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Tran, Tammy
McClure, Greg
Writing 39B
22 October 2016
How Compassion Can Save Lives
In 1954, Richard Matheson drafted one of the most influential vampire novels of the 20th
century: I Am Legend. This novel takes place after a dust storm caused by nuclear warfare; the
setting emphasizes Mathesons concern and disapproval of the use of nuclear arms during the
Cold War. His concern is illustrated by the destruction of civilization portrayed in this novel.
Matheson uses the subversion of genre expectations and irony in the iconic horror novel I Am
Legend to convey the inconclusive message that understanding one another is essential in finding
common grounds. Matheson uses Neville to fulfill the expectation in which the soul survivor
represents a hero. However, the progression of the novel leads to an ironic revelation, which
subverts the idea of a hero. Matheson shows that, as the characters hope begins to deteriorate,
his actions become more disturbing and readers begin to view the character as a monster. In
contrast, Matheson uses, a vampire who is chosen to spy on Neville, to show the readers the
perspective of the vampires in which Nevilles heroism is subverted and he is perceived as a
monster and scapegoat. Although initially Neville meets the expectations of a hero and Ruth
(unexpected hero) is expected to be the monster, the reversal of roles occurs when these
expectations are subverted and readers are forced to draw a conclusion as to why and how this
subversion occurs. Matheson uses this subversion to ultimately prove that compassion defines a
hero, not bravery. In order to prove this, I will use Nol Carrolls three expectations of an arthorror monster outlined in The Nature of Horror to identify the monster. In addition, I will use

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Mathias Clasens Vampire Apocalypse: A Biocultural Critique of Richard Matheson's I Am
Legend to show how isolation and anxiety can create a monster.
Because Neville fulfills the expectations of being the art-horror heroic figure, the
audiences initial perception is that Neville is the hero and the vampires he fights are the
monsters. Matheson shows the main characters admirable, heroic traits--knowledgeable, strong,
and resourceful-- by illustrating the steps he takes to protect his home and exterminate the
monsters outside his home: sometimes they were in the streets before he could get back;
violent attacks often split or partially pried off the boards of his windows and he had to
replace them completely (Matheson 1). The they Matheson initially refers to is the vampires.
Referring to the vampires as they immediately sets the tone that they are different in some way,
not human, but rather unordinary. They destroy his house every night and Neville spends every
day in isolation, reassembling his home. This establishes a routine that showcases the
knowledgeable and resourceful traits that Matheson illuminates in Neville. Although he faces
multiple obstacles, Matheson develops a sense of persistence within the character; regardless of
the circumstances, the character finds a way to confront the monster and reestablish himself.
Because a hero is defined as a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities, the
audience considers Neville a hero, at this point.
However, once Matheson subverts the expectation of a hero and reveals an incomplete,
contradictory component of Nevilles character, the audiences perspective begins to shift and the
audience begins to perceive Neville as a monster. What the audience initially admires about
Neville is what ultimately makes him the frightening monster that he is. The idea of a monster is
subjective. It depends on the perspective taken. The knowledge and strength Matheson depicts
makes Neville a greater threat to the vampires than they are to him. This knowledgeable, strong,

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resourceful individual readers once admired, becomes a monster one whom methodically stalks
and kills his victims, one whom preys on women, one whom everyone runs away from.
Matheson begins to shift the audiences perception by subverting the expectations of a hero and
slowly introducing Nevilles unordinary traits and disturbing tendencies. For instance, Matheson
elaborates on the idea of incompleteness and categorical interstitially when he shows Neville
having a quarrel with himself: why do you always experiment on women? He didn't care to
admit that the inference had any validity. She just happened to be the first one he's come across,
that was all. What about the man in the living room, though? For God's sake! (Matheson 49).
The rhetorical questions used raise uncertainty about the characters morals and humanity. The
questions are followed by evasive answers and rebuttals. Matheson presents an argument of
character through rhetorical questions to subtly shift the perspective of the audience. Once
Nevilles stability is questioned, he [ignores it], and [begins] to suspect his mind of harboring
an alien (Matheson 49). When he was still humane and sane, he might have termed it
conscience, but now it was only an annoyance. Morality, after all, had fallen with society. He
was his own ethic (Matheson 49). Matheson uses Nevilles state of mind to convey the message
that being a man, isolated and alone, and assaulted on all sides by everything you could
imagine causes morality to deteriorate into incompleteness and become contradictory (Clasen
316). According to Nol Carroll, this would identify Neville as an art-horror monster because an
object or being is impure if it is categorically interstitial, categorically contradictory,
categorically incomplete, or formless (Carroll 55).
Since Neville is categorically interstitial, between human and monster, the absence of
his humanity, leaves nothing to deter the creation of the monster (Carroll 55). Matheson
introduces the helpless dog to represent a symbol of innocence and hope. For the majority of the

