Theme Of Hatchet

All alone, stranded in a forest, lost with nothing to help him survive, no one to come to his aid… Only Brian can help himself, and staying motivated is the only thing that can keep him alive. Hatchet, a wilderness adventure book written by Gary Paulsen, tells about a boy, Brian Robeson, that is left stranded in the Canadian wilderness. After his plane crashes, Brian is abandoned, shocked, and alone. Over the course of fifty-four long days, the obstacles that Brian must overcome, and the challenges that he faces change him both physically and mentally. One theme of Hatchet is to stay motivated. Throughout the story, Brian discovers that he must do this difficult task, no matter what nature throws at him, especially when he remembers the words of Perpich, loses all hope of being rescued when a search plane flies over him, and when he must restart from scratch, due to a hit from a moose and a destructive tornado. In the beginning of the story, the theme is shown when Brian knows that he must stay motivated, but is having trouble carrying out the task. This is shown especially when he remembers Perpich, but is still unmotivated when he sees his reflection in the lake. For example, on page 48 and 49, Brian remembers the wise sayings of an old English teacher, Perpich. He used to tell his students to stay motivated and that they are their most important asset. Brian

Over the course of his journey, Brian learns that staying motivated is the key to survival in the wilderness. The experiences and events he is put through, such as remembering Perpich, getting left behind by the plane, and having to start from scratch, teaches Brian the importance of staying motivated. Brian matures into the concept and puts it to use throughout the novel. Brian has grasped the idea of staying motivated to survive, which is one theme of Gary Paulsen’s thrilling adventure story,