Editor's Choice
What are the 10 most important events in Hatchet?
Quick answer:
The events in Hatchet revolve a young boy called Bryan Robeson trying to survive in the Canadian wilderness. They include crashing landing in the area, learning how to build tools and use them to catch fish and other animals, and surviving a tornado.
On his way to visiting his father, Brian Robeson thinks about his parents' divorce and the hatchet his mother bought him before he left. Suddenly, the pilot of the plane collapses, leaving Brian alone at 7,000 feet above the Canadian wilderness.
Brian crash lands the plane into a lake, pulls himself free, and swims to the surface. Brian realizes that when the pilot collapsed, the plane took a new course and therefore it would be difficult for the authorities to track down the plane.
Brian builds a shelter under a ledge near the lake and finds some berries to eat. The berries make him vomit for over an hour, but the next day he manages to find raspberries. He sees a bear next to the raspberry bush and runs. He stops running when he realizes the bear hadn't been there to attack him. It had only gone to eat the...
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berries.
After a porcupine attacks Brian during the night, Brian realizes he must build a fire. Using his hatchet, he strikes the wall of his shelter to create sparks. However, he finds it difficult to turn the sparks into flames until he remembers that fire needs oxygen, and he begins to blow the sparks when they land on the fuel he has found. Finally, he produces a flame and he begins to build a fire.
The next day, Brian finds turtle eggs. He eats some of the eggs raw and stores the rest in his shelter.
Whilst out looking for material, Brian hears a plane and runs to his camp to create a smoke signal. He is too late and the plane flies away without seeing him.
Brian makes a bow and arrow good enough to catch fish. For the first time, he is confident that he can survive on the island by himself.
Brian begins to think about his future on the island and how he can survive even if he falls ill. He fortifies his shelter and builds a pen to hold a supply of fish.
A tornado hits the island and destroys a lot of his camp and tools. However, with all his new found experience and skills, Brian is able to put it all back together.
The tornado has lifted the plane's tail out of the water. It reminds Brian that there is a survival kit in that part of the plane, and he builds a raft and goes out to retrieve it.
After many problems, and much hard work, Brian returns to the camp with the survival kit. It contains a sleeping bag, pots and pans, a shotgun, matches, fishing equipment, and a transmitter.
Brian thinks the transmitter doesn't work and throws it to one side. However, he has accidentally turned it on, and a plane soon arrives to take him back home.
As the first poster touched upon, the importance of a particular event in the overall plot is subjective, and up to an individual's point of view. This would be influenced by your cultural and personal background, as well as other reading you have done. But here are my top ten!
1--Brian thinks he knows the reason behind his parents' recent divorce, but he has seen what he wasn't supposed to see -- his mother and a strange man kissing. This is a great burden on him.
2--Brian goes to visit his father in northern Canada. Just before he leaves in a small plane, Brian gets a present from his mother - a hatchet with a leather holder. He takes it from her and she makes him wear it in his belt. He does not know that this hatchet will be so important later.
3-- Over the Canadian wilderness, the pilot has a heart attack and dies. Brian takes over and pilots the plane for as long as possible.
4-- The plane runs out of gas and Brian slowly realizes he is stranded in the Canadian wilderness, where he will be for the next 54 days.
5--Brian decides to think positive and calmly takes stock of what he has. He builds a shelter and finds berries to eat, but they make him sick. Then he finds better berries. He is now somewhat acclimated to life in the wild.
6--The porcupine attack hurts Brian badly, but he learns by accident that the hatchet will make sparks and a fire. He makes his first fire. He spends a lot of time gathering wood and working to better his situation.
7--Brian catches his first fish and misses the search and rescue plane. He knows that he might be out there for a long time, but also that he can survive longer because he will have fish to eat.
8--Brian learns to spear birds and has his First Meat, but the moose and tornado destroy some of his hard work and he has to rebuild. It is like he takes one step forward and two steps back.
9--Brian gets the survival bag out of the sunken plane. This takes a lot of courage (the dead pilot is down there still) and craftsmanship (it is hard to get out there and Brian has to construct a raft from trees).
10--Brian is found just after he discovers the contents of the survival bag, and he returns to civilization. He has a new perspective on his parents' divorce and vows to keep the knowledge of his mother and the other man a secret.
I would think that there is much in the way of discussion of such a question. Much of the answer to this is dependent on what you, the reader, would deem as important. In examining the structure and outline of the text and its ideas, ask yourself what elements possessed meaning and which did not. I would say that the divorce of Brian's parents and "the secret" would be vitally important because Brian has to travel because of it. If his parents had not been divorced, Brian doesn't travel. Having the hatchet on his belt would be another important event, as the hatchet is not only the title, but the impetus for so much in his survival. The pilot teaching Brian how to fly the plane helps him live through the ordeal and land it in the forest. The fact that the plane goes down in the lake would be something else really important because it allowed him to live through the landing. Finding food sources were also important such as berries, fool birds, fish, as well as other sources of sustenance. I would say that the finding of the cave as a shelter was also important and the throwing of the hatchet against the cave walls, whose sparks helped Brian develop fire are two very important events. The reflection about Mr. Perpich's belief of "taking things one thing at a time," helps Brian focus on incremental steps towards his success. More can be found, and much of this acquisition depends on what you deem as essential or important.