Mark is a funny man

Mark’s sense of humor really does help him maintain sanity and hope in his predicament. Not only does his sense of humor and sarcasm help him survive, but it is incredibly entertaining for the readers. Being alone for nearly an entire year is incredibly draining and depressing. Mark did not see or talk in person to a single human being for roughly a year. That’s hard. I can barely go a day without talking to someone or laughing. Humor, laughter, and even sarcasm really are the “best medicine” for difficult and troubling situations. Making fun of the situation or his crew mate’s choice in music and television shows helps to his keep the mind off the negative aspects and focus more on the positive aspects. Mark’s sarcastic attitude is present throughout the novel and really helps to keep up his morale. For example, when Sirius 1 is complete he says, “More accurately, Sirius 1 was aborted after one hour. I guess you could call it a ‘failure’, but I prefer the term ‘learning experience’” (Weir 72). He uses his humor and sarcasm to help see past a mistake and turn it into a positive. Another example of Mark’s humor being put to good use is when he is talking about the challenge he will have driving down into Schiaparelli; “My first challenge is to pass between the craters Rutherford and Truovelot. It shouldn’t be too hard. They’re 100 kilometers apart. Even I can’t [screw] that up, right? Right” (Weir 291). My personal favorite example of Mark’s humor is when he talks about “nothin’ tea.” “I started the day with some nothin’ tea. Nothin’ tea is easy to make. First, get some hot water, then add nothin’” (Weir 318). This is just so entertaining and why I love Mark so much.