72 pages • 2 hours read
Gary PaulsenHatchet
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1987A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Character Analysis
Brian Robeson
Brian is a 13-year-old boy who is struggling with his parent’s recent divorce and the secret knowledge of his mother’s affair. He is angry, withdrawn, and obsessed with the secret. He is flying out to spend the summer with his father when the pilot suddenly dies, leaving him alone in the wilderness with nothing. At first, Brian struggles to cope, even succumbing to a suicide attempt when a rescue plane flies overhead without noticing him. However, his ability to think positively and learn from his mistakes allows him to survive a nearly impossible situation. Brian makes the most of each setback he suffers until he is confident in his ability to survive in the wilderness for a long time, possibly forever. Ultimately, Brian becomes attuned to nature and comes to appreciate the beauty and tranquility of his shelter by the lake. Even after returning to city life, he is forever changed (for the better) by his experience.
Brian’s Mother
Very little is known about Brian’s mother, yet she is a constant presence in the novel. Brian witnesses her kissing a strange man and soon after learns that his parents are divorcing. The secret of his mother’s affair erodes their relationship and haunts Brian. He cannot shake the images of his mother betraying his father, nor can he forget the maternal comforts she provided him before he was stranded in the woods. He often thinks of her cooking and tender care when he was ill. The all-important hatchet is a gift from his mother just before he boards the airplane that will inevitably crash. In this way, the hatchet connects him with his mother throughout his entire experience. Although Brian is angry with her, we get the sense that aside from her affair, she is a loving mother.
Brian’s Father
Brian’s father appears in the novel only in Brian’s dreams. He comes to Brian with a message that ultimately leads to his discovery of a method for making fire. Brian loves his father very much and has nothing negative to say about him. Brian holds in the secret of his mother’s affair even though it causes him great suffering, presumably to protect his father.
The Pilot
Although the pilot appears only briefly, he dispenses important wisdom to Brian. He pushes Brian to try flying the plane before he dies, unknowingly setting Brian up for later success. The pilot’s emphasis on learning and practice as the key to accomplishing any difficult task proves to be true of survival as well.
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