Hatchet

Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet begins with Brian Robeson—a 13-year-old from New York City—flying from Hampton to Canada through the Canadian wilderness in a small plane. A middle-aged pilot is flying the aircraft. Brian is visiting his father, who has “visitation rights” after his parents divorced. Brian is upset about the divorce, which continues to bother him despite the view of the magnificent landscape below. He carries “The Secret” of his mother having an affair, which his father is not aware of. The pilot gives him control of the plane briefly, which makes Brian excited for a while, but then he again sinks into gloom. He is angry with his mother but again feels guilty for refusing to talk to her during the car ride to the airport. He recalls her parting gift for the trip, a brand-new hatchet secured on his belt loop.

The pilot suddenly starts complaining of aches in his shoulder and stomach. When a violent spasm seizes him, Brian recognizes the telltale signs of a heart attack. The pilot slumps unconscious, leaving Brian alone in charge of the airborne aircraft. Brian is terrified as he realizes that the spasms have sent the plane off course. He struggles to regain control, desperately calling for help on the radio with a crackly connection. As an agonizing hour passes, Brian confronts the grim reality—the pilot is dead, and he has to land the plane all by himself. With a sputter and cough, the fuel comes to an end, and the plane plummets toward the earth. In a final act of desperation, Brian steers the aircraft toward a lake and manages a watery landing, but the unforgiving trees tear apart the wings.

Brian escapes the sinking wreckage in a state of panic, makes it to the lakeshore, and passes out exhausted. When he wakes up, the first thing he thinks of is the discovery of his mother with another man during a bike ride Brian was having with his friend Terry. This is the secret that Brian has been grappling with. When he recalls the crash, Brian dissolves into tears and starts screaming. Lost and in immense pain, Brian faints one more time. When he wakes up before dawn, Brian is still hurting and disoriented. The pilot’s death hangs heavy in his thoughts, paralyzing him with fear. As the sun rises, a relentless swarm of mosquitoes descends, making him even more miserable. Before surrendering to sleep again, Brian strains to understand his surroundings, registering a hazy image of a lake, trees, and a distant rocky ridge. He considers himself lucky to have survived the crash, as he had barely missed a large rock nearby.

When he wakes up, Brian is extremely thirsty and has sustained a bad sunburn. While he is aware of the potential health risks, he brings himself to the lake to drink the water. Desolation threatens to consume him, the vast emptiness offering no solace. He starts saying a mantra: repeating his name and clinging to the hope of imminent rescue. Then, a memory surfaces—his English teacher, Perpich, who used to teach students how to remain positive. Inspired, Brian meticulously examines his possessions, and the glint of the hatchet sparks a flicker of hope. He recognizes another crucial asset—himself. And then the reality dawns—the plane’s deviation from its course might delay rescue efforts. However, he steels himself and focuses on his priorities—shelter and food are the cornerstones of his survival until help arrives.

Brian discovers a hidden overhang by the lake formed by a rocky ridge, which he decides to use as his makeshift shelter. He then follows a flock of birds and discovers a patch of sour berries, which he eats because he is ravenous. However, that night, he wakes up horribly ill and is further haunted by the memory of his mother’s affair. When dawn arrives, he is filled with self-pity—lost, utterly alone, and physically deteriorating. The weight of his misery threatens to cripple him. But hunger eventually proves a stronger force, prompting him to eat some of the riper berries before venturing out in search of more substantial sustenance. As he leaves, he notes how this makeshift shelter has started to feel like home. Following the shoreline, Brian stumbles upon a clearing full of raspberry bushes. However, he is afraid when a big, black bear appears. But the bear ignores him and is only interested in the berries. Brian realizes that the bear will not harm him and continues to pick his berries.

That night, Brian wakes up when a porcupine enters his shelter. In panic, he throws the hatchet at it. The weapon misses its mark, and the porcupine attacks his leg. Brian starts crying again as self-pity washes over him. Later, reflecting on this episode, Brian recognizes this as a turning point—a stark realization that self-pity will not help him survive the wilderness. As he sleeps that night, he dreams about Terry and his father, where his father is barbecuing in a park. He is trying to tell Brian something, but he cannot hear it.

In the morning, when Brian wakes up and sees his hatchet glistening in the sun, he realizes what the dream was about. He decides to create fire with his hatchet. After persistent effort, he succeeds. Overwhelmed with joy, Brian gathers wood to sustain the life-giving flames, vowing never to let it die out. A stroke of unexpected fortune follows—a turtle laying eggs near his shelter provides a new source of sustenance. Brian becomes more confident in his ability to survive as a result of the fire’s warmth and the promise of food. However, he reminds himself that he needs to remain optimistic about being rescued eventually.

Determined to remain optimistic, Brian throws himself into maintaining his camp. He cleans the area, gathers firewood, and diligently collects food. He also starts fishing. One day, he hears a plane and races back to his shelter to light the signal fire. But just as the smoke begins to rise, the plane turns away, vanishing from sight. Devastated, Brian crumbles under the weight of despair. He loses faith in his ability to survive alone. As days go by, the reader realizes that it’s been 42 days since Brian has seen the plane fly away. The reader learns how Brian struggled with suicidal thoughts but decided to live instead. He acknowledges that he is no longer the boy who boarded the plane. Survival hinges on self-reliance, a harsh truth he must embrace.

While Brian has carved out a sustainable existence in the unforgiving wilderness, hunger and vulnerability remain constant companions. One day, a ferocious moose attacks him for no apparent reason, causing him injuries to his ribs and his shoulder. Terrified, as Brian retreats to his shelter for recovery, tragedy strikes again—a violent tornado tears through the camp, scattering his belongings and extinguishing his fire. Brian contemplates the capricious nature of fate—his newfound security vanishes in a blink of an eye. Yet, the incident inspires a steely resolve within him. Even as the tornado rages, he vows to rebuild.

The next morning, he sees that the submerged plane’s tail section is now protruding from the water. He wonders whether there will be an emergency survival pack inside the plane. Brian constructs a makeshift raft to reach the plane But disaster strikes—the hatchet slips from his hands when he tries using it to create a hole in the plane. As the hatchet is his one great tool for survival, Brian swims to the bottom of the lake and retrieves it.

Brian finally retrieves the survival pack from the lake. However, he is alarmed to see that fish have eaten the pilot’s remains underwater. The next morning at his shelter, Brian unpacks the pack to find sleeping bags and packets of food. He also finds a rifle, which seems like an odd object to him in the middle of nature. He discovers an emergency transmitter, which makes him excited, but he is soon disappointed when the transmitter doesn’t work. Throwing caution to the wind, Brian throws together a feast, cooking several packets over the crackling fire. Suddenly, the serenity shatters, and a rescue plane descends onto the lake’s surface. A pilot emerges from the plane and inquires if Brian is the missing boy. Astonished, Brian asks him to join him at his makeshift table and enjoy the feast.

The epilogue sheds light on the events that transpired. The rescue pilot picked up the faint signal coming from the transmitter, a trace that Brian had unknowingly activated. Back home, Brian realizes that he has changed profoundly, and he navigates the familiar world with a newfound calmness, his senses acutely attuned to his surroundings. He often dreams of the L-shaped lake. Although overjoyed by his return, his parents remain estranged, and normalcy soon returns to his life. The secret concerning his mother remains buried deep, a silent weight he chooses not to share with his father for now.