Now you may ask what is “Science Fiction”, well the actual definition is “is a broad genre of fiction that often involves speculations based on current or future science or technology” (GoodReads). As one of the greatest genres to come Science Fiction can take a real life scenario and makes it a thrilling because every word is plausible in real life. For example, look at the book and now major motion picture The Martian by Andy Weir, where a man by the name of Mark Watney accidently gets left behind on a NASA mission on Mars. While left on Mars, Watney does some incredible things. When The Martian was adapted to a movie a lot of important details of Mark Watney’s survival were amiss. Andy Weir had so much information crammed into this book …show more content…
At SOL 63 Watney states, “I finished making water a long time ago. I’m no longer in danger of blowing myself up. The potatoes are growing nicely. Nothing has conspired to kill me in weeks. Seventies TV keeps me disturbingly more entertained than it should. Things are stable on Mars. It’s time to start thinking long term” (65). This shows that Watney for the most part has fulfilled his needs, and now wants to start focusing on other things like his crops and planning for future endeavors. Water was one of the biggest challenges of survival that Watney faced because without it he would’ve die within 3 days which makes it dramatically more important than food because he could last roughly 3 weeks without food (LiveScience). Around SOL 117 NASA started getting worried because the water reclaimer was acting up and wandered if Watney really had enough water, “Okay, technically I’m lying. The plants aren’t entirely water-neutral. They strip the hydrogen from some of it (releasing the oxygen) and use it to make the complex hydrocarbons that are the plant itself. But it’s a very small loss and I made like 600 liters of water from MDV fuel. I could take baths and still have plenty left over. NASA, however, is absolutely shitting itself. They see the water reclaimer as a critical survival element. There’s no backup, and they think I’ll die instantly without it. To them, equipment failure is terrifying. To me, it’s “Tuesday.” (152)”. This perfectly describes how Watney handles situations with humor and the mind set of nothing can stop me! He is so confident in his abilities to retain water that if he did so please could waste some through actives like taking baths. Having all of this water is nice and all but in all reality is it really doing him any good? In total the Water Reclaimer can handle about 20 liters of
The book, The Martian illustrates a tale of survival, human dignity, and smart humour. During the near future, a group of astronauts had their mission on Mars cut short as a sandstorm starts to form itself into a massive wave of destruction threatening the lives of these space dwellers. In a dramatic effort to evacuate themselves from the planet, astronaut Mark Watney was left behind after space debris crashed into him, leaving him presumably dead. The storm eventually clears, left alone on a planet
Even those who know they are going to die must have an optimistic outlook, if not for themselves, for their legacy. In The Martian, Mark Watney displays immense courage even in his lonely, desolate situation. Why? Because his identity includes resourcefulness and resiliency, he hopes for positive outcomes for his own future, but even in the event of his own failure to survive, he
Being a brave person is an important personality that people should have, but at the same time, people should learn it. In the book, The Martian is written by Andy Weir, Mark Watney is the protagonist and he is an astronaut and a botanist in the story. He has been left in Mars by his crewmates because of the big storm. After that, he tries to survive by himself with the spare potatoes and the water reclaimer. He figures out how to plant the potatoes for 400 and more days of foods and water. Of course
completely alone. However, in Andy Weir’s novel, The Martian, Mark Watney is left stranded on Mars fighting for survival and having to discover solutions to these challenges. Watney exhibits times of great frustration when problem solving, working to supply himself with basic necessities for survival, and communicating with earth. Interestingly enough, Mark Watney’s frustration of being stranded
The Martian: An Out of This World Hero’s Journey According to Bonnie Tyler, a hero is a man that needs to be strong and fast, straight out of battle, and have a legendary persona about them. Traditionally in mythology, heroes are characterized by their strength, physical prowess, intelligence, cunningness, and success on the battlefield. In addition, most heroes go on some type of quest or adventure, often accompanied by a trusty sidekick to rein them in. The hero’s journey archetype is often divided
The Martian Should Not Be Banned Despite all the negativities that have been attributed to the novel, The Martian, I am not convinced that they are reason enough to have the book scrapped from the school curriculum. First, we have to look at the core themes of the book and see how they correlate with what we want our children to learn. Essentially, the book talks about technology and professionalism. In the book, we come across a team of astronauts who are planning to go to planet Mars. These are
The distance between Earth and Mars is two-hundred and twenty-five kilometers every two years. The story takes place with Mark Watney alone on mars, after being abandoned by his crew during a storm. “The Martian” shows the enduring theme of man’s survival, yet also emphasizes the advancement of our technology to do this and celebrates the global nature of our civilization. Throughout this book, the theme of man’s survival is shown in many ways. To begin with, it’s the fact that Watney doesn’t
In his novel The Martian, author Andy Weir writes about astronaut Mark Watney’s struggle to survive on Mars after a brutal sandstorm led his crew to abandon him. During the five hundred and forty-nine days before his rescue, Watney resides alone on the desolate red planet and spends almost no time worrying about whether he will survive; he just does it. Watney makes use of his background in botany and mechanical engineering to solve problems he encounters along the way while relying heavily on the
Ridley Scott’s The Martian and Yann Martel’s Life of Pi effectively explore the potential outcomes of isolation. Both texts encapsulate a valuable sense of ingenuity, as well as mental stability portrayed through unexpected companions. Whilst solitary conditions destroy the protagonists’ mental and physical wellbeing, persistence and determination is developed due to detachment from humanity. In the presence of isolation, the protagonists’ obtain the ability to adapt to foreign environments, as well
Jules So Dr. Erika Harnett ESS 102 25 November 2017 Analysis: The Martian The story of The Martian focuses on the obstacles botanist and astronaut Mark Watney must overcome to survive on the planet Mars. His adventure is filled with fictional and non-fictional elements that are most likely difficult for the normal individual to identify what is actually realistic and what is simply fantasy. After taking a closer look, this film contains a lot more realism to actual science and space travel today
In 2011, author Andy Weir self-published his debut novel, The Martian. Little did Weir know that his self-published debut novel science fiction novel would become well received by readers. The success of the novel lead to a film adaptation of the book directed by Ridley Scott, which was released in 2015. While the book and film adaptation hold many similarities, a few major differences arise. For example, major changes occur in the beginning scene and epilogue. The book makes more known the ethical
The fictitious novel “The Martian” by Andy Weir explores quantum physics as it follows the character Mark Watney’s misfortune as he is left behind on a trip to Mars. “The Martian” is considered a survival story, as it details the day to day life of this botanist and mechanical engineer who must figure out how to survive on one of the most inhospitable planets. The book discusses every precise detail of how Watney creates a chemical reaction to turn rocket fuel into water, how to grow potatoes, and
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
The Science Behind ‘The Martian’ SPOILER ALERT: Please be aware that there are spoilers ahead. If you haven’t watched The Martian, go watch it. I mean it. You have been warned. The Martian: The Martian is a science fiction film, based on the book of the same name, about astronaut Mark Watney (played by Matt Damon) and his fight for survival when his crew accidentally leaves him behind on Mars. While Watney spends his 560 sols alone on Mars, he does many things, but most importantly: he colonises
Living on Mars is nearly impossible, especially with limited food, water, and lack of communication. For Astronaut Mark Watney, this newfound isolation was his life for the span of a year. All of Earth thought he was dead. In fact, his funeral had already taken place. Somehow though in a miraculous fashion, Watney was able to survive his seemingly tragic fall, and stay alive in the heart of a dust storm. With the rest of his crew leaving and sending out reports that he had died, not only was Watney