The Martian

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2011

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-5

Chapters 6-10

Chapters 11-14

Chapters 15-18

Chapters 19-22

Chapters 23-26

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Literary Devices

Epistolary Form

The Martian exhibits a variety of narrative styles, from the more traditional third-person point of view to a unique use of the epistolary style. The epistolary novel is written as a series of letters or, in this case, mission log entries. Although he intersperses the epistolary passages with other narrative styles, Weir uses the epistolary to great advantage.

Watney is alone on Mars and has no one to talk to, yet solves complicated problems and implements untested methods (untested, at least, on Mars). He is experimenting. He is also lonely and facing the difficult prospect of preserving his physical and mental health while he works to get off Mars. The mission log allows Watney to express himself and track the efficacy of his endeavors without resorting to long soliloquies or interior passages where he is thinking. As Watney notes, these log entries may never be found or read, but they allow him to externalize his thoughts and feelings. This allows him to work through problems and feelings on the page, but it also offers the reader direct access to his interior world without having to spend the entire book inside his head. In addition, writing things down gives Watney the distance and perspective necessary for scrutinizing his feelings and his plans. He also uses the logs as an emotional vent, and they adopt a humorous, light tone despite the severity of his situation. The success of the epistolary, in this case, rests on Watney’s personality and attitude. He is clear and scientific in his problem-solving but relies on humor and self-deprecation to keep perspective. His logs are transparent and unsparing of himself and of his successes and failures. This is important because the reader depends on Watney to be a reliable narrator and to give a clear view of events.

Humor

The Martian presents a serious premise: A man is stranded alone on a hostile planet and working his way home. In addition, although the novel is science fiction, it is notable for its scientific realism; it is a tension-filled, detail-packed narrative, full of science and technical details. Normally, such a technical book would be a dense and difficult read, sweeping the reader along a rapid current of information, disasters, and pressure. This is why humor plays such an important role in the book. The character of Watney possesses a frank, self-deprecating, and occasionally dark sense of humor that undercuts the solemnity without detracting from the seriousness of what is happening. The humor is a function of his personality, and from the very first line, it is intertwined with the urgency of the text to offer a wider perspective. In addition, Watney’s humor gives him some distance from the seriousness of his predicament, which allows him to make decisions and move forward. It offers the same relief to the reader, allowing them to see a larger context to the plot action. This suggests that a humorous perspective can help not just to stay hopeful and motivated but to actively solve problems.

Dramatic Irony

Dramatic irony is when the reader’s understanding of a situation goes beyond that of the characters involved in the situation. In other words, it is when the reader knows more about what is happening than the characters do. Dramatic irony occurs repeatedly throughout this novel and in many different ways, depending on the characters. In addition, one group of characters will often have information that others lack, complicating the use of dramatic irony. For example, when Watney is driving to the Ares 4 site, the reader knows that he is heading into a dust storm and that if he doesn’t realize it, he will be trapped. But the reader is not the only one who has this information—the people at NASA, and indeed, the entire world, know about the dust storm, as they watch via satellite imagery. Yet they cannot communicate with him or do anything to change the situation; they can only watch as the unaware Watney approaches danger, and hope that he can get out in time. These characters on Earth are in the same position as the reader.

In another example, long before Watney gains communications with NASA, they are already aware of his predicament, watching him and working on the problem. The reader knows this, but he does not. As he says, “If the lander comes back to life (and that’s a big if), it’ll try to establish contact with Earth. Problem is nobody’s listening. It’s not like the Pathfinder team is hanging around JPL just in case their long-dead probe is repaired by a wayward astronaut” (111). The dramatic irony of this statement is that the reader knows this is exactly what is happening on Earth. Dramatic irony contributes to the tension of a plot, but it also gives the reader a feeling of having inside information and, therefore, becoming a participant in the narrative instead of an observer.