The Martian Character Analysis

In “The Martian”, a 2011 hardcore science fiction novel by Andy Weir, astronaut Mark Watney must embark on a dogged quest to survive alone on Mars after a freak accident led to him being abandoned by his crewmates. Weir explores an optimistic view of human nature and pays an extreme attention to detail in the composition.

One of the major themes that emerge from the novel is human nature. The team-up between NASA and the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) emphasizes the author’s belief that humanity is greater than the sum of its parts. Cooperation between international government agencies is extremely difficult. By putting aside their differences, NASA and CNSA were able to return Watney safely back to Earth - he reflects on this through his monologue up to the moments leading up to his rescue, “They did it because every human being has a basic instinct to help each other out. It might not seem that way sometimes, but it's true.” The feeling of kinship between humans transcends international boundaries, be it religion, political affiliations, or nationality. We are able to see this in our own society through the existence of charities, nonprofits, and the like. Watney himself commemorates the human spirit near the end of the book, echoing the author’s sentiment, “If a hiker gets lost in the mountains, people will coordinate a search. If a train crashes, people will line up to give blood. If an earthquake levels a
The novel opened my eyes to the fact that the world is so much more than this. News of breakthroughs in the fields of science, medicine, and technology, advancements in both developed and developing countries, and improvements in our societal structure are reported on a daily basis. Consequently, I found “The Martian” to be uplifting in the sense that it gave me a positive outlook to the future of our society and humanity as a