FYE: The Martian, Question 2

Mark Watney has an enthusiasm to survive that is contagious. When reading the book, it is nearly impossible to not want Mark to survive and be saved. Even if at the beginning of the story, if you are not invested in Mark’s survival, by the end of the story, you find yourself hoping for him to survive. At every dead-end Mark reaches, he continues to work around his adversities and persevere to the end, and it is hard to not want a person with that type of attitude to survive. When Mark was left behind, he could have chosen to give up, when his farm was destroyed, he could have chosen to give up, when the Pathfinder lost connection, he could have chosen to give up; in so many situations throughout the book, Mark could have just cut his losses and lost hope of ever surviving. I feel like I identify with Mark on many aspects, and that made me enjoy reading the story much more. Mark is a sarcastic narcissist, and frankly, if I had to sum myself up in two words, I cannot think of a more fitting pair. In every part of the story, Mark can find a way to make a dig at other characters, and that is something I find myself to identify with as well. The way Mark thinks outside of normal thought process is something that I also feel I can relate with. Andy Weir makes you care about Mark by having Mark get personal with the readers through his journal entries. The entries start out as something that will just be read if his body is found on Mars, so he pours genuine emotion into his entries. By living the story through Mark’s perspective, the reader can find themselves becoming emotionally invested.