Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Photo credits go to Nancy Moyers
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
The great outdoors displays nature at its finest and while this seems like a no-brainer statement plenty of people do not receive the chance to truly explore the outdoors in depth. Hatchet, written by Gary Paulsen, is a book that I believe can bridge the gap between us and the great outdoors. Why is this important? Well to be honest the urban lifestyle is a global phenomenon in which rural communities are depreciating in population as many move closer to urban centers. The connections that we shared with nature are slowly eroding along with nature itself. As pollution and numerous other byproducts of our advancement as a species become more pronounced the negative effects we unleash onto nature only further its destruction. The wild places on earth are decreasing. I say this not as a political statement but as an avid outdoorsman and hunter that has witnessed these negative changes firsthand in my local ecosystem. Hatchet acts as a time capsule, preserving the raw and unbound wilderness that seems to be growing farther away from us as well as the mental state one needs to survive alone in the wilderness.
Hatchet simply exists as a survival story of a young boy. Brian, a 13-year-old, on the way to visit his father experiences an acute confrontation with nature. Forced to survive alone off the perilous land that makes up the great Canadian wilderness, Brian combats nature to live. Life-threatening circumstances pit this young boy against issues most Americans would never even dream of experiencing, from wild animals to blood-thirsty storms of mosquitoes, Brian survives and matures in a world unaffected by human influences.
Brian's psyche through his ordeal is what can reignite the connection between us and nature. Take away the technology and what are we left with? Just our senses and judgment really; and Gary Paulsen puts these natural advantages to good use. Brain changes and adapts to survive; the principal aspect of such adaptations is not the ability to create fire but to mentally come to terms with the situation he has found himself in. Fight and flight are on full display, and human instincts come to the forefront. The elements that make us human which are suppressed in modern society are still relevant in this situation. This is a reminder, a homage to our history, and an important lesson to us all. Nature can bring out a side of humanity that is largely forgotten and Hatchet by focusing on this is why I believe it can act as the connection between us and the world, for it reminds the reader that the changes Brian goes through are intrinsic aspects of being human.
Besides the importance of this book as a link to nature, Hatchet is important to me personally as well. From when I was a young boy to now as a man nearing his thirties I will never grow old of Brian's journey and have come to further appreciate the skillful depiction of nature's beauty and savagery that Gary Paulsen expresses on each page. For every triumph Brain makes I guarantee that readers will jump for joy at his success for I know I did.
