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

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

the human spirit can go when it is confronted with the abyss of seclusion.

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

isolation can have on the human spirit. Mark’s raw intelligence, intellect, and scientific background are only able to get him so far. His ability to bounce back unfazed from the trials and tribulation of abandonment in space is evidenced many times such as when he states how, “I tested the brackets by hitting them with rocks. This kind of sophistication is what we interplanetary scientists are known for” (240), which demonstrates how he remains his true, light-hearted, and humorous self throughout the whole ordeal. Weir designs Mark to function as a symbol of the level of resilience the human spirit can reach in certain individuals.
The author continues to use the character of Mark Watney to portray the resilience of the human spirit by showing just how Mark is able to overcome the odds stacked against him.

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

of course his winning personality. His unrelenting nature takes away the power, fear, and “gravity” of the situation in which he finds himself. Readers constantly see Mark’s personality immediately countering the negative doubts and fears that sometimes cloud his head. He states how, “I could be reconnected with mankind before I even die. So here’s another first: Tomorrow I’ll be the first person to recover a Mars probe.” (100), convincingly demonstrating the power of his optimism to overcome his morbid thoughts. Curiously it seems that once Mark defeats or conquers his own inner demons such as fear, despair, doubt, and most of all loneliness, he is then able to defeat the adversity of the wilderness around him. Weir displays how through his isolation, Mark demonstrates the resilience of the human spirit by defeating all thoughts of despair or loneliness with his own winning personality – allowing him to eventually survive seemingly impossible odds.
In Andy Weir’s The Martian, Mark Watney functions as a symbol of the inner strength of the human spirit and how it allows individuals to thrive when faced with adverse circumstances such as isolation and abandonment. Watney shows readers how it is necessary to defeat the demons of doubt and loneliness that fills the wilderness of one’s inner self before true survival in adversity is possible. Without his attitude none of what he achieves would have been possible. Weir uses Watney to show that there is a direct correlation between attitude and outcome. His protagonist’s winning personality, sarcastic humor, and “never-give-up” mentality benefit him far more in the end than all of his skills and ingenuity ever could. Through Watney’s example, Weir proves to readers that the human spirit can be remarkably resilient and that ultimately what lies within one’s self is of far greater importance than what lies beyond in the wilderness of isolation.