Isolation In The Film, I Am Legend

Art is a widespread medium. Whether it is film, television, music, poetry, or short stories, there are many different ways to express oneself through art. Although art can be approached in a variety of ways, they all have one thing in common: a theme. The theme of the work is what gives the piece meaning. It is the heart of the piece; it is what makes the audience feel certain emotions while reading, watching, or listening to it. If an audience is listening to a happy, upbeat song about partying and having a good time, they will feel happy and joyful, but if they are listening to a slow song about breaking up or being alone, they will feel sad and more emotional. One theme that is common is isolation. Isolation is one of the many themes that is present in multiple artistic forms of medium.
The theme of isolation occurs often in film. Although it is usually used in horror movies or suspenseful movies, it is also used often in drama or comedy genres. In horror films, isolation can be used to drive a man insane or it can come into play when a helpless victim is trying to escape a killer but no one is around to aid them. In drama, a character may lose a loved one and the

theme of isolation sets in when they must deal with the loss and the loneliness they feel afterwards. It is not difficult to recognize isolation as one of the common themes in film. It is used in a variety of ways and it is shown from different points of view in all kinds of different movie genres.
One well-known film that has the theme of isolation is Castaway. This movie, starring Tom Hanks, is about a man who survives a plane crash and is stranded on a deserted island by himself. In the four years that Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) spends on the island, he has no human interaction whatsoever and resorts to creating a companion by drawing a face on a volleyball and naming it Wilson. The movie Castaway is a perfect example for the theme of isolation in film because of Noland’s lack of human interaction. He is alone for a long period of time and the only thing keeping him sane is his volleyball companion. It shows the effects isolation can have on someone when they are secluded from society and cannot be helped.
Another example with a similar theme is the movie, I Am Legend.

In this film, Robert Neville (played by Will Smith), is a former scientist who happens to be the last man standing in New York city as a plague infects the majority of the world’s population. As years pass and the infection spreads, Neville continues his research for finding a cure while trying to survive the outbreak himself. In this film, isolation is one of the main themes. The main character is left to fend for himself as the plague spreads worldwide. Although he is surrounded by other humans, he is still alone. He is surrounded by humans, but they are not people. They have the bodies of humans, but none of them have the mind of a human being. In essence, Robert Neville is not the last human standing, he is the last person

standing.
Television series also often have isolation themes within their storylines. It is very common for TV dramas such as Pretty Little Liars or The Walking Dead to have one group isolated from the rest. A group may keep to themselves and not allow others to be a part of it. It could be because they are keeping secrets and do not want anyone to know or they are comfortable with the group they have and they simply just do not want anything to change. Whatever the circumstance may be, there is almost always a person or a group of people being isolated from others at some point within the show.
For example, in season four of the popular show, American Horror Story, there is a large group of individuals who isolate themselves from society because they are not excepted for there deformities. One of the main Characters, Elsa (played by Jessica Lange), rescues these “freaks” from society by giving them a home to live where there are others like them that will accept them. The group performs shows to display their talents and to prove to the public that they are more than just freaks with deformities. But, despite their efforts, society still does not accept them and continues to shun the group and treat them poorly. In this particular season of American Horror Story, a group of people are isolated by force. Society does not accept them and therefore, they are forced to live separately from the rest. While watching American Horror Story: Freak Show, the audience sympathizes with the freaks. No matter how hard they try to be accepted, they are still shunned by society.
Poetry is a very emotional form of art that could have many themes applied to it. A single poem can make an audience sad, happy, confused, or question a certain belief. Poetry makes people think. When the theme of isolation is present in poetry, it is often the deeper, emotional side of it that is being expressed. The audience itself may feel isolated while they are submerged in the words of the poet. The reader gets an idea of what may be going on inside the mind of the isolated and how they are feeling. They may be at war with their own mind in which nobody can help them except themselves, or they may find peace and serenity in being alone. There are many different views in which isolation can be explored emotionally. Poetry gets to the core of emotions that the isolated may feel and although there are many different viewpoints, there is a deeper meaning to it through poetry whether it is expressed in a positive or negative way.
One example for the theme of isolation in poetry is a piece by Edgar Allan Poe titled “Alone”. In this piece, Poe describes how “from childhood’s hour I have not been as others were” (Poe 1-2). The author continues to elaborate on this statement by saying he does not feel the way others feel or find joy or happiness in the same things that most people would. He does not find sorrow from the same source or love the same things others love (Poe 1-8). Later in the poem, Poe describes his isolation from the others as a “demon in my view” (Poe 22). The tone in this piece is that of despair and darkness. The speaker feels he is isolated because he is different from the rest. In this particular poem, the speaker is isolated within himself. It is not mentioned that society is shunning the speaker, but it says how he feels alone because he is not like everyone else. Therefore, the speaker is not physically isolated but mentally and emotionally he feels he is on his own.
Similar to Poe’s piece, the poem “Life in Isolation” by Sheldon Allen Saluta, talks about being alone and being different. In lines 9-12, Saluta describes himself as an outcast and how torturous it is to be treated as one. At one point in the poem, Saluta writes, “They hate me for being me”, (Saluta 5). There is a depressing tone in which the writer describes the emotions of an outcast and how the outcast faces the world in isolation.When there is a theme of isolation being used, it is common for the subject to feel isolated for being itself. They feel they are the outcast because they are different, therefore they feel alone in the world.
Another form of art is music. Music, like poetry, is emotional and passionate when expressing a certain idea or theme. Isolation is a very common theme in music. Basically any song about a breakup is a song about isolation a.k.a every Taylor Swift song ever written. After a breakup comes the feeling of being alone and having to cope with the fact that a significant other has been lost. There is often a feeling of anger and hatred or a feeling of sorrow and loneliness that is expressed towards that person that has been lost. Those emotions are expressed very passionately through the lyrics of songs.
One of the many songs about forsaken relationships that has the theme of isolation intertwined in its poetic lyrics is the song “Solitude” by Evanescence. This song expresses the thoughts of a girl when she realises the man she is in love with is in love with someone else. It describes how she feels alone because the one person she loves is taken by someone else. At one point in the song, it says, “Everyone leaves me stranded, forgotten, abandoned, left behind”. At this point, the theme of isolation is quite clear. The loss of someone special to someone else has caused the girl to feel abandoned and feel she has no one left. She is alone. In this piece, the girl is not physically isolated, but she is emotionally isolated.
Music is another way of telling stories. Stories are the base of all artistic mediums. They are the inspiration of art. Every song, poem, movie, television show, etc. starts off with a story and blossoms into a complete unique piece. Every story has a theme or multiple themes to it. The theme of isolation is commonly present in stories and can be told in different perspectives. Whether