Atmosphere: A Love Story

Stars are the novel’s primary symbol given the subject matter of spaceflight and Joan’s astronomy expertise. Throughout the narrative, Joan discusses her passion for stargazing and the importance of stars not only in her own life but within the greater context of humanity. As such, stars symbolize many things depending on the context. First, stars represent Joan’s passion and ambition, first sparked during a trip to Joshua Tree National Park with her parents as a child, after which she begged for a telescope. From this moment, Joan knew that she would study stars and wished to travel in space. This ambition, long thwarted by gender discrimination, drives her to apply for NASA.

In addition, stars symbolize human connection. Joan elaborates on this symbolism several times in the novel. In her philosophy, stars symbolize a complex relationship between religion and science, between history and time, through which all humans are connected. In Chapter 3, she states, “To look up at the nighttime sky is to become a part of a long line of people throughout human history who looked above at the same set of stars. It is to witness time unfolding” (43).