Explore The Ways Brian Robeson Uses The Hatchet

I am currently reading Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. So far in the book the main character Brian has been sent to his dad’s for the summer, but his plane crashes along the way. The pilot dies and Brian is left in the Canadian wilderness and must fend for himself. He has made a shelter, a fire and found food.

Have you ever wanted to experience living in the wilderness on your own? Do you think you would last very long? This question is what started the novel of Hatchet, wrote by Gary Paulsen. After being the only one who survived a plane wreck, though there were only two people in the plane, Brian Robeson had to survive until someone could find him. Brian lived in the wilderness for a total of 54 days.

In the book Hatchet when Brian first get fire is when he is asleep and a porcupine comes and Brian throws the hatchet at the porcupine. The thing was Brian missed and sent the hatchet flying at the wall. Then the porcupine sent quills at Brian into his leg. The next morning  Brian looked at the wall and saw sparks marks and then he thought if he hit the wall with the hatchet than he could start fire.  In  Survival by the Numbers Peter said,”What are  priorities – fire first or shelter?”  Peter said that you have to have fire. Brian had to use fire a lot in the book.

He uses the shelter to protect him from the rain and some animals. After he builds the shelter, Brian uses his hatchet to make spears and arrows. He takes branches and sharpens the tip of them to make arrows and spears. "He had worked on the fish spear until it had become more then just a tool. He shoots the arrows at birds and throws the spears at fish. "I know about fire; I know I need fire." Brian says this the second night he's there. Brian needs a fire because he needs it for heat, to cook food and to keep animals away. Brian makes the fire with his hatchet and a rock. First, he figures out that he needs some paper so he takes his 20-dollar bill and tries to burn it. Unfortunately, the bill just burns right out and leaves him with no fire. After that, he takes his hatchet and cuts small pieces of bark. Then he piles them up under twigs. Then he takes his hatchet and hits a rock with a great blow and sparks catch the bark on fire. He hits another blow and the sparks catch the twigs on fire. Therefore, he has a fire. This process shows that whatever Brian sets his mind to he can do it. About two months later Brian went to the bottom of the lake to see if there was anything useful in the plane. He brought up a survival package. There were many useful things in there like bandages and matches. Couple months later, just before winter was going to hit a man shows up in a plane. The guy in the plane was the man Brian had talked

After the pilot's heart attack and death, it was quite an adventure and must have been difficult for sixteen year old Brian. He was the only survivor of the plane crash, with a hatchet as his only tool. To survive on his own, Brian had to use what he had available. He used the hatchet, given to him by his mom before he left home, to make tools such as a bow and arrow and to help him start a fire. Over the fifty-four days he was stuck in the woods, he learned through trial and error, tried to stay positive, and used his knowledge and skills and the limited tools he had available to him to survive his adventure until he was rescued.

Brian appreciates the nature so much that he volunteered to go into the wilderness and

If you were put into the middle of nowhere with nothing to live off of, no tools, no food, no water, how would you do it? In class, we read a book called Hatchet. The boy named Brian had to survive with only a hatchet in the wilderness for over two months. He obviously had many different traits that had to change to adapt from his spoiled life in the city, to his new life in the forest with nothing. I think that there are many different traits that are really good to have during survival, but I think that the three most crucial are determination, creativity, and observation.

Brian landed in the Canadian wilderness with no food. “I’m hungry and i'd trade everything I have for a hamburger.”(47) The book talks about him finally getting cherries by following birds. Later he decides to hunt for more wholesome food. He found a bird that was easy to hunt because of it's stupidity. he also fished with tools he crafted. He could have stopped at the berries but he went the extra mile to hunt for birds & fish.

When they crashed, Brian couldn’t be lazy like he was in the city. He had to use his wits and knowledge that he knew about the woods. He needed to learn how to cook, make fire, hunt, make tools, and build a

Survival of the Resilient American President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was quoted as saying, “When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on” (Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes). In the book Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand a boy named Louie Zamperini goes to the Olympics for the 5k. His life soon changes though when Japan attacks pearl harbor. Louie is drafted into the air corps. His plane goes down in the pacific and he is captured by the Japanese and becomes a POW.

