Throughout history, NASA has sent humans into space and to the moon.
Mars is not among NASA’s many accomplishments, but many speculate what living on the Red Planet would be like. In The Martian, author Andy Weir introduces Mark Watney, a funny and sarcastic biologist/astronaut. Watney is stranded on Mars, with nothing but his humor, some potatoes, and a whole lot of sand. With perseverance and a whole lot of luck, Watney struggles against nature in this page-turner novel. Andy Weir, author of The Martian, builds many literary elements into his science fiction story including humor and suspense
Every famous author has a backstory, and Andy Weir has a particularly interesting one.
Before becoming an author, Andy Weir was a computer programmer…show more content… (hint: solar cells need sunlight to make electricity)” (Weir 9). Mark uses his humor to help keep himself engaged in getting off Mars.
Another example of humor is after Mark tries to make more water for his potatoes, the only other thing he has to eat besides rationed meals. “Over the past few days, I’ve been happily making water. It’s been going swimmingly. (See what I did there? “Swimmingly”?)” (Weir 35). Since Mark is making water, he jokes about swimming. Despite being stranded on Mars, Mark retains his sense of humor and fun.
Humor is only part of a page-turner, the page-turning part is the suspense at work, which Weir uses expertly. A good example of suspense is right after Mark has been impaled by the antennae. “I vaguely remember having the wind knocked out of me (pulled out of me, really) and my ears popping painfully as the pressure of my suit escaped. The last thing I remember was seeing Johansson (a crewmate) hopelessly reaching out toward me” (Weir 4). Mark is recalling how he got stranded on Mars in the first place. Another example of suspense is when Mark is listing all the different ways he can die. “If the oxygenator breaks down, I’ll suffocate. If the water reclaimer breaks down, I’ll die of thirst. If the Hab breaches (breaks) I’ll just kind of explode. If none of those things happen, I’ll eventually run out of food and starve to death. So yeah. I’m screwed” (Weir 7). Weir is a great suspense
