Character Analysis Essay On Hatchet

In the book Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen, Brian, the protagonist, is a 13 year old boy. He boards a plane headed from Hampton, New York to the Canadian North Woods to visit his father during his summer vacation. While on board, he begins thinking about “The Secret” that weighs heavily on his mind. As the pilot begins to show distress, Brian realizes that he isn’t going to be able to fly this plane. He makes a quick decision to land it in an open forest. Throughout this survival story Brian acts brave. He does this when he lands the plane, when he fights off his hunger, and finally when he dives down to grab the survival bag, which is the only tool he has in order to help him survive.

Now since the pilot has died Brian is forced to take over. The thought that Brian always had was that he was “going to die”. The plane went into a glide a very fast glide, suddenly there were no lakes. However the turn cost him big time, the nose was just above the water. The plane was slowly starting to fly slower, and slower. However he ends up landing the plane. He is brave now because he has landed the plane. On pg 38 it says, “His back muscles must have been hurt as well they almost seemed to tear once he stretched and while the pain in his forehead seemed to be abating somewhat, just trying to

However the bag is in the plane, so he has to get it underwater. The only weapon or tool he can use to break into the plane is the “hatchet”. Brian “was careful, very careful with the hatchet, but he hacked and pulled until he had opened a hole large enough to pull his head and shoulders in and look down into the water.” He has managed to make a whole that he can fit into the plane to grab the survival bag. He’s so nervous, but he still dives then finally spots the survival bag. This demonstrates how Brian is brave enough to go under water in order to achieve any resources that would help him survive. Such as using his hatchet to break in the