Abandonment

An obvious theme of “The Martian” is abandonment – since the astronaut Mark Watney was literally abandoned on Mars, abandonment is a natural theme. It wasn’t a mean-spirited or vicious act by his fellow crewmates. They thought he was dead; the vital signs transmitted from his space suit were flat lines. There was nothing for the crew members to conclude other than that he was dead. They tried to search for his body in the midst of a raging sandstorm but they couldn’t find him. Although it pained them, the crew was forced to leave their deceased friend and colleague behind or else risk their own lives.

There are many forms of abandonment. In the case of “The Martian” his was a physical abandonment. Emotional abandonments that are often discussed in dysfunctional aspects of personal relationships. Children can feel emotionally abandoned when their parents are...