Hatchet

Chapters 1-3Foreshadowing:● Pilot having pain in his shoulder, arm, and

stomach= HEART ATTACK

● Brian taking over the wheel of the plane= NEEDS TO OPERATE THE PLANE ON HIS OWN and needs to have a plan and have patience in the wild.

Chapter 1● Thirteen-year old Brian Robeson, the sole passenger on a small plane from Hampton, New York

to the north woods of Canada, boards the aircraft excited at the notion of flying in a single-engine plane.

● After the novelty of the experience passes, Brian returns to his thoughts of his parents' recent divorce.

● Brian recalls the fights between his parents and his hatred for the lawyers who attempt to cheerfully explain to him how the divorce will affect his life.

● What Brian calls "The Secret" also enters his consciousness, and at this point we do not know to what "The Secret" refers. Brian feels the burn of tears come to his eyes, but does not cry, making certain to guard his eyes from the pilot, whose name Brian cannot exactly remember.

● He suspects it is Jim or Jake, a man in his mid-forties who has been virtually silent during the ride. Seeing Brian marvel at the complexity of the control panel in front of him, the pilot offers him a chance to fly the plane himself.

● Initially reluctant, Brian declines the offer.● Upon the pilot's insistence, he takes the wheel and for a few minutes has complete control of

the plane.

Chapter 1 Continued

The pilot remarks on some pain in his shoulder as Brian once again recalls the details of the divorce. Brian's father knows that his mother wants a divorce, but his father has no idea why nor does he favor the split. The court has decided that Brian will live with his mother during the school year and with his father during the summer. The plane jerks, awakening Brian from his thoughts. He notices the smell of body gas in the plane and assumes the pilot had a stomachache. He also seems to be experiencing increasing pains in his shoulder and arm. The divorce one month behind him, Brian is heading north to visit his father and to bring him some special equipment from New York. A mechanical engineer, his father has perfected a new drill bit for oil drilling. Brian recalls the long ride from the city to Hampton to meet the plane, during which Brian's mother had tried to convince him to tell her what was wrong, but he felt he could not tell her that he knew "the secret." When they had arrived in Hampton, his mother gave him a hatchet to use in the woods during the summer. Sensing that his mother felt particularly vulnerable, Brian had humored her by attaching the hatchet to his belt, where remained for the duration of the plane ride. Returning to the present to see the pilot jerk in his seat, Brian suddenly realizes the gravity of the situation. A jolt of pain barring his efforts to use the radio, the pilot jerks and flails in his seat while it becomes apparent to Brian that he is having a heart attack. Once the attack has ended and a frightening silence emerges, it takes many tense seconds for Brian to actually grasp what had happened. Seeing the whites of his eyes, Brian tries to comprehend the pilot's likely death, and to determine what action he must take, alone in a plane thousands of feet in the air.

Chapter 2● Brian feels immobile after the pilot's heart attack, due to his state of shock at

the events of the plane ride. The plane has continued without any assistance from Brian or the pilot, and Brian suddenly realizes he must take control of the plane.

● Confused by the numerous dashboard controls, Brian seeks the controls for the radio. Reaching over the pilot to remove his headset, he bumps the wheel and must make a serious of corrections to right it again.

● He tries to use the radio to no avail, as he loses the signal before he can convey any useful information.

● Every ten minutes for the rest of the ride Brian again attempts and fails to establish contact.

● Attempting to envision a successful landing of the plane, Brian finds he has insufficient time to prepare.

● The plane engine dies suddenly, forcing him to land earlier than he had expected. He points the plane's nose down and vomits.

Chapter 3

● Seeing only trees rather than lakes directly in front of him, Brian becomes convinced he will not survive the plane's descent.

● Finally he spots an L-shaped lake, uncertain whether he has enough speed to reach it.

● At that instant the plane hits the trees, shooting through them and landing on the lake.

● Water rushes over Brian, who screams and vomits during the descent, but he succeeds in unbuckling his seatbelt and swimming up to the surface.

● When he finally reaches the shore, Brian passes out from pain and exhaustion.

Chapter 4● While he was trying to pull himself out of the lake to land, he

had a lot of pain. ● when he crashed, he wished he could be with his family

again.● When the sun went away, a bunch of mosquitoes came and

went up his nose, ears, and mouth. Then, the mosquitoes went away when the sun came up.

● He tried to stand up but his body was too tired and his spine was hurt.

● Brian found a tree with no branches on top and he sat against it looking at the lake. After a while he went to sleep.

