Entry 2: New Format, Stupid Directors, and Insane Explanations

 The second section of the book is history. I can’t seem to lose interest in this story. It’s so much to process and to realize that this man has endured so much already, but that it is only the beginning of his trials. A new revelation has hit me during pages 42-84. I say “pages” because I found out the book is not just the entries of Mark Watney. They also follow NASA. NASA figured out that Mark is alive!! That’s huge! It means that the rescue could happen sooner, because they want to get him home. So far plans have been discussed but nothing has been accomplished. These directors seem quite a bit oriented toward controlling press and less about the physical action. Who knows if that may change. Weir is a master of giving information. He talks through all the steps that Watney uses to trick out the second rover for extended overland travel. He also details the steps that are used to find and suggest ideas for rescuing him. They are watching through satellite pictures and are paralleling their plan with Watney’s, to save unnecessary futility. This hybrid book has so much that it isn’t possible to  just skim it. You have to delve deeper into the story and find all the hidden pieces that connect the puzzle of Watney being stranded. Speaking of hybridization, the book does a spectacular job of melding the two different styles. The time spent with the director narrative is the same time taken out of the entries, which in this case is 19 days. During this time, because Watney is the one who’s stranded, he doesn’t necessarily think about the big picture or become the next Aristotle on Mars time. So Weir uses the narrative of the directors to ask some of the large questions that may cause the reader to think. He asks about the isolation, to know you are completely and utterly alone, he asks what that must do to a man's psychology. I hadn’t thought about that. Mark seems to be keeping his sanity, but what if he is just slowly losing it, but everything sounds rational to himself, and thus to us because we are reading his words. They wonder what he must be thinking, and at that exact moment, the chapter ends, and we get the entry for sol 61. “How come Aquaman can control whales? They’re mammals! Makes no sense.” (Weir 64) The comedic line paralleled with the timing of the question and answer is exactly what makes this book an amazing read. I can’t wait to read more soon.

Credit for Image: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F405464772679669287%2F&psig=AOvVaw0GAnIfzaMfQCfPZnih6GtC&ust=1670002404843000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CBAQjhxqFwoTCIDq64b62PsCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAJ





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