Hatchet By Gary Paulsen Theme

Gary Paulsen, through his literature, shows how young adolescents can conquer any obstacle that stands in their way - supporting young people's dreams and making them feel confident that they can overcome whatever struggles they may face. His books Hatchet, Mr Tucket and A Soldier's Heart are all excellent examples of this underlying theme of a dynamic evolution among adolescents. Paulsen also teaches themes of good decision making, what it means to be mature, and responsibility. All of these skills are important to develop during early adolescence.

Paulsen’s childhood plays a large part in how and why he writes the literature that he does. He did not have best life as a child. His father was in the military and was an alcoholic and his

mother also struggled with alcoholism and worked a lot. Paulsen spent most of his time living with his grandparents in Minnesota. At 14 years old, he found an escape from his troubled childhood by reading. This is why he writes books for young adolescents. He wants to target kids like himself and inspire them and give them the escape he had as a child.

Paulsen’s father and his own experiences in war were inspirations for the novel A Soldier's Heart. The book takes place during the Civil War. Based on a true story, 15 year old Charley Goddard enlist in the Union army lying about his age. He is put into the minnesota volunteers. Charley is under the impression that the war will be a good experience and when he first joins and gets the support of his town as he heads out he was mislead to believe just that. He encounters his first combat experience at the Battle of Bull Run where he is instantly brought to reality of war. He then braves out another year of fighting. Lastly in the Battle of Gettysburg they are told to charge a confederate position and Charley is knocked unconscious. The book then picks up when he is 21 and scared from his experiences from the war. He suffers major PTSD and contemplates suicide but then thinks on all the good in his life.

This piece of Literature is very different than what is typical from Paulsen. Charley a young adolescent goes to the war thinking it would bring him pride and glory. In the end however he ends up destroyed. Paulsen is conveying a very serious message here. Many young adolescents have this same misconception due to how war is glorified in our media, movies and video games. This novel is opposite of the usual inspiring ‘take on the world’ novels that he writes, although this novel does have undertones of that attitude, because Charley is forced to mature quickly and does overcome the war but not without lasting effects.

A Soldier’s Heart shows the awful horrors of war and their effects on all the people who are involved. People not only lose their lives in physical death but also in the damage done inside their head. Many young boys dream of finding glory, honor and bravery in war. Paulsen makes the point that he has learned first hand. War is no place for a young boy to try and make a name for himself. At the same time the book does send a message of bravery and facing challenges head on. Charley realized in the first battle that he had got himself in a tight spot but he never deserted. Also at the end of the book he did not kill himself, he pondered all the good things in life. Charley showed great resiliency in his struggles. This is a hallmark of Paulsen's literature.

Mr Tucket is one of Paulsen's first and lesser know works. It took him nearly 20 years to strike gold in the writing industry so it comes as no surprise that many of his books are still in the shadows of his career before he made it big. The book takes place on the Western Frontier in 1848. The main character Francis Tucket has just turned 14 and received a rifle for his birthday. While out practicing shooting in Kansas he is kidnapped by the Shawnee Indians. He is then held hostage until a Mountain man named Mr. Gimes Rescues him and they escape and ride wild horses. In the process the Indians catch Gimes and he fights with one named Braid and loses his arm in the fight. Tucket and Gimes meet back up and decide to hit the trail and attempt to catch his family. They don’t find them at a trading post in the Rockies disheartened Tucket mulls over this until he gets word Braid has come to avenge his fight with Gimes. Gimes kills Braid and then scalps him as Tucket watches. He comes to the realization that Gimes is a savage and animal like just as the Indians were. He then rides away to Oregon

In this book Paulsen shows Francis’ conflict of wanting to be a man. Much like in “A Soldier's Heart” he just wants to be respected and treated like a grown up. The rifle symbolized this transition but unfortunately he was forced to mature way faster and the experience of the capture made him a man. The true transformation was marked when Gimes began calling him Mr. Tucket. In the End of the book it all comes together when he recognizes he is not savage like the Indians and Gimes and he decides to finish out his journey.

Paulsen, in Mr. Tucket, is sending the message to not wish to grow up too fast. Frances longs to be honored and respected as an adult. His desires landed him captured and on his own. When Gimes saves him Tucket realizes that he is too young to stand on his on but as the book progresses he matures at a very fast pace. The climax of the story is when Tucket watches Gimes scalp Braid. It is at this moment that Tucket becomes a man by recognizing Gimes was as savage as the indians who captured him were.

Paulsen’s most notable and popular work Hatchet is a culmination of all the themes that Paulsen writes about; boy verse nature, early maturity, and overcoming challenges .

Although he claims he never saw the book having the success that it did, the book was undoubtedly destined for having great success because it combined those themes into a thrilling tale of will and survival.

Hatchet, the story of a 13 year old named Brian who was on a trip from New York to the canadian wilderness to see his father. On the plane ride over the pilot has a heart attack and Brian is forced to land the plane in a deserted lake. Stranded, Brian must survive in the wilderness, left with only a hatchet given to him by his mother. After 54 long hard days in the woods where he faces the elements and attacks from multiple animals, Brian is rescued by a plane who picked up his emergency transmitter.

Hatchet, of all Paulsen's literature, exhibits best the inspiration he is trying to bring to young adolescents. He turns an ordinary boy into a survival hereo. Brain was down and out in a lot of aspects in life. He was struggling with the divorce of his parents and then found himself stranded in the woods having very little survival knowledge. Brian had to dig deep and when it counted he did. The book conveys a strong message of fortitude to any young person going through a hard time. Brian became very self reliant "‘You are your most valuable asset. Don’t forget that. You are the best thing you have’ " (Paulsen 51). This is another very important lesson for young adolescents to

learn.

The book also gained rapid popularity because it plays on every young boy's fantasy of surviving in the woods. It shows young readers there is no challenge they can’t overcome and teaches them to continue chasing their dreams despite any obstacles. Hatchet also exemplified how Brian's experience taught him to be a good decision maker. When he was stuck he had to weigh out every decision to make sure it gave him the best shot at survival. This is a skill that is important for young adolescents to develop.

Paulsen is a liminal writer because his audience is those on the cusp of adulthood. He writes for teenagers and wants to inspire them as they begin to take on the challenges that being grown up will throw at them as they go through arguably one of the toughest times in their life. Motivated by his own struggles as a child, he wants to offer an escape and support through his book.

Hatchet , A Soldier’s Heart , and Mr. Tucket all show boys who become men quickly catalyzed by a stressful event. Although each character's situation was different they all had one thing in common, they became a lot more mature at the end of the conflict and they overcame through struggle will. The characters are intended to empower anyone who meets them.