Chapter 5● Brian is in the middle of nowhere.● The pilot is dead and has sunken with the airplane.● He was supposed to visit his father but the plane crashed.● He was thirsty and starving in hunger, he decided to drink

the lake water, the lake water was dirty and he threw up most of it but his thirst for water was gone.

● He's trying to build positive thoughts,he’s having panic attacks because he’s scared that nobody (the searchers) will find him.

● He remembered he had his hatchet and is using it as a weapon.

Chapter 6● Brian thinks about his friend Terry and wishes he was there with

him.● Brian was very hungry and was thinking about his mother's meals.● Brian went through many different emotions such as anger and

sadness due to his family's past.● He goes on a voyage for berries and saw a flock of birds eating the

berries and took about 4 pounds of berries. ● He was working on his shelter and covered it up more to make it

feel more safe.● He ate berries and then his stomach started hurting ● after eating the berries he fell asleep ● He had a flashback about how to make a fire but failed.

Chapter 7● Brian became very ill and was vomiting for an hour.● Brian had a flashback when his mom kissed another man

in a station wagon. He also remembered how him and his friend used to ride their bikes and pick berries.

● When Brian went to the water stream the water was so calm he saw his face all bloody with scars and scratches because he was bitten by mosquitoes and other bugs.

● Brian went to find food so he found a berry bush.● A bear came to Brian, studies him, and Brian took out

his hatchet he ran from the bear.

Chapter 8● Brian was attacked by a porcupine in his shelter and

threw his hatchet. He had 8 quills that stuck in him.● The hatchet missed and hit the cave wall● Without brian noticing the hatchet hit the cave wall

and made sparks● Brian slept and had a dream about his father and Terry

trying to warn him about the sparks and to make a fire● He tried different ways to make a fire. ● In the end he hit the back of the hatchet against the

wall and repeated “I will make fire.”

Chapter 9

● Brian needs to make a fire● Brian uses materials to make a fire such as a $20 dollar bill, wood, and

rocks but all didn’t work.● Brian tried to remember all the ways to start a fire. He thought back to

his science class thinking there was something he learned that could help him make a fire.

● Then he realized that oxygen and fuel are the key to make a fire.● With his breath, a gentle breeze came out and made a red coal of heat,

that glowed as bright as a star.● After he was finished making a fire he wanted someone to see his

achievement. ● Brian was thinking what his parents were doing at the moment. He was

thinking if they were together.

Chapter 10● Brian began making a signal fire.● He got tired so he decided to complete the task the

next day.● He dug out the dirt and found eggs.● Brian realised they were turtle eggs so he began to eat

them one by one.● He decided to eat one egg each day.● Brian then realized that his “one a day” plan might

not work out because the searchers might find out.

Literary Elements● Theme:

○ Hope and Patience: In the beginning, Brian was hopeful someone would find him, after he made a fire, he was hopeful he would survive. His way of thinking is changing.

● Conflict:Person V. Nature: Brian has to face the struggles of surviving in the wild.

● Character:○ Brian has changed. In the beginning, Brian was panicked

and scared. Later, he learns how to plan, learn patience, and accept the negative and turn it positive.

Chapter 11● Brian moved the eggs to his shelter.● Doing chores to get his mind off of being depressed:

Cleaning up his shelter. ● Brian is becoming one with nature: Sees things

differently than how he did in the city. He notices sounds and knows where they are coming from.

● Notices a blue bird catching, and realizes that he can catch fish too. He decided to make a fish spear and thought about what kind of wood he would use. He was pleased with himself.

Chapter 12

● Brian is still starving in the woods. He's thinking about chicken because he's spotted a bird that looks almost identical to a chicken.

● He hears at the moment a sound. “A sound that sounds like a motor”.● He spots a plane. He states how he thinks it's a search plane, with him

being so confident it is.● He rushes to start a fire. Brian rushes to get the planes attention with joy

and happiness.● He's thinking how his dad would react to all of this. Also how he survived

through all of this. ● The plane passes by and doesn't notice him. He leaves with sobs and is

ready to cry.● Brian thinks that the searches will never find him.

Chapter 13● Brian sees a wolf and claimed Brian as one of them.● He counted 47 days after the crash.● One of the days, Brian tried to commit suicide with the hatchet. ● Brian then had a flashback about the first time he made a bow, and how he

kept messing it up, had to keep trying, until he got it right. He used his bow to catch a fish.

● Brian made a mental journal where he wrote his mistake. ● He decided that suicide is not him, he is a new Brian and he is not going to let

the woods get to him.● Brain had built everything shelter,got food, and had done everything alone and

he was hoping that someone would come and save him.● Brain wanted to commit suicide because no one had come to save him for 47

days. ● He woke up and saw that his blood was dry and his blood was even turning

black.

