August Burns
Mrs. Fritz
AP Language Literature & Composition
12 February, 2025
Literary Argument Essay
In the book “The Martian”, Andy Weir utilizes visual imagery and shifting tones to emphasize the pain, suffering, and violence Mark Watney must endure and overcome in order to survive, ultimately illustrating how, through scenes of violence, the interpretation of the work becomes more nuanced, complex, and thematically charged.
To start off, Weir utilizes visual imagery to illustrate Mars’ harshness and hostility, alongside the dangers it poses, helping set the central themes for the story. In the opening of the novel, a violent sandstorm rages outside of the Ares 3 crew’s habitat, and they’re forced to evacuate before their only way home tips over in the storm. Blinding dust and debris fly in the wind, chaotic as can be as the crew struggle through the conditions in a desperate attempt to escape. Then, in a moment of sudden chaos, Mark is struck by a piece of debris and suddenly lost, forcing the crew to abandon him on the surface of Mars’, believing him dead. Weir’s visual imagery underscores Mars’ chaotic and dangerous nature, demonstrating the constant threat of it. Consequently, Mars’ harshness and the fragile nature of human presence on this uninhabitable planet is exemplified, with this moment helping to set the tone for the novel’s central conflict: man versus nature. As a result, Weir’s use of visual imagery helps signify one of the pillars of the story, ultimately leading to a greater and more detailed interpretation of the work. However, Mark will have to face disaster and failure during his fight for survival on Mars, leading to an ever evolving struggle for his life on Mars’ hostile surface. Mark was preparing for a simple excursion onto the surface to clean some solar panels so that his potato farm, his only source of food, can continue to grow, before something goes catastrophically wrong. A tiny hairline fracture in the structure of the airlock rapidly grows, and suddenly, the HAB’s airlock depressurizes. The force sends Watney tumbling through the air, alarms screaming around him as he tumbles around inside, before he hits the surface and rolls to a stop. His suit's fabric is torn, how the air suddenly wisped away from him, and how his home on Mars was suddenly destroyed, highlighting the constant danger Mark faced even when he was in perceived safety because of Weir’s usage of visual imagery. As a result, despite Watney’s preparation and survival skills, his life is constantly threatened by unpredictable dangers and failures, reinforcing the novel’s theme of persistence in the face of disaster. Thus, the usage of visual imagery showcases how Mars’ constant danger affects Mark as he fights for his life, presenting how he has to adapt and fight as disaster and failure befalls him. It’s through this scene that the theme of Mars’ constant danger is clearly illustrated, building up the central themes of the story, resulting in a more complex and driven interpretation of the story.
Mark’s struggle isn’t limited to his time at the HAB however, as violence follows him throughout his entire struggle for survival. Weir utilizes shifting tones to express the changes in Mark’s feelings and state of being as he journeys across Mars towards his salvation, curating the story to help fully realize the central themes of the story and build up the environment. After leaving the HAB to drive to another escape vehicle, Watney is in an almost lighthearted and optimistic mood. He drives along the surface of Mars merrily as he believes his safety to be nearly secured, until out of nowhere, the rover tips over due to an unexpected crater. Mark suddenly becomes panicked and desperate, trying to figure out a solution to his problem before he becomes stranded. Mark’s life turns from calm and collected to frantic and desperate in the matter of a few moments while he attempts to escape, illustrated by Weir’s usage of visual imagery. Consequently, this dichotomy underscores how quickly situations can change on Mars while also reinforcing the novel’s theme that no amount of preparation or planning can eliminate risk entirely. Therefore, the central theme of constant danger is emphasized due to Weir’s use of visual imagery, ultimately building up the reader’s view of the world and the story that Mark suffers through, ultimately expanding the interpretation of the work. By utilizing tones to highlight the sudden shifts in the story and emphasize the dangers Mark must constantly fight through, the usefulness of shifting tones in curating and building up the reader’s interpretation of the work is seen. Another such example can be seen in the climax of the novel. Watney is attempting to reach the Hermes, having successfully persevered through the terrifying launch from Mars as he now floated through space on a path to intercept the Hermes spacecraft where he would be saved, but the distance was too great, forcing him to improvise. He unstrapped himself from his seat and stabbed a hole in his glove in an attempt to launch himself towards salvation, joking that he was about to become Iron Man. However, his improvised launch went off course, creating a moment of near-despair, before he was caught by one of his crewmates. The tone shifts wildly throughout the scene, flying between moments of hope and terror, anxiety and exhilaration, exemplified by Weir’s usage of visual imagery. As a result, despite the constant danger threatened by Mars and its surrounding environment, Mark was able to overcome the odds and survive through perseverance and cooperation. This would serve as another central theme of the story, mirroring the broader theme of human cooperation overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds. Thus, through Weir’s usage of shifting tones, the theme of cooperation overcoming odds becomes key to the story, leading to a more complex and nuanced interpretation of the work by readers.
Ultimately, Weir successfully utilizes visual imagery and shifting tones to build up these scenes of violence throughout Mark’s story, building up the interpretation of the story to become more nuanced and thematically charged. These violent moments, whether they be external like raging dust storms or careening debris, or internal, such as shifting emotional stakes and tones, highlight the novel’s central ideas of relentless hostility and danger on Mars, the necessary adaptation needed for survival, and the power of cooperation against the odds. In the end, Mark’s encounters with danger and hostility on Mars lead to a more enriching and complex interpretation of the story, emphasizing the power of violence in contributing to a reader’s interpretation of a work as a whole.
