ENGL-2609H - Final Essay PDF

Preview

Summary

Final essay for Contagion....

Description

Sallis 1

Mitchell Sallis Professor K. McGuire ENGL-2609H August 3, 2016 Contagion and I Am Legend: Representing the Healthy Carrier Steven Soderberg’s film, Contagion (2011), and Francis Lawrence’s film, I am Legend (2007), both explore the narrative of viruses, contagious outbreaks, and consequently, the social decay. Each film closely inspects the characterization of the lone survivor, especially of whom are immune to their respective viruses. In particular, the films investigate how these characters are represented. As healthy carriers, that is, characters whom exist in their world without fear of infection, naturally have perceptions that vary. In I am Legend, Lawrence decidedly emphasizes how his protagonist, Neville, is represented as a model character with sacrificial tendencies. Neville escapes any assignable shame as the surviving healthy character by outwardly offering himself for the greater of humanity regularly. Contrastingly, in Contagion, Soderberg creates a distinct perspective from his protagonist, Mitch Emhoff, in which his perspective details the transitioning events from society as a healthy entity to that of rapid social decay. In this, Mitch is represented as a genuine character whose intentions are to protect the remaining members of his family as well as surrounding characters, as he is immune to the virus. Mitch is exempt from assignable shame, as he endures hardships of death and living in a deteriorating, quarantined society. His character lives as a sacrifice, as he bears these burdens while attempting to save others. In both films, I am Legend and Contagion, they explore the characterization of healthy carriers in extreme apocalyptic situations, and successfully, each film represents the healthy

Sallis 2

carrier as a sacrificial figure by two distinct characterizations of the outward and inward essences. I Am Legend, in short, explores protagonist US Army virologist Robert Neville in New York City after a virus outbreak has decimated the population. The film details his daily routines and hardships while meandering through the city overgrown with vegetation and wildlife. As the last human in the city who is immune to the virus, he additionally faces violent and aggressive nocturnal mutants effected by the virus, colloquially named “darkseekers”. Neville’s objective throughout the story aside from survival is researching to develop a cure for those infected. In the film, Neville’s character is represented as the last human in the city, and specifically, a healthy carrier. A healthy carrier is when a host, although has the virus in their body, is able to remain healthy and living with no symptoms. In turn, the virus in their body effectively makes them immune. For Neville, aside from the verbal statements in a few select scenes, he is represented as a healthy carrier as evidenced by his diet, workout routine, and general athleticism in moments of dire necessity. He is the quintessential healthy carrier archetype: physically adept, one the remaining humans, and fights through adversities in consequence of everyone else succumbing to the virus. His physical body seems incorruptible despite near-death experiences. Neville additionally challenges the “darkseekers” on a variety of occasions wherein he attempts to slaughter or capture as many as he is able, reinforcing the idea that he is evidently a healthy and strong carrier. He also hunts in close proximity to the wildlife which have entered the overgrown city which again, insists that he is evidently the strong, healthy carrier. Moreover, the film suggests that Neville, in his private life, ought to be perceived as an innocent character. As a virologist working for the government, his intentions throughout the film appear to be genuine. For instance, Neville consistently insists on choosing to work

Sallis 3

towards developing a vaccine to the cure as opposed to being with his family. In either case of his private life or as a physical body, he is represented as the archetypical healthy carrier in the film. Since Neville is the healthy carrier, there often is assignable shame to the character. This arises from survivor shame, the responsibility of spreading the virus, or for not taking advantage of the immunity to help the greater good. However, for Neville, any shame is unjustifiable. Although he indeed remains as the only human in New York City, and is the chief virologist responsible for the control of the virus and vaccine development, he does not attract any shame. Even the faint idea that he ought to be assigned shame for sending his wife and daughter in the helicopter that explodes while he remains on the ground is unjustifiable. Neville, in any aspect, escapes assignable shame. Throughout the entirety of the story, Neville’s behaviour supports his tendencies to choose discovering a vaccine, rescuing others, and protecting them. In the example of his family dying in the helicopter, he only remains on the ground because he believed, in earnest, that his family ought to be the initial people out of the city. He additionally believed there was greater importance in finding a cure over staying with his family. His actions, in this case, allow him to escape any shame. Furthermore, Neville is exempt from the survivor’s shame as a healthy carrier. Instead of merely surviving and just enduring the post-apocalyptic quarantined city, he daily attempts to find others, protect them, and discover a vaccine. His daily radio broadcasts across the city inform others of his objectives and his arrival at the meeting locale at the same time of day every day support his exemption. On a similar note, despite being a healthy carrier whose, in practical terms, only objective is self-preservation, he chooses to research and develop a vaccine. He

