Ethos Pathos Logos In The Martian

Many people have survived near-death situations because things have happened. One thing, however, that had a part in every instance of survival was the will to survive. The Martian, originally written by Adam Weir and adapted into a movie by Ridley Scott, deals majorly with this theme. Adam Weir shows that the key to survival is believing that you can survive, regardless of your actual situation. Weir keeps the audience clamoring for more by first recalling the history of the North American Space Administration (NASA) and then the events of what led up to his “death” and abandonment. From then on, the readers must endure a rollercoaster of events, all connected and intertwined with pathos and logos. Weir shows that no matter how bad a situation
This would be very important in connecting with readers, as astronaut Mark Watney is the only person on Mars. In short, he survived a near-death experience, was thought to be dead by the rest of the world, and has to survive approximately four hundred days all on his own. Chapters in The Martian are set up as “mission logs,” where Watney would record his daily events. As a result, Weir includes personal feelings and thoughts that Watney would have. One of the most appealing quotes from the book was when Watney thinks of home by saying, “I wonder if they’ll ever find out what really happened. I’ve been so busy staying alive I never thought of what this must be like for my parents. Right now, they’re suffering the worst pain anyone can endure. I’d give anything just to let them know I’m still alive” (Weir 16). This quote creates sympathy for Watney, and also connects to the readers. On the other side of the spectrum, however, is a quote at the end of the book when Watney says, “This is the happiest day of my life” (Weir 369). This quote creates happiness in the minds of readers, and as the last line in the book, ends the book on a happy note. A third quote that Weir writes is after the rescue is completed, where Watney proudly exclaims, “But really, they did it because every human being has a basic instinct to help each other out… And because of that, I had billions of people on my side” (Weir 368). This creates the sense of the good that human kind can do in times of crisis. Mark Watney was stranded on another planet, and human kind as a whole banded together to bring him home. The thought of seven to eight billion people supporting him would keep him in a positive mindset, eventually leading to his