The Five Stages of Robert Neville

WARNING: Contains spoilers on the book I am Legend by Richard Matheson.

Many people have seen the movie I am Legend starring Will Smith; fewer people have read the book I am Legend by Richard Matheson.

What many people who have only seen the movie do not know is that the book is very different from the movie. At some point while I was still reading the book, my mother found it and read the whole story in a couple hours. Later, when I mentioned the book to her, she mentioned how Neville had gone through the stages of grief.

After finishing I am Legend, I remembered reading about Neville's anger, depression, and final acceptance, but I hadn't thought that they were tied in such a way. Early in the book, Neville crushes a drinking glass in his hand and becomes infuriated at simple objects such as the mural he painted on the wall. Even though this does not perfectly match the mold for an anger stage, Neville does seem to want to get back at himself for the loss of his loved ones.

Neville's depression is very evident when he spends hours at a time remembering and nearly reminiscing about the past, his wife, and his daughter. At one point, Robert is trying to look for an answer to the plague by looking back into his past and recalls lying half-drunk, fully clothed, crying in his bed after burying his wife.

Acceptance is the final stage of the five stages of grief. As Robert Neville discovers what he has become to the new people of the world, he comes to a personal realization. He comes to accept what he is and what he has become to no longer fear his own ending.

I had read that people who have a terminal illness or only a short amount of time to live go through these stages too. When I read that, I did not think much of what was said. Later, I remembered why I wear my LiveStrong bracelet. My cousin, Jessie, has Neuroblastoma, a form of cancer which is often present at birth. Even with her problems she still manages to smile, boss people around (lol), have fun.

You may feel like Robert Neville but you can always look forward like Jessie.

(I did some research about the 5 stages of grief here and here.