His entire life was filled to the brim with challenges to overcome. And yet he always found a way to jump the hurdle that is life. The Bird, whose overall goal was to break Louie, could not even dent the surface: “The Bird continued to beat him, every day. As his attacker struck him, Louie bore it with clenched fists and eyes blazing” (258). He was knocked down repeatedly; however, Louie could not be broken. Louie’s resilience as a POW was his key to entering the house of survival: “He felt his consciousness slipping, his mind losing adhesion, until all he knew was a single thought: ‘He cannot break me’” (302). All of the mind strengthening conversations and on the raft proved useful throughout his experience as a POW, and Louie’s hopeful attitude lived on. Although his body was shattered, his will remained strong and the ultimate survival cake was made with the perfect combination of resilient, unbroken

In chapter 17 up until the Epilogue of Gary Paulsen’s story “Hatchet” Brian realizes many things that are important to his survival. For example, at the beginning of chapter 17, he realizes that the tornado gave him a gift, the plane. The plane, which had sunken, had a survival package in it filled with food and other supplies which are vital to Brian’s survival. The tornado however, blew part of the plane ashore. Remembering this, Brian has a good night's sleep thinking that he could live off these supplies for a long time.

Brian’s first life or death situation was when hegot into the plane crash. If Brian did not known how to swim hewould have drown and died at that moment. Rainsford first life ordeath situation was when he fell off the boat he was traveling on.Rainsford was in the same situation as Brian, where if he did notknow how to swim then he would have died in the ocean.Brian and Rainsford both were in the wilderness and wanted tomake it out of the wilderness alive, but they were in the wildernessfor different reasons. Brian was in the forest because of the planecrash; he has to survive without food, shelter, and weapons todefend his self. Rainsford was in the wilderness because GeneralZaroff was hunting him and trying to kill him. The differencebetween Rainsford and Brian while they are in the wilderness isRainsford is in the jungle while Brian is in a Canadian forest.Rainsford was provided with food and was equipped with a knifewhile Brian had to make his on food and weapons. Brian made it outof the woods because one day a helicopter heard theAs you can see Brian from “Hatchet” and Rainsford from “TheMost Dangerous are alike and similar in many ways. Brian andRainsford the two main characters are both trying to escape

The reason being that besides the pilot other characters only appear in flashbacks or dreams, this translates into me not being able to provide a description of other characters that are in the book. That being said, the other significant characters are Terry, Brian’s dad and mom (names unknown), the pilot (his name being Jim or Jake), and Mr. Perpich. Supporting characters are “The man with short blond hair” and Uncle Carter. Brian has the main role in Hatchet, starring in every single page. Brian doesn´t have much special about him, he is just an ordinary smart 13-year-old, but not the kind of smart that finishes top of his class. The kind of smart that analyzes his situation and figures out what plan to execute. This helps him withstand the wilderness until a plane flies overhead his shelter and saves Brian. In the journey to the rescue, Brian demonstrates that he is a dynamic personality, showcasing his conversion from frustration and anger at the start of the book to observation and patience. This not only helps him in the wild but plays a part in the city too. This change in his personality couldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for the pilot, as he indirectly caused the descent into the wilderness. This is the role he played, I can´t provide a description of the pilot as I can´t anyone else, for reasons stated above. Brian acquired the hatchet from his mother on the ride to the plane, this hatchet proves to be very effective in helping Brian survive, as the hatchet played a big role in making his tools for catching food, how he cut wood to make the wall for his shelter, and ultimately the tool that allowed him to form fire. The mother was also responsible for why Brian´s parents issued a divorce. This causes Brian to have a conflict with himself during his time in the wilderness. On the other side of the divorce, there’s Brian’s dad, who didn’t want the

The theory “survival of the fittest” applies to Brian’s constant battle with nature while is he stranded on an island. Brian realizes that “discoveries [happen] because they needed to happen.” Brian adapts and learns to cope with all adversities from insects to wild animals to storms. His emotional growth comes from the recognition of the magnificence of life. He learns that life’s problems can be overcome and that struggles can be won with clear thinking and common sense. Lessons about living from his mother, father, and teachers also guide Brian through his adventure. He has truly grown into an independent individual who does not rely on anyone else to survive. Brian learns from his mistakes rather than dwelling on them. He modifies his approaches to the problems of survival in the woods and tries again and again until success comes to him. In the end when rescue workers finally arrive, Brian is not in a hurry to leave; he has almost enjoyed the independence that he has achieved. The scenery of the woods and the lake seem at first "a blur," but later strike him as immensely beautiful. He respects the animals that share the woods with him, and begins to regard himself as simply another creature of nature striving to survive. He knew little of nature before the plane crash, and he picked up most of his knowledge from books, school, or the media. He found that actually experiencing nature