Suspense And Atmosphere In Andy Weir's The Martian

The author of The Martian, a science fiction book about Mars, was never a professional scientist or writer. He first posted The Martian on his website for free until his readers asked him to put it on Kindle. The Martian is an action packed novel in which Mark, an astronaut, is stuck on Mars. NASA and the Ares 3 crew members work together to save Mark. Mark is left on Mars when his crew-mates accidently leave him behind. There’s no communication, there’s hardly enough food, and Mark faces many more man vs. nature problems. A big theme in this novel is conflict in which Mark has to overcome many obstacles to survive Mars. The Martian is an action packed novel with an amazing author, the element of suspense, and a surprising sense of humor.

There are many areas of suspense in the story, some that shock the reader suddenly, others that slowly creep up on them. There are many instances in which the author includes suspense: “The Hab [Mark’s only shelter on Mars] is now a bomb” (Weir 37). Our main character had been experimenting with different gases, and he hadn’t been careful enough which had turned the Hab into a dangerous place. This sentence contains suspense because the reader doesn’t know what’s going to happen to Mark now. In addition to that, he also uses suspense here, “5… 4… 3… 2… 1… ,” Johanssen [part of the Ares 3 crew] continued.”Activating Lighting Panel 41.” She pressed enter” (Weir 362). Weir makes readers anxious to know what happens next, and what happens once Johnassen presses enter. Overflowing with suspense, The Martian includes suspense all throughout the story, adding to the plot and making readers feel more engaged in the

It is an element which can capture a reader’s attention and draw them into the book. ““Anyway, much more important: I simply can’t the replacement of Chrissy with Cindy. Three’s Company may never be the same after this fiasco (Weir 27).” Weir shows humor because even though Mark on Mars with a slim chance of surviving, he still is thinking about the TV show, Three’s Company. The Martian includes many places which shows how Weir incorporates humor into his book. “For a short time, I wondered how to splice the second battery’s leads into the main power supply. My conclusion was “Screw it”” (Weir 69). Mark is stuck on Mars and is building this machine to travel across Mars, but, like many other human beings, he says, “Screw it.” The humor is an important part of the novel, lightening the dark tone, also allowing the fictional characters to become more