116 pages • 3 hours read
Andy WeirA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
“What’s going on? I want to find out, but I don’t have much to work with. I can’t see. I can’t hear anything other than the computer. I can’t even feel. No, that’s not true. I feel something. I’m lying down. I’m on something soft. A bed.”
Weir opens the novel with Grace’s stream of consciousness, establishing that Grace is suffering from amnesia. However, instead of panicking, Grace immediately begins to evaluate his surroundings and ground himself in observable fact. Grace, to his core, is a true scientist.
“Look, I was in a bad place when I wrote that, okay? I’d had enough of the research world and that was sort of a ‘kiss-my-butt’ goodbye. I’m much happier now as a teacher.”
Confronted by Stratt in his junior high school classroom, Grace disavows his former life as a scientist. His rejection is equally false and truthful, however. He remains passionate about scientific research but feels insecure about participating in a field that rejected him and embarrassed by the immature tone of his controversial paper. Still, Grace legitimately loves teaching, and this moment foreshadows the happiness he attains as a teacher on Erid, even when he has the option to return to Earth.
“As serious as Yáo was, Ilyukhina was casual. They butted heads from time to time, but even Yáo couldn’t resist her charms. I remember when he finally broke down and laughed at one of her jokes. You can’t be a hundred percent serious forever.”
As he prepares to give his deceased crewmates a space burial, Grace is flooded with memories of their personalities. Grace’s depth of feeling for his would-be companions emphasizes the importance of friendship to survival and highlights how lonely Grace feels at the beginning of the novel. Grace’s appreciation of Ilyukhina’s sense of humor also helps to develop Grace’s own use of humor as a way of connecting more closely with
Plus, gain access to 8,600+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features:
Action & Adventure
View Collection
American Literature
View Collection
Climate Change Reads
View Collection
Earth Day
View Collection
Fantasy
View Collection
Health & Medicine
View Collection
Horror, Thrillers, & Suspense
View Collection
Mystery & Crime
View Collection
New York Times Best Sellers
View Collection
Science Fiction & Dystopian Fiction
View Collection
Science & Nature
View Collection
The Best of "Best Book" Lists
View Collection