Character Development In The Novel 'Hatchet' By Gary Paulsen

In the survival novel “Hatchet” by Gary Paulsen, A character, Brian had to overcome a huge problem which delivered character development in the three instances; plane crash, forest and mainly his personal life. Brian was a thirteen year old boy whose parents got divorced. Brian recently had been flying on a plane for his first time to see his father. He was flying from Hampton, New York to the north woods of Canada where his dad moved to as a result of the divorce. Brian had been told by the judge, he has to stay with his mother during the school days and is allowed to stay with his father during the summer due to the law. Firstly, the character of Brian is developed through control during the plane crash. Similarly, Brian is developed further

Brian was on a small plane, a Cessna 406, he had been the only passenger on the plane but he had his pilot to keep him company. Although he did not know quite what the pilot's name was; Jim or Jake. “It’s not complicated as it looks. A good plane like this almost plies itself(Paulsen 4)”. Brian’s pilot was trying to indicate to Brian that riding a plane is not difficult. It foreshadowed the fact Brian might control the plane by himself later on in the novel. “Brian turned the wheel left, pushed on the left medal and the plane came back around(Paulsen 5)”. The pilot had offered Brian a chance to take the wheel but Brian had denied the offer. Later on he started feeling some guilt so he tried it out yet he was really nervous. Brian felt it was easy since he had been receiving the help from the pilot. Although suddenly the pilot started going to the washroom. “Arches and pains must be getting old(Paulsen 5)”. Throughout the novel Brian's pilot scratched his back and his arm a lot which foreshadows he was going to have an heart attack any moment. Brian thinking it was a normal pain such as a stomach pain but out of nowhere the pilot fell on the floor. “Chest! Oh God, my chest is coming apart(Paulsen 11)”. Brian had soon realized the pilot was dying but he knew that was coming since the pilot had been complaining about his pain. Brian did not know CPR so he

Brian kept “The Secret” in his head which made him deal with depression about himself. Brian reminded himself about “The Secret” because it was bothering him in a strange type of way and made him have flashbacks. He had flashbacks about that day in court and the day his mother demanded divorce.Brian's parents divorce affected him a lot because he was still very young and did not completely understand what was going on. “ Divorce.The Secret. Fights. Split. The big split.Brian's father did not understand as Brian did(Paulsen 6)”. Brian had those main four words in this head ever since he got on the plane and when he was strangled in the forest. He just could not stop thinking about it because he wanted his parents to be together but other things happened. Brian knew ‘The Secret’ and thought it was necessary to tell his dad because Brian was really mad about it. “Put him over and face down in the sand to moan again and again. Mother. Mother.Mother(Paulsen 67)”. ‘The Secret’ was about his mother kissing another tall blonde man. It upsets Brian because he did not like how his mother moved on so fast. The anger always rushed to his head because he felt like his mother had betrayed him. Brian just wanted to live with his parents because he was young and needed them both but sadly they got divorced and his mother moved on. Brian was only a boy in his teens;was not even a fully developed grown up yet. Although was Brian was in