Every book always has one or more complex ideas that it focuses on and follows throughout the piece of literature. These complex ideas are commonly known as themes. They usually have a deeper meaning and correspond with the work's message. Authors explore themes indirectly through literary tools such as characters, plot, conflict, and literary devices. The goal of themes is to convey or teach the audience some sort of an idea.
In the Martian, the theme of loneliness and isolation is taken to another level as Mark, the protagonist of the story is stranded on another planet away from any form of human life. In this book we see how loneliness can affect one's thoughts and how they view the world. This crazy adventure tests Mark's ability to contend with loneliness and survive disconnection from others.
This book constantly develops and exhibits the theme of ingenuity or creativity from the very beginning of the book. Mark who is stranded by himself on Mars far away from any form of life has to use the resources that he has at hand in order to come up with creative solutions to every problem he encounters. Mark has trained to be an astronaut, yet in this scenario, the only things that can help him are his own wits and ability to survive in an unfriendly environment with limited resources.
Man versus nature has been a very popular theme in many books that explores both man's dominance of nature and his resourcefulness and ability to survive away from the developed world. Andy Weir takes this theme to another level once again. As Mark is stranded on a different planet in an environment that he has never been in before, he must not only conserve the resources he has at hand, but also repurpose them in creative ways to fight against the hostile Martian environment and save himself.