Alright so lets start discussing this story.
I would like to start off by saying that Robert Neville is one of the most realistic and tangible characters that I have ever read about in a book, he isn't an immortal hero, he isn't a knight in shining armor, he has drunken fits of rage, a dry cynical sense of humor that one can only acquire by being in the man made apocalypse and he is just trying to survive, has anyone ever read about another character who is this real?
-Doug Z
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24 comments:
I agree with you Doug, but I have not gotten that far into the book, but i'm just a little nervous as to how this book can be interesting if the main character is so..normal. Like our daily activities are not interesting enough to write a book about. However, we are also not the last people on the earth with vampires surrounding us.So, I am very excited to see what is to come just don't spoil anything!!
R.F.
Does Robert Neville make anyone else really mad atleast for the first two parts of the book? I mean his normalcy really bother me along with how he always makes his list of stuff to do and then ends up never finishing all of them. I guess im sorta looking for a hero in the last human left on earth not just a normal guy.
Well since nobody answered my last question, i guess I'll pose another one. Does anyone think that Neville could have done more to save himself from dieing so easily, and do you guys think he should have tried to do more before he just gave up?
Sorry Flick, for the first question no I think he is a great hero, not because he is a superhuman but because he is a normal human being, I cannot imagine how he must feel being the last human on earth, and for the second question I think he finally accepted his fate and realized he cannot run from death forever.
-Doug Z
See I don't really agree with Doug, that he is a hero. I think that he is just a normal guy, trying to survive as the last living human on Earth (for all he knows). I think that any person would try to do all he can to live as long as possible and that his flaws are just him being human.
doug,
so youre saying he's a hero because he's normal? Doesnt that kinda defeat the purpose of being a hero? I feel like to be a hero you should go above and beyond.
Yeah, i agree with jess that his flaws are just regular human flaws and like i said in class today, i think that the reason that people get so pissed off at him as a character is because they are used to reading about people who do extradianary things, almost like superhumans. They do things that would never happen and things that you would love to think that you would do in any given situation. However, that is not reality. The point of this book is to pose more of a realistic outlook instead of the usual hero saves the day. I think it's just a different perspective that us as readers are not used to. I do think of him as a sort of secret hero, because he is the last man left or so he thinks, and he does try to get rid of other vampires and fight them off. He could just succumb to them right away because he doesnt see any point in living anymore. From what we were talking about in class, i dont really think that if he was being attacked and decided to go out and fight the vampires that it would be suicide. Because he is bound to die either way, and i think it's honorable and courageous to die fighting for man kind instead of just natural causes. Does anyone else think that way or is it just me?
R.FINK
Well either way he was going to die. But running into them for one last stand is certain death. Which is exactly like assisted suicide. I feel that if he lived it out for more time and died of natural causes then he could have done much more damage to the vampires instead of just killing a few more of them before he eventually died.
I don't much adhere to the thought that him going out with a bang is suicide. I mean I understand the point that if you go into a situation knowing you have a high chance of dieing, but then wouldn't you also have to say that people like soldiers, police officers, and firefighters are also commiting suicide with they they die in the line of duty. I even think that Robert Nevielle is just like those people, he's not a hero, he's just doing what he thinks is right and trying to survive in the process. I hope this makes sense to everyone.
I understand what you're saying alex, and i think your point is more technically speaking because you're right, if he is going directly into the vampires then he it is inevitable that he's going to die so technically that is assisted suicide. But, Jess read my mind and i think exactly what she thinks about the whole thing with police and soldiers because when soldiers go to war they are going for a cause and belief even though they know there is a 50/50 chance of them dieing but they do it anyway. So, i think that's exactly what Robert Neville was doing. He figured that morally speaking he would rather die for his belief then just live a lonely life even though he might get rid of more vampires. So, yes, Jess it does make perfect sense and it's weird how i was thinking the EXACT same thing but i was too scared to say it in class cause i thought everyone would yell at me and tell me i'm wrong. So, thanks for saying it for me!
R.FINK
Also, i think that he is more of a silent hero in the sense that he did what he thought was morally right, because arent we all taught to fight for what we believe in? I think that we cant judge what Robert Neville did because as readers we have time to analyze what is going on and think about alternatives. He is just trying to survive and is borderline insane, so he is definitly not thinking with a clear head. So even though we like to think that we would search for others or try to just live out our lives, i really dont think we would because the thought of standing up for what you believe in is so instilled in our heads that i think we would go down fighting and not be logical about it.
