Take a photo of a barcode or cover
heyitismitch 's review for:
I Am Legend
by Richard Matheson
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Richard Matheson's I Am Legend serves as a chilling and insightful meditation on the doctrine of total depravity. The protagonist, Robert Neville, lives a life defined by a clear, external evil: the vampire-like beings that have consumed the world. He views himself as the last righteous man, a hero valiantly fighting against a monstrous plague. Yet, the true horror of the novel lies not in the creatures he hunts, but in the slow, internal rot of Neville's own soul.
As his isolation deepens, his actions become increasingly devoid of mercy or introspection. He commits acts of casual cruelty and succumbs to despair and alcoholism, all while remaining blind to his own moral decay. The ultimate reveal and twist of the novel forces a brutal self-realisation. The novel masterfully shows that the evil we see in the world around us is but a reflection of the evil within us. Neville's depravity is not a result of an outside force, but an inescapable part of his fallen nature, just as surely as the vampires' condition is theirs. The book is a stark reminder that without grace, we are all tragically, irredeemably lost.