The Lion of Mars

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2021

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue-Chapter 4

Chapters 5-9

Chapters 10-14

Chapters 15-21

Chapters 22-29

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Themes

The Dangers of Isolation

In The Lion of Mars, Holm explores two major themes, isolation and The Importance of Community, to highlight the importance of communication and cooperation. The novel’s setting is especially ripe for depicting both physical and social isolation, as the settlers are physically distant from Earth and disconnected from other people. Living on Mars also creates a sense of alienation from the reader’s standpoint, which contrasts with Bell’s own perspective. At first, Bell does not feel isolated because he has no other frame of reference. However, he eventually comes to realize how alone the American settlers really are once he experiences social connection and life beyond the settlement.

A lot of real, physical dangers that can befall Mars settlers are caused by isolation: They might run out of supplies, break mechanical parts, face natural disasters, or get injured. When the adults get sick and the children message Earth command for help, Bell realizes the truth about their situation:

Command always responded the same way: we’ll send whatever you need on the next supply ship. At first, it struck me as a little cold, but then I realized it was all they could do. They were too far away to actually help. Like the sun in my bedroom, it was all an illusion. The truth was that we were on our own. And we always had been (148).

Even more important than physical distance is the settlers’ lack of social connections. After the US settlement breaks contact with the other countries, Phinneus writes in his journal: “I miss our friends dearly. We are so terribly alone now. [The children’s] happy smiles are a reprieve from our loneliness” (226).

Earlier in the narrative, Bell understands loneliness in a more naive way, such as when he worries that Muffin, the mouse, might feel lonely without a friend. Once he makes new friends and loses those relationships, Bell becomes more aware of the dangers of isolation. By the end of the story, he sees isolation as a more insidious, harmful threat than aliens or dust storms. When Sai breaks contact with the other countries again, Bell explains: “[It] wasn’t just the letters and treats that made the difference. It was the feeling that we weren’t alone anymore. We had friends who cared about us. Our world was so much bigger now” (213).

Physical isolation can have dire consequences in such a remote setting as Mars, but coupled with social and emotional isolation, it can prove even more dangerous. The Lion of Mars emphasizes the dangers of being alone in a hostile environment, while at the same time highlighting community as a means of survival—and thriving.

The Importance of Community

The Lion of Mars frames social and emotional relationships as a means of survival. At the beginning of the story, the US settlers are a tight-knit community, but they are closed-off from other groups and lack connections that could improve their safety and quality of life.

At the beginning of the story, Bell has a somewhat limited understanding of community due to his inexperience. He explains: “My whole life, I’d had people around me. The settlement was small and crowded, and someone was always in your space” (174). The young boy is aware of everyone’s role within the group, with the adults each assigned a specialty and the children helping with daily chores. His fascination with lions reveals that he understands the necessity for cooperation and support:

How could I not love the big cats? They were social and lived in a group called a pride. They helped each other and raised their cubs communally. They sounded just like us. All our grown-ups had raised us together. One sentence stood out to me: Lions who are rejected by their pride do not survive long (68).

Although Bell does refer to the US settlers as his family, the social and emotional elements of community become more apparent after he meets new people. In particular, he learns about the necessity for social connections from other characters, such as Phinneus: “I miss our friends dearly. We are so terribly alone now” (226) and Commander Laurent, who tells him that “Good memories [are] important. They [keep] us going” (235). Bell gains direct experience with community-making by building new relationships and through Commander Laurent.

In the end, Bell equates the situation of the Mars settlers to that of a pride of lions and pushes for cooperation between the settlements to ensure everyone’s safety and quality of life. His time at the French settlement helps him realize what his daily life was lacking, which drives him to reflect on his and Trey’s fantasized settlement map:

In our imaginings, we had forgotten the most important thing for a successful world: other people. All the beautiful buildings and rovers and monorails weren’t much good if you didn’t have anyone to share them with (241).

Throughout The Lion of Mars, Holm contrasts the dangers of isolation with the practical and social benefits of community. The narrative offers peace and cooperation as a solution to combat both physical and emotional threats in a hostile environment. Although the story takes place in a fictional setting, Mars is used symbolically to emphasize extreme isolation and loneliness and, on the other hand, to reinforce the necessity for community as a means of survival.

The Driving Power of Fear

Throughout The Lion of Mars, several characters are driven to act or, conversely, not act by their fear. Fear is used as a powerful motivator to either confront or avoid an issue, with Bell and Sai exemplifying both extremes of the spectrum.

Bell does not hesitate to express his fears directly, either as a narrator or during conversations with other characters. This may be due in part to his narrative role as The Archetype of the Innocent. For instance, at the beginning of the story, Bell is scared of breaking the rules to steal a rover and cross the settlement borders:

I took a deep breath. But it didn’t help, because I couldn’t shake the fear anymore. It clung to me like a second skin.

‘I want to go home,’ I blurted out.

‘You do?’ Trey asked.

‘Yes,’ I said, and he must have seen the fear in my eyes (47).

Bell also admits: “It was always a little scary to think how close the other settlements were to us. I sometimes wondered what they looked like, as I’d never seen them” (12). He continues, “We weren’t allowed to go past the little cemetery on the edge of our territory; it was far too dangerous” (12). However, that fear is not based on a tangible threat, as is being stranded in the rover, but on prejudice passed down indirectly from Sai and the older settlers.

Sai’s behavior is partially driven by concern for his fellow settlers, as Bell realizes when he reads the Commander’s messages: “He worried about everything—from Trey’s pimples to the strength of the outside coating of the COR. He ended almost every message with the same phrase: Please advise” (148). However, a lot of Sai’s actions are also motivated by his irrational perception of the other countries as threats. His decision to break contact with them because of his grief and anger is based on a false assumption, and he does not try to communicate or mend those relationships until Bell pushes him to.

Bell directly confronts his fears when his friends are in need. When he and Trey are stuck on the train, Bell is unsure about going into the tunnel on his own but faces his fear precisely because Trey is doing the same for him:

I clutched the glow sticks, fear dancing up my back. ‘I don’t know if I can do this,’ I confessed.

‘Just pretend the tunnel is the corridor outside our bedroom, and it won’t be scary,’ Trey said. ‘Be brave, Bell-Bell!’

And just like that, something was right again. Even though our world was falling apart, Trey was still my best friend. He would literally sit in the dark for me.

But instead of his doing everything for me, like when I was little, it was my turn to do something for him. I had to be our voice now and get help (172).

Later, that same fear for his friends’ health drives Bell to push forward, even though he nearly runs back to safety because he is afraid of the dark. Bell’s fear for others outweighs his own fear. While Sai embodies the negative aspect of fear as a paralyzing, isolating force, Bell illustrates the power of fear to move toward empathy and unity. This theme is closely intertwined with the themes of isolation and community. In the end, Sai confronts his own fears and has an honest conversation with Commander Laurent and Petyr that leads to reconciliation. He also explains to Bell that facing his fears shows true bravery and emotional growth: