Book Report On Hatchet By Gary Paulsen

Nobody prepares for or expects to end up in this situation. To survive in the wilderness all alone with no prior training and no supplies except for a hatchet for fifty-four days is quite an extraordinary feat. This is exactly what thirteen year old Brian Robeson from Gary Paulsen’s book Hatchet accomplishes. His plane crashes and he manages to stay alive against all odds. After roughly two months, he is rescued and taken back to civilization. After reviewing Brian’s circumstance, I have come to the conclusion that I would not survive had I been in Brian’s place.

One of the reasons why I don’t believe that I’d make it in the wilderness by myself is because I don’t have enough patience. On page 61 the book states “With these he interlaced and wove a wall across the opening of the front of the rock. It took over two hours, and he had to stop several times because he felt a strange new twinge in his stomach.” I don’t believe that I would be able to have the patience that Brian did to make his shelter. I can barely sit still in class for fifty minutes, let alone weave a wall out of tree branches. Without a shelter, I’d be exposed to the elements and in the open for animal attacks. With all of this in mind, I feel like it would hinder my chances of survival.

Brian had to be creative and make his own tools and weapons, I don’t think that I’d be able to do that. For example, on page 107 it says “He had to “invent” the bow and arrow - he almost laughed as he moved out of the water and put his shoes on.” I don’t think that I’d be able to make a bow and arrow like Brian did, I wouldn’t even know where to start. Brian used his bow and arrow to get a lot of the food that he ate, like foolbirds and fish. Not getting food at the same pace as Brian had would surely be detrimental to my