August Burns
Mrs. Fritz
AP Language Literature & Composition
21 March, 2025
Literary Argument Essay #2
In Project Hail Mary, Andy Weir utilizes visual imagery and shifting tones to emphasize the sacrifices Ryland Grace makes in an effort to save the world and his friend, ultimately illustrating how personal sacrifice can define one’s values and expand the novel’s thematic depth.
Starting off, Weir utilizes visual imagery to depict how Ryland Grace’s sacrifice of leaving Earth highlights the immense cost of his mission. The novel begins with Grace waking aboard the Hail Mary, surrounded by sterile white walls, the hum of life-support systems, and the eerie stillness of an empty spacecraft. Two other people, forgotten by Grace, lie dead in their beds, which Grace would piece together were his crewmates on this mission, with a robotic system acting as caretaker for Grace as he gets used to being awake again. Because these details create a stark contrast to the warmth and familiarity of Earth, they emphasize the loneliness and isolation that are front and center in Grace’s new reality. Consequently, the imagery reinforces the idea that his sacrifice goes beyond just leaving Earth, it means also having to give up human connection and comfort. Therefore, through Weir’s usage of visual imagery, the depth of Grace’s sacrifice is underscored and made clear to see, illustrating the cost that saving humanity has on someone. Weir further employs visual imagery when Grace recalls the moment he was sent on this mission, reinforcing the forced nature of his sacrifice. As Grace’s amnesia slowly fades away, his memories bubbling back up to the surface, he envisions the harsh fluorescent lights of the lab, the hostile smell of antiseptic, and the sense of dread as he realizes he had been a coward, too afraid to risk his life on this mission, only to be drugged and coerced into the mission anyways. These vivid descriptions serve to present Grace’s disoriented and powerless state, highlighting that his sacrifice was not a heroic choice but simply a reality forced upon him as a result of Weir’s usage of visual imagery. This revelation complicates Grace’s journey, portraying him not as a traditional selfless hero but as someone who must grow into their new, forced role. Thus, Weir effectively illustrates that sacrifice is not always a choice, but its meaning and results can evolve through one’s actions.
However, Grace’s sacrifice and struggle isn’t relegated solely to his realization of his situation and recollection of his memories. Weir utilizes shifting tones to showcase how Ryland Grace’s decision to stay behind for Rocky emphasizes his ultimate transformation from self-preservation to selflessness. Initially, as Grace prepares to return to Earth, he is optimistic, joyous, and triumphant. He has solved the astrophage crisis after endless sessions of trial and error, countless struggles and battles, near-death experiences, and so much more, and he has emerged victorious and with a way to return home, to reunite with humanity. Because this hopeful tone reflects his long-awaited success, it reassures both Grace and the reader that his mission is complete, that he is free to return to his old life. Consequently, the expectation becomes that he will soon return home as a hero, reinforcing the idea that this is a true turning point in his character arc where his sacrifice becomes his ultimate triumph. Therefore, this tonal contrast makes his eventual choice to stay even more impactful, as it emphasizes just how much he has changed and evolved over the course of his journey. By utilizing shifting tones to highlight the evolution and hostility Grace has faced as his mission progresses, symbolizing how Grace’s personal sacrifice has shaped and molded his values. Eventually, Grace realizes that Rocky’s ship is failing, leaving him to drift alone and powerless through the void of space. Grace is confronted with an impossible decision as he envisioned the life he could reclaim on Earth, the recognition and praise he’d receive, and the relief of simply being home, but he cannot shake off the certainty of Rocky’s death if he didn’t intervene, before ultimately deciding to save his friend, making one last sacrifice. The tone mirrors his growing turmoil and ultimate sacrifice, it highlights the depth of his internal struggle, because returning home would secure his own survival but it would also mean abandoning the friend who’d saved his life. As a result, Grace’s final decision to stay behind and save his friend is not one of duty, but of genuine compassion and empathy, proving that his values have shifted beyond self-interest and despair to true selflessness. Thus, his willingness to sacrifice his own return home for the sake of another being cements his transformation into a true hero, one defined not by survival but by empathy and morality.
Ultimately, Weir’s usage of shifting tones and imagery to highlight how Ryland Grace’s greatest sacrifice, giving up his ticket home to save Rocky’s life, reveals his transformation from self-serving to true empathy and selflessness. His decision, marked by a shift from triumph to moral conflict, illustrates that real heroism is not about personal survival but about one’s willingness to sacrifice for others. At its deepest level, Grace’s choice challenges the idea of individual success that he initially believed in, instead proving that true fulfillment comes from connection and selfless action. In the end, Project Hail Mary underscores a simple universal truth: the greatest sacrifices define one’s values, and the most meaningful triumphs aren’t those won alone, but enjoyed alongside others.
Link to Fritz's AP Lit Google Classroom: https://classroom.google.com/c/NzAzNzc0ODM0MzM2
Link to Class of 2025 Author Study Page: https://sites.google.com/coalcityschools.org/ap-lit-author-study-24/home