Red Mars

Red Mars depicts Boone as more than just a man: He’s a living legend. He was the first man on Mars, a reputation that precedes him wherever he goes. Even a vaunted professional like Maya can’t help but examine Boone in the context of his legendary status, which makes him as much of a folk hero on Mars as figures like Big Man or Paul Bunyan. He was the first human being to utter words on another planet, and those understated words—“well, here we are” (452)—repeat like a mantra throughout the novel. Thus, two distinct versions of John Boone exist: Boone the character, whom readers glimpse from his perspective in Part 5, and Boone the legend, whom readers see from the perspective of every other character.

The legend often obscures the real Boone, especially in the wake of his assassination. His murder is a pivotal moment in the history of Mars because it represents the organic foundation of local folklore. People report strange supernatural events at the time of his death, such as crops freezes in fields or photographs of Boone bursting into flames. The way others repeat these stories and the stories of Boone’s life shows the extent to which the legend figures so prominently in the minds of every person on Mars even after his death.

However, the real Boone remains hidden. In Part 5, he shows that he’s conscious of his legendary status. Not only is he keenly aware that he’s John Boone, the first man on Mars, but he deliberately plays up to this image to draw people to his side. His celebrity persona is a protective mask, insulating his real self from scrutiny by performing the role of folk hero to the people he meets, particularly when he’s trying to get something. In negotiations, for example, he knows the propaganda power of his story, so he uses it to his advantage. When he’s being hounded by investigators, he threatens to publicly accuse the UN of harassing the first man on Mars. Boone is keenly aware of his status but allows everyone around him to presume his character. The unstated first-man words are manifestations of this calculation, their deliberate understatement forming a key part of the Boone persona.

This subtle canniness irritates Chalmers, who can’t reckon with Boone’s natural charisma. Chalmers tries to negotiate himself into a position of power, sacrificing the role of first man on Mars in exchange for leading the Ares mission. However, Boone uses his charisma and status to join the mission, even though he was already exposed to dangerous levels of radiation. This reckless disregard for rules and the casual deployment of celebrity and charisma infuriate Chalmers, who can’t comprehend that Boone might be tactically adept. In a twist of tragic irony, however, Chalmers uses Boone’s charisma and celebrity the only way he knows how: by turning Boone into a sacrifice on the altar of negotiation. Chalmers organizes Boone’s assassination, ratifying his legend but also eliminating his as a threat.

Perhaps Boone’s most defining trait is his tendency toward addiction. He hides this addiction from the world, but it motivates his behavior. He’s addicted to his own celebrity, for example, which prompts him to risk his life aboard the Ares. He’s addicted to the game of politics between himself and Chalmers, which is why he can never back down. He’s addicted to the synthetic drug omegendorph, though he hides this from everyone. He’s addicted to Maya, which is why their relationship is never quite over. This propensity toward addiction illustrates the gap between the real Boone and the folkloric Boone. He’s a narcissist, a drug addict, and an argumentative figure who fails in his only real romantic endeavor, yet he can’t change his behavior. Right up until his assassination, he’s still popping the same pills, courting the same woman, antagonizing the same enemies, and indulging his own status. The real Boone is an addict, aware of his own addiction, so he forces himself to hide behind the legendary public persona, furthering the same status that is ultimately his downfall.

The responsibility for building the first human settlement on Mars lies with Nadia Chernyshevski. While the scientists and astronauts feature more prominently in discussions of any future Martian society, Nadia’s skills have a real, tangible impact on the size and shape of the Underhill settlement. In a quiet way, she shoulders the burden of history. While others focus on experiments and debates, Nadia is aware that the structures she builds at Underhill will one day be studied alongside the great constructions of human civilization. The first settlement on Mars will be regarded, in the future, alongside the pyramids of Giza for their significance in terms of human achievement.

Nadia accepts this responsibility but doesn’t rank it above her duties to those around her. She prioritizes human survival, ignoring selfish or egotistical desires she might have to leave her mark on human history. The construction of Underhill represents her self-awareness and her sacrifice, showing her unique capacity to work for others rather than herself.

Fundamentally, Nadia is an engineer. On the Ares, she felt useless, but she comes into her own at Underhill. Nadia thrives in a challenging environment, whether she’s building the settlement or trying to save those affected by violence during the Martian Revolution. As she states during the Revolution, she isn’t a political person. She isn’t involved in Arkady’s ambitious plans; she simply wants to build things for the betterment of humanity. This creates a genuine contrast between Nadia and figures like Arkady, Boone, Ann, and Sax, who have grand ambitions for life on Mars that closely align with their political or scientific beliefs. Nadia juxtaposes these visionaries and zealots, yet she can’t help but be drawn to Arkady. The complex relationship between them, which exemplifies opposites attracting, continues for many years, even when they’re far apart, yet she can never quite reconcile her practicality with his political ideology. Nadia loves Arkady as a man, while he loves himself as a political visionary.

Nadia may be relentlessly practical, but her relationship with Arkady leaves an important impression on her. She may be frustrated by how he orchestrates a revolution, but she’s deeply pained by his death. When he dies, she reaches a breaking point. Arkady’s influence is clear and literal: she takes a transmitter, which Arkady gave her, and detonates the rockets that Arkady hid inside Phobos many years earlier. Arkady’s influence on Nadia is like the rockets hidden inside the moon, emerging only in a desperate emergency. In this moment, the practical engineer shows her extreme frustration by crashing a moon into a planet. In a move that would make Arkady proud, she indulges her emotion in demonstrative rejection of the chaos around her. That Nadia should succumb to such emotion shows how extreme the Revolution has become.