Wednesday, April 1, 2009

"Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen

Brian Robeson, a thirteen-year-old boy is on his way to spend the summer with his father aboard a single engine plane, a Cessna 406. Half way through the journey the small bush plane is involved in a plane crash in an uninhabited part of the Canadian woods after the pilot dies of a heart attack. Brian then must find a way to survive and in the process, discovers much about him self and in the process of this journey he becomes a man.

There were quite a few themes present in this novel by Gary Paulsen. The theme perseverance and determination comes into perspective through out the novel. This is especially seen in how Brian learns to solve problems that will potentially be life-threatening. He calls upon his intelligence, memory, and youth to overcome such experiences as creating fire, fighting off a moose, building shelter, and finding food.

Another theme that plays significant part in the novel is the theme of never giving up! We are shown throughout the story that without hope, life is meaningless. Brian learns this the hard way, but it is what sustains him when he faces the most difficult challenges to his survival.

Education is another major theme. The pilot said that flying was just like anything else: it just takes a little bit of learning and practice. This will be especially applicable to Brian when he spends each day learning something new about survival and life in general.

The story is a narrative told knowledgeable about Brian Robeson’s fifty-four day survival in the Canadian wilderness after a plane crash. This way of telling the story was very effective, since it painted a picture for you to construct to your liking. Also the writing of the author was very simple allowing you to understand and grasp every little bit of it.

An issue that stuck with me while reading the book was how Brian’s parents were divorced and the pain he feels through out the story surrounding this topic. One thing that this book has taught me is that sometimes shielding someone else from pain is a way we might be able to forgive and forget our own pain.

There are many symbols and metaphors used by the author such as Brian’s mother sitting in a station wagon with a strange man with blonde hair symbolizes the secret he can’t tell which brings him tremendous pain or the hatchet given to him by his mother symbolizes survival as it is the one tool he could never have done without. The attack of the moose is a metaphor for the sudden and expected events in life that can destroy us or make us better. These are just a few, Paulsen has used many symbols, metaphors and in some cases motifs to enhance his writing.

Gary Paulsen has a lot of improving to do on this book. “Hatchet” was not an exciting book at all it had a very predictable plot unlike other books. The novel was not only slow paced but very repetitive. Also the descriptions dragged on for pages almost like the book “Great Expectations”. Hopefully Gary Paulsen will take this feed back and write a more creative and enjoyable story.

I will recommend this book for younger children ages ranging from eight to twelve because the book uses very simple English and the plot is not complicated at all. It will be a comfortable and enjoyable read as the children engage into the story. Overall I will say that anybody ranging from age thirteen and up should not read this book, because it will be very predictable and unchallenging.