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novel, Matheson illustrates Neville battling with alcoholism. Nevilles alcoholism is what leads
to his monstrous actionswhen Neville drinks, he goes out on killing sprees and preys on
women; when Neville is sober, he delves into research. According to Mathias Clasens Vampire
Apocalypse: A Biocultural Critique of Richard Matheson's I Am Legend, the dog momentarily
saves Neville from a self-destructive descent into alcoholic despair (Clasen 320). With the
introduction of the dog, another form of life, Matheson gives Neville and the readers a sense of
hope and faith: To his complete astonishment, [Neville] later found himself offering up a
stumbling prayer that the dog would be protected. It was a moment in which he felt a desperate
need to believe in a God that shepherded his own creationsbecause he wanted the dog, because
he needed the dog (Matheson 132). Matheson uses this anaphora to emphasize the need for this
dog. Not only does the dog alleviate the pressure of isolation, but it also brings the character
closer to God and his own humanity. For the first time, Matheson illustrates Neville showing
compassion, which gives the readers hope that Neville can still fulfill the role of a hero.
However, Matheson quickly dismantles this idea of hope by revealing that the dog is infected.
The death of the dog is important in enabling Matheson to portray Neville as the monster
because the dog is a symbol of hope; thus, its death causes the readers to lose hope in Neville.
Ultimately, Matheson uses the dog to rid the readers of any hope of a happy ending where
Neville will rise as the hero.

Although Matheson gives the character little knowledge of his monstrous state, the
audience and the other characters are aware of the monstrosity being presented. Matheson
presents Neville as the monster when he begins to showcase Ruths non-monstrous traits, which
causes the readers to focus on her human qualities such as compassion. Matheson uses Ruth to

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establish Nevilles weakness. Ruths compassion becomes key to opening up Neville. Matheson
uses Ruth to create a sense of hope for the readers that Neville has found a companion that will
help restore his compassion and humanity. However, soon, Matheson revels that Ruth is a
vampire chosen to spy on Neville to gain information from him, which would be used to plan his
capture. Although this may imply that Ruth is the monster, Matheson subverts this expectation of
a monstrous vampire by expressing compassion, sympathy and regret through her. This
compassion is showcased when Ruth writes Neville a forewarning letter telling him to escape.
Through Nevilles countless killing sprees, even learning that he killed Ruths family, Matheson
did not portray Neville as remorseful. Instead, Matheson shows Neville justifying these
monstrous actions by emphasizing the importance of survival. Similar to when Neville was
chasing the dog, when Neville was chasing Ruth, Matheson portrays Neville as the hero trying to
save and protect Ruth. However, Matheson shows Ruths perspective in which Neville is the
monster chasing her as she states multiple times, dont hurt me (Matheson 130). There is
something about Neville that is repulsing to everyone and everything that comes his way.
According to a review by Christopher M. Moreman, a Ph.D. graduate from St. Francis Xavier
University, Neville is seen by these intelligent vampires as not only an evolutionary throw-back
but a serious threat as he indiscriminately destroys vampires both monstrous and intelligent
during his daylight rampages (Moreman). By emphasizing the fear instilled in those who
encounter him, Matheson is able to further subvert the idea of a hero and portray Neville as a
monster.
By introducing the element of compassion and physical intimacy, Matheson transforms
Ruth into the unexpected hero. When Ruth opens up her blouse to give Neville the pills and
kisses him, Matheson not only shows the compassion that has been absent in the entire duration

