Hatchet Chapters 9-12

Brian realizes that there is a long way to go from sparks to fire, for he isn’t able to make the dry grass or woods catch fire. He does his best to use as much of the dry stuff he can access and creates several showers of the sparks but finds that they always become reduced to nothingness after a couple of seconds. Brian thinks to use paper and tears a twenty-dollar bill, but it has no effect. In frustration, he leaves the cave and wonders how man had been creating fires without tools for so long and sights the dry bark of a birch tree. The peeling bark is so dry that it is almost powdery, so Brian collects a big portion of it and takes it back to his shelter. There is a better response from the sparks however they go out very quickly. Brian decides that he needs to make a nest for the sparks and uses his Hatchet to cut away thin slices of the bark, and he creates a big nest of it. It is much better but the red glow still seems to die as if it is starved. Brian thinks about the things that make fire and remembers that oxygen in the air is crucial for fire. He sends sparks into his nest and then blows on the sparks to make them grow. It takes him a couple of tries to get the pressure right. He soon has fire and rushes around to keep it going by feeding it grass, twigs, then small wood, and finally wood.

He now has a friend called fire and feels a little safer. He wishes he had someone to share his happiness with but finds himself alone. He tries to imagine what his parents and friends might be doing just then. The fire has to be fed constantly and so Brian needs a lot of wood. He heads out with his hatchet and finds three downed trees, enough wood to supply him throughout the day. He makes several runs for wood to the shelter until he has a stack taller than him. He eats the raspberries that he has and notices other benefits of the fire, for he finally has relief from the mosquitoes as the smoke drives them out of his shelter. The smoke also serves as a signal, and Brian decides that he would keep a burning stick on top of the rocks. He finishes the last of his berries and goes to sleep, as the pain in his legs lessens.

He wakes up in the middle of the night to find the fire almost out, he revives it and hears a slithering motion outside the shelter. He isn’t so worried tonight because of the fire, and the sound soon recedes. He wakes the next morning to see tracks on the beach of the lake, of a creature which seemed to drag its middle and Brian tries to understand the tracks. He marvels at his change of position, as he a city boy is trying to understand the tracks in the wilderness. Brian sees that the creature had moved the sand at a particular spot, and decides to dig there. He finds eggs and realizes that the creature must have been a turtle. Hunger stirs in him at the sight of the eggs, and he wolfs down the first five eggs, as he is unsure of how to eat them. He keeps the others and thinks about the searchers, for he needed to make sure that he remembered them, and kept his hope.

Brian finds it difficult not to eat another one of the eggs and has to make an effort to put them out of his sight for later. He then distracts himself by cleaning up his camp, to turn away from the depressing thoughts of not being found. He then goes out of the shelter and towards the lake. He notices how different his body and mind have become since the crash. His stomach had sunk with hunger but his mind had become highly alert, and the communication between his mind and body seemed to have developed. He continues to collect wood as he decides to always have on at least three days of supply. He then later collects wood to build a bonfire on the roof, one that he can use to signal his location if he hears the sound of an engine. Brian notices a kingfisher across from the top of the shelter, he sees the bird catch a fish out of the lake and swallow it whole. The idea of fishing had seemingly escaped his mind, and so he wades into the lake and finds it full of life. He attempts to catch the fish that come close to him, but they explode away. The fish display some curiosity about him and approach him again. Brian decides to find some wood to create a spear for fishing, and returns to camp to feed his fire, and have some eggs. He also resolves to go out looking for some more berries and wood for the spear.

Brian fashions a two-pronged spear from willow at night, and he spends hours on creating it just right. He carefully strips the bark, sharpens it to a point with his hatchet, and even creates two prongs, to better spear the fish. However, it doesn’t work. He can’t seem to get the fish with the spear since they are too fast. He realizes that he needs to create a bow and arrow, so he gets out of the water, feeds his fire, and eats one turtle egg. He then heads out with his spear and hatchet, shirtless, and forages some raspberries. He soon has a full stomach, and that surprises him. He looks down to see his still sunken stomach and find a seemingly endless hunger that causes him to be continually alert. He nearly steps on a bird and realizes that he could have easily caught it. He finds a nice wood that has some spring to it, and so begins chopping at it. He concentrates so hard on the task at hand that he misses the sound of an engine. It finally registers, and Brian runs with all his might. He darts towards his shelter to set off the bonfire, but the sound begins to turn away as he lights it. He nurses the flames urgently and soon has a huge bonfire going, but the sound keeps going further away. Brian is brought low with disappointment, and hope seems to flee from him.

Analysis

The theme of dreams also plays an important role in Brian's story of survival. Brian finds that his family and friends come to him in his dreams to draw attention to ideas that he has in his consciousness. This theme is first introduced when Brian sees his father and his friend Terry, both of whom are attempting to tell him something important about the fire. He wakes the next morning with the dream still churning in his head, and he suddenly has a moment of realization as he recalls the sparks from the previous night. The discovery of these sparks serves as the first step in Brian's tedious and difficult process for the discovery of fire. Brian's search for his own identity serves as an important sub-plot that progresses as Brian learns to survive in the wild. He is on his own for the very first time in his life, and his experience in the wild and the effect on his development mirrors initiation rituals practiced in nature by several cultures across the globe. Brian has a moment of realization when he first successfully creates a fire. He realizes that his achievement would have been all the greater if he could have shared it with someone. Here, Paulsen seeks to demonstrate that although solitude in nature can be blissful, one needs to fulfill their social needs to experience true happiness.  

The theme of the contrasts between the urban environment and the wilderness becomes prominent when Brian attempts to read the tracks on the beach. Brian acknowledges his poor understanding of nature as he refers to himself as a city boy and checks his reflection in a mock mirror. Brian realizes the different attitudes towards food one has in nature where it isn't readily available like in the cities. He experiences a deep hunger that keeps him focused and alert to opportunities. Brian also begins to become more in sync with the nature around him, as his body begins to react more accurately to his thoughts and his senses sharpen. This increased awareness is what allows Brian to find the turtle eggs, and later discern the lake as a source of food.