Analysis Of Hatchet By Gary Paulsen's 'Hatchet'
Do you think you're brave and intelligent enough to survive all on your own? No one else…..just you and a hatchet? This is the exact scenario that occurs in the novel Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen. After being the survivor of a horrific plane crash, the main character, Brian finds himself alone in the Canadian Wilderness and depends solely on himself for 54 days! This was a stunning achievement, and through it all Brian went through numerous changes that molded him into a strong human being. There are numerous examples in the novel that show how Brian changed, but two of the biggest aha moments were when he learned how to make fire with his hatchet and his bare hands, and the moment he realized he needed to be a powerful boy and fight for survival.
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The first massive change that he learned physically was how to make fire with just a hatchet and his own physical strength. An outstanding example of this can be noticed in chapter 8 when he is confused on how to make fire with just a hatchet but figures it out. The quote states, “. "Ahhh…” He scrambled out and stood in the morning sun and stretched his back muscles and his sore leg. The hatchet was still in his hand, and as he stretched and raised it over his head it caught the first rays of the morning sun. The first faint light hit the silver of the hatchet and it flashed a brilliant gold in the light. Like fire. That is it, he thought. What they were trying to tell me. Fire. The hatchet was the key to it all. When he threw the hatchet at the porcupine in the cave and missed and hit the stone wall it had showered sparks, a golden shower of sparks in the dark, as golden with fire as the sun was now. The hatchet was the answer. That's what his father and Terry had been trying to tell him. Somehow he could get fire from the hatchet. The sparks would make fire”. This quote distinctly shows that it is important for Brian to have fire so he can be warm. Without warmth, Brian could freeze and his body temperature would go below normal. His body would be weak from the cold and his mind could even start to be affected by the cold. In the end, his discovery of how to make fire with the hatchet was key to his survival in the
The first massive change that he learned physically was how to make fire with just a hatchet and his own physical strength. An outstanding example of this can be noticed in chapter 8 when he is confused on how to make fire with just a hatchet but figures it out. The quote states, “. "Ahhh…” He scrambled out and stood in the morning sun and stretched his back muscles and his sore leg. The hatchet was still in his hand, and as he stretched and raised it over his head it caught the first rays of the morning sun. The first faint light hit the silver of the hatchet and it flashed a brilliant gold in the light. Like fire. That is it, he thought. What they were trying to tell me. Fire. The hatchet was the key to it all. When he threw the hatchet at the porcupine in the cave and missed and hit the stone wall it had showered sparks, a golden shower of sparks in the dark, as golden with fire as the sun was now. The hatchet was the answer. That's what his father and Terry had been trying to tell him. Somehow he could get fire from the hatchet. The sparks would make fire”. This quote distinctly shows that it is important for Brian to have fire so he can be warm. Without warmth, Brian could freeze and his body temperature would go below normal. His body would be weak from the cold and his mind could even start to be affected by the cold. In the end, his discovery of how to make fire with the hatchet was key to his survival in the