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of the novel, but also the intimacy Neville has longed for. Although Matheson never shows Ruth
agreeing or accepting Nevilles objectives, it is through Ruth that Matheson takes the time to
elaborate on Nevilles character and help the readers understand him. This leads to the realization
that Nevilles actions are caused by his survival instinct to kill those that are dissimilar to him.
The idea of prejudice is introduced when Matheson writes: [The vampires] are loathed because
they are feared (Matheson 20). Since this is a horror novel, readers can expect that Neville
fears the vampires because of the preconceived idea that they are different from him. Nol
Carroll supports the idea of prejudice in art horror when he states, the monster is an
extraordinary character in an ordinary world (Carroll 52). However, Mathesons allusion to
prejudice is ironic because, in this case, Neville is actually the extraordinary character in the
ordinary world, which makes him the monster. In contrast, Mathesons portrayal of Ruth and her
ability to see past the prejudice and show compassion makes her the unexpected hero of the
novel. In the final scene, Matheson shows Neville frazzled by the new society: did they have to
do it like this, with such a black and brutal slaughtering? Why did they slay with alarum by
night, when by day the vampires could be dispatched in peace? He didnt like the looks of
them Their faces were cruel and emotionless (Matheson 158). However, Kathy Davis
Patterson, Assistant Professor of English at the Kent State University Tuscarawas, explains how
Matheson exhibits the irony in which Neville fails to make the connection between his own
previous crusade of butchery against vampires and what he sees now yet he was every bit as
ruthless, and the daylight deaths he caused were far from peaceful (Patterson). Both the
vampires and Neville kill in order to survive. The irony is in the fact that both parties ideologies
are identicalkill the opposer to survive. Ultimately, perception is what differentiates these two

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parties and the only person that understands this is Ruth because Matheson shows that she is the
only person who possesses compassion.
Matheson closes the novel with Nevilles public execution to show how the vampires
utilize Neville as a scapegoat to rid their new society of sins and establish him as a legend.
Nevilles death is essential in that the old world (symbolized by Neville, his
barricaded/segregated house, and his singular convictions of moral rectitude) must give way to
the new world (symbolized by Ruth, the other hybrids, and their restructuring of society)
(Patterson). Before executing Neville, the vampires begin to exterminate the non-living vampires
because they are a poor representation of a vampire and do not meet the standards to be apart of
the new society. This extermination is done before Nevilles execution so that the sins committed
by the new society are relieved with Nevilles death; thus, making Neville the scapegoat. Upon
seeing the all of those who have come to witness his death, Neville, finally, comes to the
realization that [hes] the abnormal one nowabruptly that realization joined with what he saw
on their faces awe, fear, shrinking horror and he knew that they were afraid of him and he
understood what they felt and did not hate them (Matheson 169-170). Matheson illustrates this
epiphany in which Neville finally understands and accepts the monster he has become; this
establishes his legacy as the monster, the legend to be feared. It is through this juxtaposition of
expectations, subversions and irony that Matheson illustrates the importance of understanding
and accepting differences in order to come to common grounds. Because Neville dies,
Mathesons message becomes inconclusive in that it does not offer readers a conclusion to
whether or not this message will resolve all issues. Nonetheless, Matheson argues for the
importance of this message because it is the only solution in the hands of society.

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Works Cited
Matheson, Richard. I Am Legend. New York: ORB, 1995. Print.
Clasen, Mathias. "Vampire Apocalypse: A Biocultural Critique of Richard Matheson's I Am
Legend." Philosophy and Literature 34.2 (2010): 313-28. Web.
Carroll, Noel. "The Nature of Horror." The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 46.1 (1987):
51. Web.
Moreman, Christopher M. "Journal of Religion & Film." Journal of Religion and Film. Web. 09
Nov. 2016.
Patterson, Kathy Davis. "Echoes of Dracula: Racial Politics and the Failure of ..." Web. 9 Nov.
2016.