Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

Sequence of Events

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Visual Vocabulary

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Characters

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Literary Elements

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Literary Conflict

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Survival Book

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Essential Questions for Hatchet

1. How can a single event change the direction of a plot?
2. What is conflict, and how does the author use it in this work of literature?
3. What qualities/skills (both mental and physical) are required to survive alone and without resources?

A Quick Hatchet Summary

Thirteen-year-old Brian is flying to see his dad, following his parents’ stressful divorce and split custody agreement. When his pilot (the only other person in the plane) has a heart attack, Brian survives the ensuing crash-landing and has to learn how to survive alone in the woods of Canada. Banged up and without gear, Brian faces wild animals, brutal weather, and his own doubts and fears. He also spends a lot of time thinking about his “big secret”.

Time passes, and Brian becomes more adept at surviving. Luckily, as a going-away gift, his mom had given him a hatchet to take with him. Brian is able to create fire with the hatchet, a surprising turn of events that winds up helping with much of his survival efforts. He also learns to fish with a spear that he whittles with the hatchet. Eventually, he figures out how to catch meat, a huge accomplishment in his eyes. Some of his more memorable struggles include being pierced by porcupine quills, being blinded by skunk spray when he attempts to keep it from eating his foraged turtle eggs, having a run-in with a bear, and being brutally attacked by a moose. Brian also survives hordes of mosquitoes, near starvation, and a massive tornado.

His character grows stronger throughout the book, physically and mentally. After much toil and fearful happenings, Brian is finally rescued - alive, and with a better outlook on his life.

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