Transformations happen all the time. Sometimes they are instantaneous, other times they occur slowly over millennia, but rest assured—transformation is a definitive part of life. It's perhaps the only definitive thing in life. Red Mars chronicles the affects of transformation on many different levels: scientific, social, personal, cultural, and even evolutionary adaptation. Nothing in the novel escapes the influence of transformation. The question is simply how grand or minuscule the transformation will be and how far-reaching the effects.
Questions About Transformation
- Which characters do you think transform the most during the story? Why do these characters change and what causes these transformations?
- Which character seems most comfortable with transformation? What kind of transformation do they promote and why?
- What do you think is the greatest transformation made on Mars during the course of the novel? What do you think this change says about this theme?
- Okay, we know we said everything changes in Red Mars. But were we right? Did you notice anything that seems stable, unchanged in the novel? If yes, what is it? If not, then why do you think nothing is free from transformation?