Comment on the survival aspect in Hatchet.

It is quite clear that the principal theme of this
excellent story is that of survival, as we follow the protagonist, Brian Robeson, as he
is stranded in the middle of the Canadian wilderness by himself and has to somehow
survive until he is found. Note the way that the last name he is given connects him with
his major literary ancestor, Robinson Crusoe, who, in the book of that same name
similarly finds himself in a battle against the odds for
survival.

However, what makes this story much more
interesting is the way that Brian is only 13, has no experience of life in the
wilderness and is wounded in the crash that leaves him stranded in the middle of such
solitude. This of course means that his odds for survival are very different compared to
that of the erstwhile and knowledgeable Robinson Crusoe, who is able to apply the reason
of the practical man to build and exploit his environment to ensure his survival. Take
the following quote from Hatchet, when Brian begins to face up to
the situation he is in:

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What did they do in the movies when they got
stranded like this? Oh, yes, the hero usually found some kind of plant that he knew was
good to eat and that took care of it. Just ate the plant until he was full or used some
kind of cute trap to catch an animal and cook it over a slick little fire and pretty
soon he had a full eight-course
meal.

Note the completely
unrealistic impression he has of survival in the wilderness. The way he turns to the
movies as his source of information reinforces how radically unprepared he is for such
an experience.

In addition, let us also remember that this
story is also about survival in a completely different sense. Not only is Brian stranded
from civilisation, he is also stranded emotionally and psychologically from those
nearest and dearest to him, as his parents are recently divorced and Brian knows a
secret about his mother's responsibility for that divorce. Note how the memory of this
secret is described as being "like a knife cutting into him. Slicing deep into him with
hate." Brian thus has to learn to survive emotionally and psychologically as he harbours
this secret. Thus the theme of survival in this novel works on many
levels.