Chapter 14● If you make a mistake in the wild, it can mean death. ● Brian was sleeping but heard a skunk digging out his

eggs.● The skunk stunk up Brians shelter clothes,and realized

small animals can hurt him.● Brian then weaved a door so no animals would enter

his shelter.● Brian was confident so he weaved a basket, went to

the water stream and found fish to catch.● Brian ate fish.

Chapter 15● Brian has a flashback about how his mother cooks and then he

starts to want meat ● he tries hunting the fool birds but fails,before he eventually

catches one ● He peeled off the skin of the fool bird and it came off with a

crackle.● He had to gut the bird and chop off it's legs and head(very

gruesomely).● When he was done, he roasted it with some difficulties and had to

be patient before he ate it, which shows that he learned how to be patient in the wild.

● When he ate it, he felt refreshed and relieved for having found food.

Chapter 16● Brian was hunting for a foolbird. He also hunted a large rabbit and ate

fish. ● brian attacked the foolbird and got it after his third arrow shot ● A female moose attacked him damaging Brian’s ribs.● He heard a sound and grabbed his bow and arrow. It was a tornado,

which caused a lot of damage to the shelter. ● He lost everything but his hatchet. ● After, Brian went to drink from the lake and saw the tip of the plane,

which reminded him of the pilot.

Chapter 17● After the tornado, he wanted his wounds to heal, so he

made a fire and rested. Felt lucky he was alive. ● Brian decides that it is time for him to find food so he

makes a spear to substitute a fishing rod.● The fish did not fill him up but it gave him strength to build

a raft.● He builds the raft and the next day goes to the plane to get

the survival pack.● He had to go underwater to check if anything remained. ● When he arrives he finds the pilot dead with his eyes

opened, which frightens Brian so he makes a life decision on whether or not he should grab the pack and just go.

Chapter 18● Frustrated by his inability to access the inside of the plane, Brian strikes it with

his fist and the aluminum covering opens. ● Using the hatchet to cut through the rest of the sections, Brian is hacking away

at a furious pace when he suddenly drops the hatchet and it falls to the bottom of the lake.

● After a few tries, Brian succeeds in picking the hatchet up from the bottom, having barely enough air in his lungs to return to the surface.

● He continues to cut into the plane and swims down into it to retrieve the survival pack.

● On his way back up he sees the pilot's head, the flesh eaten away by fish. ● Traumatized, Brian gets sick in the water and, struggling to free the pack from

the plane, and arrives at the surface. Exhausted from his efforts, Brian drags the survival pack to his shelter and falls immediately into a deep sleep.

Chapter 19In the morning Brian opens the survival pack to find many useful items, including a sleeping bag, a foam sleeping pad, a cookset, matches, lighters, a knife, a compass, a first-aid kit, a cap, and a fishing kit. Surprised to find a survivor rifle among the pack's contents, Brian dislikes it as he feels it separates him from the natural environment to which he has become accustomed. Although his daily patterns would become much easier with the use of a rifle, and with many of the tools in the kit, he feels attached to his old ways and to the self-sufficiency they represent. Brian notes his "up and down" feelings regarding the discovery of the survival pack. He then comes across an emergency transmitter and, attempting to turn it on with no evident success, Brian reasons that it had been broken in the crash. The survival pack also contains several freeze-dried food packets, which he determines to carefully ration after he feasts just once on a meal of his choice. He begins to prepare this feast with much anticipation when he hears the drone of an engine above him. The plane flies low and lands on the lake. The pilot emerges and reports to Brian that he had heard the transmitter signal. In saying this, the pilot slowly makes the connection that the searchers he had heard about were looking for Brian, who stands before him. Dumbfounded and initially unable to comprehend the situation, Brian simply says, "My name is Brian Robeson…. Would you like something to eat?"

Epilogue● Brian later learns that the man who rescued him is a fur buyer out to survey

Cree trapping camps. Brian had lost a lot of his body weight since the crash, and he remains thin for years.

● Many of the changes Brian underwent in the wilderness seem permanent, such as his observant and thoughtful nature, and food never loses its wonder for him.

● Reporters become briefly interested in covering his story, but soon the attention wanes.

● Brian has many dreams in which he recalls his time in the woods, many pleasant. If Brian had had to survive the winter there, it would have been very difficult.

● While his parents react with such joy at knowing their son has survived, and even get back together briefly, they soon return to their respective homes.

● Although he repeatedly intends to, Brian never actually tells his father about "The Secret."