Mark Watney, a fictional character in Andy Weirs The Martian can be viewed as a

fundamental existentialist based on his experiences on Mars. Mark, from Sol six to
Sol five hundred and forty-nine, a six hundred and eighty-seven vacation on mars
not once blamed the crew which fled him, the atrocious martian weather, nor a
supernatural power for why he was stuck on the barren planet.. All problems that
occurred during his stay always pointed towards him. From the fleeing of his
crewmates, the mad science experiments that went wrong, and even the success
he had was all based on his actions. A regular person in this situation would look
for external sources to blame or cave under the trauma that occurred, Mark
Watney, on the other hand, would not based on him being an existentialist
The Martian takes place in the near future. Ares 3, the mission Mark was on is hit
by strong martian winds which lead the crew to make an emergency launch.
During the time Mark is hit by a piece of debris, the crew assumes he is killed from
this and leave without him. After Mark wakes up from the disaster that occurred
realizes he has been left alone on the planet. Throughout the novel, he attempts to
survive until he could be saved. After multiple near death situations, he eventually
is saved by the same crew that left him. In total, he survives a total of five
hundred and forty-nine martian days through his knowledge as an engineer to
repair his shelter and equipment. As well as a botanist, managing to colonize mars
with food which he uses to survive.
Starting with the initial incident of him being left alone, Mark does not once blame
his crew members, he even applauds his Commanders decision of saving five
other lives instead of risking their lives to find a person in a storm who could have
been easily dead. When Mark first makes contact with his Commander after the
incident one of the first things he says is not to blame yourselves. Commander,
pure bad luck is responsible for my situation, not you. You made the right call and
saved everyone else. I know it must have been a tough decision, but any analysis
of that day will show it was the right one. (Weir 149) This shows his qualities as
an existentialist and how he looks at problems that occur. He understands both
sides of the situation and realized which one is the correct decision even if it does
not favor him. Though this is not the only mistake he makes on his trip to Mars.
After this first incident there are many times where Mark Watneys life is
threatened, from turning his own shelter into a Hydrogen bomb to using pure
radiation as a heat source and not to forget about the hostile martian

environment. But not once does he blame anyone else. In order to survive, Mark
decides to do multiple experiments that would either save his life or possibly kill
him. I guess you could call it a "failure", but I prefer the term "learning
experience". (Weir 72) From this quote, you can understand Mark is very
Optimistic. Instead of categorizing his mistake as a failure he views it as a learning
experience knowing not to repeat what he has previously done. To them,
equipment failure is terrifying. To me, it's "Tuesday". (Weir 152) In this quote, it is
talking about equipment failure when an important piece of equipment fails to
work it can cost a persons life. Mark, it is common for this to happen to him and
accepts this, he views it like a typical day which inevitably will happen. With his
optimism and understanding his chances of survival, he is willing to take risks but
not fear them. Me: This is obviously a clog. How about I take it apart and check
the internal tubing? NASA: (after five hours of deliberation) No. Youll fuck it up
and die. So I took it apart. (Weir 153) He understands the situation he is in more
than anyone else and knows what risks to take even if they could end his life.
Though most of the time his mind was on survival he does not always make
mistakes.
Even after all his near death experiences where Mark is ecstatic for what he has
done. Being the first person to live on Mars for a prolonged amount of time is an
amazing success for him, but what he did during the time there is a greater
success. Though he did have equipment worth billions of dollars it was his
ingenuity that kept him alive. They say once you grow crops somewhere, you
have officially "colonized" it. So technically, I colonized Mars. (Weir 147) Food
being one of the most important necessities was a top priority for Mark. Over time
using his own feces he fertilizes the martian soil in order to grow one hundred and
twenty-six square meters of potato plants. With his background with Botany, he is
happy he is capable of doing this. In you face, Neil Armstrong! (Weir 147) Not
only is he capable of surviving alone, but is able to see the comedic side of the
situation he is currently in. My asshole is doing as much to keep me alive as my
brain. (Weir 14) In this quote, he explains how everything he is doing and the
limited resources he has are important, even his own feces. Even when contacting
NASA he still manages to still find some sort of self-amusement. WATNEY: Look! A
pair of boobs! -> (.Y.). (Weir 129) The reasoning behind this was response was
only because he was asked by NASA to consider his responses as they would be
broadcasted across the world. Also, please watch your language. Everything you
type is being broadcast live all over the world. No matter what the situation is he
is positive of the outcomes and is happy that others are also hoping and helping

for his survival. But really, they did it because every human being has a basic
instinct to help each other out. It might not seem that way sometimes, but its
true. (Weir 368) Mark over the time being on Mars learns more about himself and
realizes to believe in himself. Even after the help of others Mark constantly
believes in his decisions. From the moment, he manages to survive the storm, to
the countless mistakes he has made, and even the successes he has, he always
believe they have been done by his actions. This is what it means to be an
existentialist and Mark falls into this criteria. Mark is unique compared to others as
he strives for his well being without being dependant on others to support him.
Mark even as a fictional character should be viewed as a role model, someone who
understands the personal fault and accepts this, a true existentialist.