Sallis 4

positions his life in risk to capture test subjects and research the vaccine when it does not contribute to his self-preservation. Thus, any assignable shame is unjustifiable for Neville. Within this notion that Neville opposes any shame for being a healthy carrier, he captures the essence and characteristics of a sacrificial character. There is countless symbolism intertwined in the film which insists that he sacrifices himself for humanity. There is a religious undertone represented by his wife and child in a flashback, in which they pray for Neville. Moreover, his child along with the alternate ending scene with the Alpha Male darkseeker, they create a symbol of a butterfly. In Christianity, the butterfly is a symbol of resurrection both for Christ and for the resurrection of believers. Otherwise, in regards to Neville’s actions, nearly every major choice decided risks his life for a greater cause. The choice to remain out of the helicopter to stay back foreshadows his situation of being the lone survivor searching for a cure; stepping outside of the semi-protected glass room in his laboratory to sacrifice himself, physically, to the darkseekers in order to protect the other two characters; and entering the dark building to save his dog even though he verbally acknowledges he should not enter. These are the clear instances in which he chooses to sacrifice himself, and evidently is a sacrificial figure. Similar to Neville’s representation as a healthy carrier in I Am Legend, the protagonist Mitch Emhoff in Contagion is also represented as a healthy carrier facing a quarantined society. In this film, a virus is transmitted across the city which quickly becomes a quarantined zone. Medical researchers and public health officials attempt to identify and contain the disease, however, social turmoil arises and creates further issues. Eventually, a vaccine is introduced to halt the disease’s spread. The film utilizes a multi-narrative hyperlink style of narrative, in which the story follows multiple characters with a close examination on their behaviour and private life to construct a more rounded perspective of the virus.

Sallis 5

For Mitch, he is the innocent healthy carrier. With pure intentions, he is a humanizing representation in the midst of social decay in the quarantined city. As the healthy carrier living both prior to and post spread of disease, he lives as a temperament between the infected and the non-infected. His characterization as the healthy carrier represents the hardships both as a survivor and as the healthy carrier. He experiences survivor guilt when his wife and child die; he is aware of how he affects the surrounding people’s perception and sentiments toward him being immune; and he is conscious of his inability to contribute to the vaccinations as his character is a common father figure without any medical or virology knowledge. Mitch’s character, like Neville’s, is exempt from justifiable shame. His survivor’s guilt with the death of his wife and child does not warrant shame for him being immune and they not. His wife, Beth, brought the disease upon herself in consequence of her sexual desires outside of her marriage. Contrastingly, Mitch’s purity and sincere intentions, as he knew his wife had an affair before, suggests a connection to his immunity. While he remains innocent, he is protected from the virus, and while his wife is not, she suffers. This exempts him from any shame, as the parallels in behaviour and intentions indicate shame is unnecessary. Moreover, a broader perspective of Mitch’s story insists he ought not receive any assignable shame as a healthy carrier. For his situation, he endures his wife and child dying, his society decaying, and trying both protect and raise his daughter in the midst of turmoil. Not only does Mitch suffer the hardships the non-immune people do, such as the chaotic society, but he is accountable for the additional anxiety of trying to save others as well as his daughter. Because he does not abuse his immunity, and has more responsibilities as a healthy carrier, there is no assignable shame to Mitch.

Sallis 6

While Neville’s character was more indicative of a healthy carrier who outwardly sacrificed himself for a greater good, Mitch’s character is more inwardly with his sacrificial tendencies. Neville would verbally consent to sacrificing himself emotionally and physically in many instances. For Mitch, his actions are less obvious. With his innocence and purity, and comparatively to his wife, he becomes immune to the virus. He sacrifices his mental welfare and pride, evidenced by his conversation with the doctor when it is revealed he is aware of the ongoing affair, to remain with his wife for his children and because of his remaining love. He must internalize these conflicting emotions for the betterment of his family. He furthermore has to sacrifice his mental welfare by internalizing the burden of dealing with the decaying social order. Riots, looting, and home invasions begin to rise, and he is faced with protecting his daughter in the chaos. There is also the consistent risk of his daughter contracting the virus in addition to managing a semi-regular lifestyle for his daughter to grow up in. This is supported by the final sequence of the film in which Mitch creates a home version of prom for his daughter so she could experience a semi-normal end of high school moment. Thus, while Mitch’s actions may not be of a grander scale or of deeper implications to society, he sacrifices himself for the people around him. Evidently, Contagion and I Am Legend explore the narrative of healthy, human carriers in virus films with an distinct emphasis on the outward and inward behaviours and tendencies of these characters. For I Am Legend, the film centralizes Neville as the overarching important character responsible for sacrificing himself for a greater cause. The film highlights the outward actions of Neville and their implications to the rest of society. Conversely, Contagion, with it’s multi-narrative storyline, closely inspects the private life of a common citizen and their experience with a decaying society. Mitch is presented as a quieter character who manages to

Sallis 7

sacrifice his own mental welfare in order to preserve his daughters. In essence, the human carrier in viral narratives can evidently be represented in a variety of ways. In any representation, however, the character tends to sacrifice some sentimental part of themselves, whether physical emotional, or mental in order to pay duties to the remnants of their society....