Humor In Andy Weir's The Martian

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In the book The Martian by Andy Weir, Mark Watney is thought to be dead and left on Mars after a sandstorm during Sol 6. Mark has to survive with what’s left on mars and through many obstacles and tribulations in his fight to survive. The way Mark’s character broadens from start to finish shows that Mark is witty, rational, and driven. Mark Watney uses humor in almost inappropriate times when most people wouldn’t. In very grave situations, Mark is heard making jokes and references which tends to leave other characters quite stunned even though they are used to Mark’s dark sense of humor. “For some reason they want me to hang around for the next pic. Not sure why........I gave the camera a thumbs-up to go along with my note, which said, Ayyyyyy!.....”Ayyyyyy?“ Annie mocked. ”Why would he do that?“ ”Have you met Mark Watney?” (Weir 126) Mark is shown doing a thumbs-up for NASA after they found communication through Pathfinder. Although this time was supposed to be serious, and to Annie’s disapproval, Mark joked around. Characters in the book like the Ares III crew found that Marks humor was like a lifeline to them even if it could be problematic. “ He was chosen for the mission part because of his personality. An Ares …show more content…

The way Mark reacted to situations and persevered through obstacles shows that Mark is very driven and focused on his end goal; surviving. “He's very intelligent. All of them are, of course. But he's particularly resourceful and a good problem-solver”....”That may save his life”, Cathy interjected.“ (Weir 89) This quote shows that the people that know Mark percievethat he can use what he has to find solutions, and is probably the best person to be in his place. This trait is mostly shown through the words of NASA and the Ares III crew. Mark focuses on his plan and does not give in to the urges he might have, like using a lethal dosage of morphine and killing

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