Gary Paulsen's Woodsong Character Analysis

“Courage doesn’t mean you don’t get afraid, it means you don’t let fear stop you,” said Bethany Hamilton. This is exactly what Gary does in Woodsong. Woodsong by Gary Paulsen is his own Survival story taking place in Minnesota and Alaska. Gary loves sledding, and this is the perfect place to do it. But, his sledding trips has lead him to near deaths various times. Gary is also very interested in the wilderness and the environment around him. Though, he has zero knowledge about them, and because of his unenlightened experiences with different animals, he has also undergone many near deaths. Gary has built his life off of these experiences, and they helped him write his other compelling survival novels. Most of his other survival stories are based on made up characters. So it is interesting to have Woodsong in the author’s perspective, and is very impressive that he went through a survival adventure in real life, and lived to tell the tale. Gary is very adventurous and daring. He likes going on escapades with his sled dogs, taking risks through the mental and physical challenges

He has been practicing for months, handling the piercing cold of Minnesota all along with it. He goes outside to practice sledding with his dogs everyday, preparing for the race. Along the way, he has survived dangerous encounters with nature, wildlife, and himself. One of his lead sled dogs has thrown him off a cliff. He has almost been killed by bear. He has had to take shelter far away from home for many days, due to terrorizing weather. His hallucinations have taken over his mind before the race, and during the race. Gary has watched other animals and wildlife being eaten and killed by other animals. It is a terrible sight. In this thrilling survival book, Gary’s survival isn’t the only one that matters. Animals lives are being imperiled, and other sled dog racers are losing their minds. Who knows how it will all