Essay Example. "Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen

The book Hatchet by Gary Paulsen is the story of a thirteen-year-old protagonist in the novel who undergoes a hard time transitioning in time after his parents divorced. The story takes readers through a chain of events and the narration of Brian Robeson's mind. The events start in New York City, where the main character enjoys the convenience of urban life experience and finds himself in the jungle where he transforms himself into a man of the wilderness.

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I enjoyed reading about Brian's story of awareness, self-reliance, and self-actualization after he found himself in a condition that he could not explain. One aspect of the book that proved to be significant in the story was how he managed to react to the period when he was on the verge of collapse. He demonstrated his ability to survive under immense pressure to survive with the only thing he had been left with from the plane crash. This aspect was an essential aspect of the story as it tells how individuals are forced to improvise and develop survival techniques when one feel betrayed (Paulsen, 2009). The interesting aspect about the incident was how dramatic events turned out. When Brian thinks and feels betrayed and frustrated, he experiences increased pressure to first by saving himself from a crashing plane and later to sustain himself through the various forms he could to stay alive in the wilderness.

One of the aspects that I did not like about the element was based on Brian's initial reaction to the situation of distress. It is important to realize that individuals face different times. In times of anger or grief, it is essential to consider the most critical aspects that make one appreciate life. In a condition like he was in, he needed not to allow emotions to get all over the place and make an unreasonable decision that he would later regret or fall him in a tight spot as he then found himself (Paulsen, 2009). In this case, he needed not to learn by experience as it led to more pain, hence shifting the focus of events from the condition it was previously to a condition when he had been forced by nature to battle for his life. The events he experienced were life-threatening and changing at the same time, leaving a traumatic experience.

Response

In response to the above, the main character was too young to think of a better way to deal with the condition as he previously had known the family unit as the only unit of connection. In addition, the condition he found himself in was unfamiliar and needed to have someone to help him go through the process successfully. In addition, the prior knowledge about his mother's affair with another man contributed to the condition. He felt he had betrayed his family by keeping secret information about what he knew about the situation (Unwin & Palmer, 1999). However, the jungle experience was exciting and life-threatening at the same time. In addition, it allowed me to understand and appreciate nature and its forces for how they determine the environment around us and how we cope with these aspects.

References

Paulsen, G. (2009). Hatchet. (S., Ed.). doi: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Hatchet/Gary-Paulsen/9781442403321

Unwin, C. G., & Palmer, B. (1999). Survival as a Bridge to Resistant Readers: Applications of Gary Paulsen's" Hatchet" to an Integrated Curriculum. ALAN Review, 26(3), 9-12.doi: https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/spring99/unwin.html