Hatchet By Gary Paulsen: Summary

In Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet, Brian Robeson, the protagonist, was very resourceful. Brian survived the horrific plane crash in the Canadian wilderness after the pilot had a massive heart attack and died. He was forced to survive with nothing but his hatchet, a gift his mom had given him. Brian used his hatchet to build a shelter, gather food, and start a fire.
After Brian woke up from his sleep because of the exhausting plane crash, he began evaluating ways to build a shelter. As he started to think of the resources he would need to build a shelter, he remembered when he was younger, a time when him and his best friend Terry, were in the park pretending to be lost in the forest. While in the imaginary forest, Terry and Brian started to think of ways they could build a shelter. At that moment, Brian began to gather supplies to build a lean-to.
As Brian was finishing his shelter, his stomach began to ache with hunger, and he thought of how his mother would be finishing up her lunch about now. Then he remembered a time when he was watching a survival television show, a lady had found some beans on a bush, and so he figured there would be some kind
As an immediate reaction, Brian quickly grabbed his hatchet and threw it at the unknown animal, and sparks flew. Instantly his leg permeated with pain. When he reached down to feel his leg, he felt a group of needles that had been driven through his pants and through his leg. At that moment, he knew the unknown animal was a porcupine. Brian soon fell back to sleep, but he hadn’t yet figured out that the sparks his hatchet had made were the key to making his fire. That night, Brian had dreams about Terry and his father, giving him clues about the fire. The next morning, he realized the meaning of the dream, and he immediately found some birch bark and a twenty dollar bill in his pocket. With these items, plus his hatchet, he was able to build his