Astronaut Mark Watney in the movie “The Martian” is a male character possessing almost entirely masculine characteristics. His only feminine trait is his childlike nature. After being assumed dead by his crew, Mark survives being left behind on Mars through his brilliance and unrelenting sense of humor. Upon making contact with NASA, Mark is asked to provide a photo of himself for the press. He complies, but sends them only images of him posing as the Fonz. Throughout the rescue mission to follow, Watney continually undermines NASA’s efforts to treat the situation with dignity.
Watney is a self reliant character, surviving alone on Mars for over a year before his rescue. He is able to grow crops from potatoes brought on board for Thanksgiving, finds ways to communicate with Earth, and is able to his own water. When faced with new challeneges he is willing to take risks, such as digging up radioactive material to fuel his water generator and punching a hole in his space suit in order to “fly like ironman” so that the rescue team can reach him.
One of Watney’s most prominent traits is his ambition. He narrates his isolation throughout the movie, bragging about being the first person to cultivate Mars, the greatest botanist on the planet, a technical “space pirate”, and the fastest man in history when ejecting himself from Mars’s atmosphere.
Shared by: Riley Schwahn
Image Credit: gortoncenter.org