams characteristics about who he is as a person. This vampire takeover forces him to change everything he used to be represented by. His family and the community he lived in were what defined him and now he is forced to change and adapt to this new unnerving environment that includes isolation and danger. Uniquely, he is accompanied by a dog through his endeavors. Both Robert and his dog are easily loved and informal to become attached to. Robert is a persevering character because of the adaptations he is able to make in such extreme circumstances. His ability to change is attractive to many readers and viewers. It is easy to fall sympathetic to the situation Robert finds him in because we struggle to be able to see his hardships as something that we could personally handle. Robert doesn’t think to hide his feelings either. When he is feeling melancholy or depressed, he wants it to be shown. This opens up his character in a setting that is assumed to not take feelings into consideration. Especially for a male character, it can be seen as a difficult thing to address deep emotions like the ones he has. Robert is able to “save the human race” as I see it while also being as human and relatable to viewers/readers as possible. Whether it’s vampires, monsters, or other humans Robert instills the sense that you can be the hero.