Man versus nature
The struggle of human beings against the indifferent or hostile forces of the natural world and their own limits within it.
Man versus nature in fiction: 9 works
Humanity's helplessness before the Martians dramatizes its smallness against overwhelming forces.
The unforgiving physics of a spacecraft's fuel margin, not any villain, forces the tragedy.
The crew is overmatched by a perfect predatory organism in the void.
The unleashed dinosaurs overwhelm every human safeguard on the island.
The pair struggle against cold, starvation, and a lifeless environment.
Stranded on Mars, Watney must outwit a lethal environment to survive.
Humanity struggles against a dying planet and the crushing physics of deep space.
The expedition is overwhelmed by a warping, refracting natural force it cannot fight.
The family's survival hinges on outlasting a predatory alien species.