Vocabulary in Context
This term describes the indifference or lack of emotion that Robert Neville feels as he struggles to survive in a post-apocalyptic world.
What is apathy?
This is Robert Neville’s primary goal throughout most of the novella.
What is finding a cure for the vampire plague?
In the world of I Am Legend, these are the creatures that have taken over humanity, essentially replacing normal humans.
What are vampires?
This theme is represented by Neville’s isolated existence and his internal battle against despair.
What is loneliness or isolation?
The vampire plague in I Am Legend is caused by this.
What is a bacterium or virus that turns humans into vampires?
Despite his loneliness and despair, Neville shows this quality by relentlessly hunting vampires and searching for a cure.
What is tenacity?
Robert Neville often struggles with loneliness. This character, who appears as an apparition, represents his emotional struggle.
Who is his wife, Virginia?
Neville discovers that the vampires are no longer simply mindless monsters; they have developed a form of this.
What is intelligence or organization?
Neville’s attempts to find a cure symbolize humanity’s constant struggle to combat this, which is central to the novella’s conflict.
What is death or mortality?
Neville finds this animal, which he believes may be immune to the vampire virus, but it too succumbs to the disease.
What is a dog?
This adjective describes the philosophical dilemma that Robert Neville faces as he questions the meaning of life in a world where humanity has been almost wiped out.
What is existential?
This physical trait of Neville is symbolic of his connection to the "old world" and his humanity.
What is his obsession with alcohol? (He drinks to numb his grief.)
Neville tries to develop a cure for the vampire infection using this method, which he believes might work.
What is injecting their blood into a test subject?
Neville’s discovery that he is no longer the dominant species represents this theme about the nature of change.
What is the passage of time or the inevitability of societal evolution?
During his search for a cure, Neville discovers that the vampires are evolving in this way, which complicates his efforts.
What is that they are becoming more organized and intelligent?
The fear and distrust of the vampires in I Am Legend can be compared to this irrational fear of people from other races or cultures.
What is xenophobia?
In the novel, Neville initially tries to hold onto these because they represent the normal life he once had.
What are his memories and routines?
Robert Neville discovers this about the vampires, which changes his approach to finding a cure.
What is that the vampires are not just mindless creatures but are adapting and evolving?
The presence of mirrors in the novella serves as a symbol for Neville’s internal conflict regarding this.
What is his identity and self-worth?
Neville initially attempts to do this to test his theory about the virus, hoping to find a cure.
What is experimenting with vampire blood?
Neville's realization that time is running out and that the vampire society is growing stronger is an example of this type of event that is about to happen.
What is imminent?
Robert Neville becomes a symbol of this to the vampires, which foreshadows the novel's ultimate twist.
What is "legend"?
By the end of the novella, Neville realizes that the vampires' new society has transformed into this.
What is a new, evolving species or a "new world"?
Neville’s work with the virus and his attempts to cure it ultimately raise questions about this larger, existential theme.
What is the limits of science and human understanding?
In the final moments of I Am Legend, Neville’s realization about the new vampire society leads him to this conclusion about his role in it.
What is that he is no longer the last human, but instead, the last "monster" in a world that has moved on?