The Resilience Of The Human Spirit In The Martian By Andy Weir

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Throughout human history mankind has always sought one thing – companionship. Men and women evolved as social creatures that required interpersonal interaction in order to ensure the survival of the species. People naturally do not seek to isolate themselves from the world but rather to fill their world with others – it is humanity’s disposition to be naturally social and surrounded by others similar to themselves. In The Martian, by Andy Weir, the author uses the character of Mark Watney in order to illustrate the true power and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of one of humanity’s greatest enemies – isolation.
It is evident that Weir depicts Watney as a man of solid mental character and attitude in order to convey the lengths …show more content…

In circumstances that would force others to their knees in despair, Mark remains as sarcastic, optimistic, and hopeful as ever. Weir even makes it clear that Mark was selected for the mission specifically because his nature was such a strong asset to the chemistry of the group. While, “…they [the group] all showed signs of stress and moodiness… Mark was no exception, but the way he showed it was to crack more jokes and get everyone laughing,” (89). It is his unique natural ability to thrive in adversity and uplift others that earns him a spot on the Ares crew. Even the NASA specialist agrees that, “He was chosen for the mission in part because of his personality.” (90), proving to readers that Mark is not just your average, run of the mill space-botanist-astronaut-scientist-geek. Weir illustrates that through Mark’s winning personality and snarky optimism, he is able to survive and endure the crushing effects …show more content…

Humankind is not designed to be cast away into an unfamiliar wilderness surrounded by nothing more than their own thoughts. They have evolved as social creatures and without any kind of interaction with others there can be severely negative effects upon the human mind and spirit – often leading men to madness, despair, and worst of all, a loss of hope. NASA even goes as far as to acknowledge the grim fact that, “If he’s lost hope, he won’t care about survival. His only concern will be making it to the radio.” (90), so that he can be heard by others before he dies. Weir conveys that his character does in fact struggle at points with the weight of the loneliness constantly hanging about him. In one of his later entries, Watney exclaims, “Jesus Christ, I'd give anything for a five-minute conversation with anyone. Anyone, anywhere. About anything. (99), evidencing the effects isolation is beginning to have upon his mind. With all of this mental, physical, and psychological adversity one might expect Watney to simply crack and relent to the despair of his situation. Yet Weir wants readers to understand how Watney symbolizes the true power of the human spirit and what some individuals will do in order to find companionship and return to where their hearts remain – home. Watney’s greatest survival asset is

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