Mark Watney's Character In The Martian By Andy Weir

In 1970, Apollo 13 experienced an oxygen tank explosion, which nearly killed the astronauts. However, the mission became a major victory for humanity against the dark and dangerous abyss of space. NASA was able to repurpose and adapt to rapidly deteriorating conditions allowing the crew to return to Earth safely. The book, The Martian by Andy Weir describes the saga of an astronaut who becomes stranded on Mars. While, Apollo 13 was the result of a technical failure, poor weather conditions on Mars result in the stranding of protagonist Mark Watney. During the crews egress from the base during a brutal sandstorm, a communication antenna pierces Mark’s suit and throws him backwards. With Mark presumably dead and their escape being time sensitive,

In order for Mark to become human and represent humanity, Weir needed to provide significant depth of character and allow him to become relatable to the reader. One of the first instances of this is on Sol 11, just a few days into his stay as Watney’s log simply reads “I wonder how the Cubs are doing” (Weir 13). Despite the seemingly low chances of survival and immediate issues, this inquiry adds relatability and realism to his character. Without these qualities, Watney would appear as a perfect character compromising the realism which Weir attempts to achieve. Further, the sense of humor displayed is essential to developing him as a representative of humanity. Weir uses humor throughout not only to keep readers engaged, but also to establish Watney as an average human being. While trying to find a sustained food source he states “Hell yeah I’m a botanist! Fear my botany powers!” (Weir 15). Here the science joke allows him to be characterized as both smart and funny. Weir uses his humor to provide depth to the story and not solely focusing on his survival. By preventing him from being placed on an artificial pedestal of perfection and survival and establishing a personality Weir increases the depth of his character and allows him to appear more human to the reader. Because of his deeper character, Mark becomes more realistic which helps his case as a representative of humanity. The connection becomes clear through the vulgar language used within the novel. Mark freely swears both when angry and to demonstrate dissatisfaction. As a result of Mark’s swearing, Weir reveals a flaw in his character removing him from perfection. Additionally the act of swearing is something common within today’s society and with this social acceptance it has become normalized within society. In combination his characteristics provide a relatable character.