Gary Paulsen How Did The Hatchet Change

Have you ever been in a situation where you were forced to rely on yourself and only yourself? Do you think you would be up for the challenge? This very question is the main focus of the gripping novel Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen. After being the sole survivor of a plane crash, the main character Brian finds himself alone in the Canadian Wilderness and survives completely on his own for 54 days. This was an amazing feat for Brian, and through it all, Brian went through countless changes that made him stronger both physically and mentally and helped him to survive. Overall, the main ways in which Brian changed throughout the novel is in the fact that he grew more patient and he learned that he would have to work hard and could never be lazy in order to survival the harsh reality he now was

Throughout his time alone in the wilderness, Brian went through many changes that left him more able to handle the extreme situation he was thrust into and this ultimately helped him to survive. The first major change that could be observed in Brian is his growth in patience. An excellent example of this can be observed in chapter 17 after the tornado lifts the plane’s tail out of the lake and Brian makes plans to get into the aircraft in order to retrieve the survival pack. The quote states, “He fought impatience to get on the plane project and remembered sense, remembered what he had learned. First food, because food made strength; first food, then thought, then action.” This quote clearly shows Brian’s growth and how greatly he has changed throughout his daunting time in the wild. In the beginning, Brian was very hasty and rarely thought before he acted which often times resulted in disaster. (For example, throwing sand at a skunk and