Hatchet Theme

In Hatchet, Brian Robeson, the only survivor of a small plane crash, was stranded in the middle of the Canadian wilderness and is forced to survive on his own. He showed his resourcefulness and prowess while trying to survive, eat, build shelter, all in the middle of nowhere. Brian truly shows that no matter how rough things get, never give up. “He tried to learn from his mistakes.”(Page 133) Gary Paulsen, the author of Hatchet, wrote. Most thirteen year olds would get frustrated after one or two failures, not to mention the dozens of times he had tried with his makeshift fishing spear. He could have just given up after several tries, not even realizing that there was refraction in the water. He learned to aim below where the fish appeared to be in the water. He would have more than likely died of starvation if he didn’t …show more content…
All good things come tomorrow.”(Page 164) Even after being attacked by a moose and a tornado, he waited for the next day to come to rebuild, hunt, and gather resources again, since it would be nearly impossible to do so at night. He lost his most important items in the series of events, such as his food, hunting bow, spears, and the shelter's walls. Most people would have simply given up after getting virtually everything taken away from them, but he still strived to survive. Another way that Paulsen conveyed this thesis was by showing the reader an immense victory that Brian had, getting the survival pack. “He had done it.”(Page 183) He survived the treacherous venture into the plane, losing his hatchet, and getting the survival pack. It was miraculous to even get into the plane, not to mention having to survive the possibility of drowning. If he had made one wrong move, hit something, not get enough air, get caught on a wire, he would be dead. However, he survived and made it back home and get rescued, showing that perseverance during harsh situations helps you