R.FINK
See he is a hero! he represents the hero waiting to burst forth from all of our mundane lives and save us from the horrors of whatever we conjure up in our society! He is the lone ranger waiting to save the day that waits in all of us.
-Doug Z
Hero or not, he does what he thinks is right and tries to survive in a hostile world. If that makes him a hero, then I guess he is, but he is a human hero, not a hero like we're used to, with powers and all that. That's why he's a good character to relate to.
I know Becca, I didn't say anything either because I wanted to hear what everyone else thought. And because I didn't want anyone to attack me. Yikes!!! Scary people!
Robert Neville is real, he isn't supposed to be Rocky Balboa where he can take just as many punches as he can give, he has vices, addictions, disorders, if you cut him, he will bleed, which is what makes him so amazing, he does get cut, and he bleeds, and bleeds, until finally like most people, he comes to grips with his reality, his purpose if you will, he realizes who he is supposed to be, and he accepts it, and he doesn't take arms against it or fight it, he welcomes it with open arms, and that is more heroic than anything I have ever seen.
-Doug Z
I suppose all of this depends on your definition of hero. In most people's eyes, a hero is someone who saves millions of people from burning buildings with their superpowers or dives in front of bullet for someone they love. But, i think for the first time we are introduced to a different type of hero. This hero is an everyday person just trying to stay sane and carry out his daily activities and staying alive at the same time. He wrestles with moral ideas, and i think that he is a hero within himself. I agree with Doug and I think that he is a type of hero that we all could realistically become. It's almost comforting to know that just an average person in society can become known as heroic. So, i think this business about whether he is a hero or not just depended on everyones interpertation of a hero. I just think that we overlooked the hero quality in him because he is not the typical hero and is almost a hero for himself.
R.FINK
I still cant agree with any of you about him being a hero. From dictionary.com's first two results for hero:
1.a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.
2.a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal
1. Robert Neville certainly doesn't demonstrate any distinguished abilities. He sits around in his house from day to day getting drunk and barely going outside because he is too scared to face his fears and only goes outdoors because of neccessity.
2. The Key words in the second definition are "regarded as a model or ideal". On many occasions the class has come to the agreement that Robert Neville is nothing more than ordinary. How can we see him as a hero if we do not regard him a model or ideal of the human race.
I can see where you guys are coming from. But i still believe that Neville did not prove himself to be a hero by the end of the novella.
i get what you're saying alex, and i know that that is the literal definition of a hero, but it can still be interpreted other than the literal definition. I know that he is lazy, and has bad qualities that are def. not in the typical hero, but i still think that he's a guy that is a hero for himself. Not for the world, or anyone special, just himself. Even though he drinks a lot, which is probebly what anyone else would be doing if they were him, he still has morals and ethics. Especially in the part of the book where he decides suicide is not the answer. I think just staying sane and doing what is morally right is heroic enough. He is not meant to be this big macho guy, he is just meant to be realistic and i think that if any of us were in his shoes then we would feel satisfied with ourselves if we just did what we thought was the right thing to do.
R.FINK
How exactly, and why would you, become a hero for yourself? The idea behind a hero is for someone to look up to and for that hero to have a positive effect on the world around him. Also, the reason he does not kill himself is because of fear of what will happen if he is gone, not because he thinks it is morally incorrect. Lastly, throughout the book he knows deep down he is not doing what is right; from drinking himself into drunken stupors most night and then not completing his daily tasks, Neville realizes that he certainly is not doing what is right for him to survive.
Well considering nobody is left then there is nobody for him to save..soooo the only person for him to save is himself. Maybe i'm just interpreting this character differently then you are. I'm a very optimistic person and i like to see the best in things and not the worst, so that's probebly why i still think theres good in him. Despite his issues, i still think that just being able to go on in a world so horrific as the one he is living in is extrodinary. Maybe heroic is not the right term, but it is definitly something special.
I sure know that it would be hard for me to go on with just basic tasks as he sets for himself. I think i would go insane and not last nearly as long as he did.
(the last one and this one by R.FINK)
I guess you also brought up another point. The fact that the new world is horrific. I certainly don't see the new world as horrific. It is certainly a drastic change for the human race, but it could also just be seen as an evolution on the current race.
Yeah i just think it would be horrific as the only human left on earth to have to experience a whole new world of vampires by themselves. Just the feeling of being alone is scary. I think that it would just be evolution if everyone was a vampire adn Robert Neville was not left. It would just be the new normal.
R.FINK
In the end isnt Robert Neville not left" as you said which would make the whole story a story about evolution not a horror story.
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