Hatchet Theme

The book hatchet is about a boy named Brian, 13 years of age, who is going to his fathers house for the summer. He is being flown out there by a pilot. On their way out there, the pilot has a heart attack and dies, and Brian is left to fly the plane. He ends up crashing the plane, but managing to survive and get out. The only thing left he has after the crash, is his hatchet that was strapped to his belt that his mom gave him before he got on the plane. He has to overcome many hard situations and learn many new survival skills. He even has to face a major tornado. After the tornado the plane is sticking somewhat out of the water, which he landed in. With his handy hatchet, he is able to break in to the plane and get the emergency kit off of the plane. In the end, he ends up using an emergency transmitter to call attention to other planes, and to be saved. This story is based on the survival and courage of a 13 year old boy who is faced with this dangerous occurrence.

I think that one of the themes of this story is man verses wild.

He is faced with eating bad berries, a bear, a wolf, and even a porcupine attacking him with its painful quills. In many ways this story shows Brian fighting against the wild for his survival. Another theme that comes about in this story could be, anything is possible if you believe. This comes about several times throughout the story. Although he is stranded out on the island fighting for his life, he keeps pushing forth effort and never giving up. Even though he is attacked by the wild, not able to shower, and almost dying, he keeps trying and never gives

up.

Many symbols are shown by this story. One is the hatchet. It represents strength, perseverance, and love. He uses it to overcome many of his obstacles in the wild. If he wouldn’t have had the hatchet in the beginning, he would have been left with absolutely nothing. It keeps him going and helps him to achieve his many issues that rise up throughout the story. It also represents love because he got it from his mom right before he left for his dads. It often reminded him of his mother and that was enough to keep him going. These symbols support the theme and help to make the book more heartfelt and sad.

The motif that I majorly see throughout the story is the depressing obstacles, that give us hope and keep you wondering if he is going to be rescued, or if he is going to survive. All throughout the story the obstacles reoccur over and over to get both the reader’s, and Brian’s attention. When he started the fire, I thought for sure he was going to be rescued. The obstacles occur very often to make the reader get attached to the story and not want to stop reading. Another motif that appears all in the story is him maturing. He is maturing with every drawback, and fighting to overcome his challenges. You can see him maturing, and getting more knowledge about the wildlife and more.

Symbols, motifs, and themes often help to make the story not only more interesting, but also more touching for the readers. In the book hatchet there are tons of symbols, motifs, and even themes. They really helped to make the book better and to keep me interested. They are what makes the reader get attached to the book and not want to stop reading. It is what shaped the story line and caused the climax to really stick out throughout the story. They are used to provide a message for the reader about this story. Looking for these in the story can help you to comprehend the story better. Many aspects of a story help to make it more interesting and intriguing, these are just some of the many.