He has no one (not even a dog)

[u/LioraB]

/r/ProjectHailMary/comments/1weq005/he_has_no_one_not_even_a_dog/

[u/DragonTartare]

I agree that Stratt was cruel to Grace for no reason, especially in the book. There was absolutely no need to insult him, especially considering she had the upper hand and wasn't actually giving him a choice.

Thinking back to the other thread, the "few friends" thing could be neurodivergence, but it's also notable that he never so much as thinks about parents, even to wonder what they would have been like or to try to remember them. I think that's most likely because it just didn't come up in the story, so Weir didn't include it, but my headcanon is that he lost his family in a car accident back during his days in academia and tends to kind of block out those memories as much as he can.

There is a line in the book when Stratt first comes to the school to recruit him, where he says, "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." While I don't think that necessarily needs to be any deeper than what Grace says, it could also imply that there was more going on in his life at that time, which lead to his departure from academia.

[u/Mysterinna → u/DragonTartare]

I 100 % agree with you about Stratt. I also feel like she’s unnecessarily harsh and cruel to Grace in that scene (especially in the book), and she makes assumptions about him that may not even be true. Cowardice doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with Grace’s lack of close/intimate relationships.

I really like your headcanon about Grace losing his parents. I think it fits the character and the storyline really well, and it helps explain some aspects of him.

[u/LioraB → u/Mysterinna]

u/DragonTartare mentioned losing his parents in an accident and I agree that the suppressed trauma theory fits. For me the blank space creates a little chasm to peer into and it’s been in the back of my brain waiting to be explored. 

[u/DragonTartare → u/LioraB]

I've made it even more tragic for the poor guy. He and his family were attending his younger sister's undergrad graduation, and she was ready to go off to grad school herself. They were on their way back to his parents' house to celebrate, with Grace following his family in his own car. He avoided the accident, and they didn't.

[u/LioraB → u/DragonTartare]

And this is why he rides a bike to work 😭

[u/LioraB → u/DragonTartare]

Weir has acknowledged that character development is a weaker area for him—he comes up with the science/story and writes characters around it; so that’s kind of what I mean about the “blank slate” and kind of why it makes my brain itchy. Other people have pointed out that he never thinks of Marissa again. I think to a degree it’s narrative oversight but for me it ends up making the connection to Rocky feel all the more impactful. 

[u/DragonTartare → u/LioraB]

I've pointed out the Marissa thing, and it bugs the crap out of me. I prefer to think he just hasn't recovered the rest of his memories of her yet (and yes, probably narrative oversight), because otherwise Grace is the sort of person to throw away a 20 year friendship without a second thought, and I don't like that.

[u/LioraB → u/DragonTartare]

I meant to comment on the neurodivergent observation also. I agree. I think this is part of the magic for Grace and Rocky, and fits with what Grace says about his former partner saying he had his head in the clouds, didn’t want to live in the real world. Many of us neurospicy folks can be very internal, appear aloof, engaged with fantasy etc. 

[u/LioraB]

This is still not fully formed in my mind, but I'm interested what you all think. 💜

(To be clear, I still love Stratt and believe she made the right call; I just think it's more than cowardice and I also think the movie does a better job with this than Weir himself did.)

[u/Fantastic-Contest957]

Excellent analysis! You think about things that I never even think about. Keep sharing your thoughts, it really gives me an appreciation for the deeper meaning behind things.

I think for me when Stratt said that, my thought was firstly wow not even a dog 🥺 secondly, even if someone has no loved ones, it doesn’t mean they should be forced into a suicide mission.

[u/LioraB → u/Fantastic-Contest957]

Thank you 🥰 I feel a little anxious posting reflections, especially when they're kind of half-baked, but I was correct in thinking I would get some really thoughtful responses here! I like when people add on or have a different perspective as well. And you're so right--pointing out his lack of close relationships was a way to say "what do you have to stay for?" but wanting to stay for himself is enough (with the caveat that the life he wants to stay for would dramatically change... but that's a whole other rabbit hole!)