'An Analysis Of Unk's Journey On Mercury'

Over the course of Unk’s journey on Mercury he transforms into more humble and determined man. His actions also convey that his supposed purpose in his meaningless life is to love, which is displayed through his blind-undying determination to return to Earth
When landing on Mercury, “they thought the Sun was terrifyingly large – but that didn’t stop them from thinking that they were landing on Earth (p. 190).” Despite physically being able see a planet utterly alien in comparison to Earth, Unk and Boaz choose to disregard their senses and submit to their desire to return home. This instance of being unable to correctly analyse their situation reveals Unk and Boaz’s inability to correctly make decisions and foreshadows their future responses
Next, as the ship settles into the darkness, Unk and Boaz are flashed with the light beams from crystals that cover the planet’s surface. Once again, “it was easy to believe that the searchlights were playing over a sophisticated civilization…It was easy to mistake the…crystals for skyscrapers (p. 191).” The repetition of the phrase “it was easy to” again highlights that Unk and Boaz would rather surrender to their deepest desires of returning to Earth than accurately examine their environment, which should take less than a minute considering the wide array of difference between a building and a shiny blue stone. The phrase also connotes that the two men were searching for an answer, and the word “easy” communicates they latched onto the first answer they could think of, rather than actually thinking about what was happening. The word “easy” also denotes weakness and
191).” The repetition of the ‘f’ sound emphasizes the feeling of warmth coming from the words “family” and “friendship.” This alliteration signifies the importance of family and friendship in his life. Unk, a man who has nothing worth living for on Mercury, looks inward to see his passionate desire for family and friendship ignite and burn brighter than ever before, sees “a friend…a wife…a son…a father (p. 191).” Unk discovers that his reason to live is to love those closest to him. This resonates with the novel as a whole, as Unk finds the supposed answer the meaning of life: to love. Ironically, love was the least importance element in Malachi Constant’s life. This contrast of the important of loved ones between Unk and Constant conveys, symbolically, the tremendously positive growth Unk has had on his journey. He is a more humble person as Unk than he was as Malachi Constant. After years of being stranded on Mercury, Unk decided to leave the comfort of the spacecraft and continue his own journey alone. “The circles in which [he] moved were vast and restless (p. 201).” The denotation of “circles” reveals that he never accomplished anything on his solo venture, and the word “restless” describes his drive to move forward and his frustration with his lack of displacement. This illustrates Unk’s determination to free himself from the shackles of the dark abyss of caves. It also