I Am Legend Isolationism Essay

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The mind can turn against you by becoming the figurative monster within you. Specifically, within the horror and science fiction aspect of the course, many of the characters exhibited isolation that affected their overall mental stability. For instance, The Most Dangerous Game portrayed Sanger Rainsford’s rise in aggressiveness the more time he was away from mainstream society. To also demonstrate, Richard Pine’s decaying rationality from Survivor Type, was notably shown the longer he was stuck on the deserted island. And similarly displayed in I Am Legend, as social deprivation rooted Robert Neville’s vulnerability to mental illness. Isolationism obtained the power to manipulate their minds into turning against them which consequently, misled …show more content…

Following Neville’s day-to-day routine, he had no human interaction, and hasn’t had any is a while hence, triggering his mental instability as his only real companion was his German shepherd, Sam. This was specifically recognized, when Neville told Sam, “You can’t go running into the dark” (Francis Lawrence), after she ran into a building full of the infected. Furthermore, this line can be perceived as Neville self-consciously reminding himself to avoid the darkness, as it represented a depressive and instable state where light didn’t exist. To put into perspective, Sam represented light and sanity throughout the duration of the movie, as she was Neville’s only living memory of his family. When Sam passed away, Neville desperately sought after human interaction which was display when he pleaded to a store mannequin, “Please say hello to me” (Francis Lawrence), projecting his vulnerability to depression and suicide. Social isolation drove Neville into insanity as the death of Sam triggered him to suicidality attack the deathseekers. All things considered, isolation in a social aspect prompted Robert Neville to become powerless against depression and suicide, as he was his own

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