Hatchet
(Gary Paulsen)

Brian

Brian Robeson is a thirteen-year-old boy whose parents have just divorced. He learned that his mother was having an affair with a blond-haired man he felt terribly betrayed by her for it. He is plagued by thoughts of his parents’ divorce, which is exceedingly difficult for him to overcome. When Brian is forced to land a plane by himself and is stranded in the wilderness, he manages to put his feelings about the divorce behind him and concentrate on surviving. Brian grows tremendously throughout the novel; he begins as a naïve boy from the city and grows into a thoughtful and strong man of nature.

Brian’s Mother

Brian’s mother divorces his father, which is unexpected for both Brian and his father. Brian sees his mother kissing a blond-haired man in an unfamiliar car one day, and he then understands why his mother wanted the divorce, though he feels terribly betrayed by her actions. Brian’s mother does not know that he is aware of her affair, and when she tries to talk to Brian about his moodiness he still does not tell her that he knows. Brian resents his mother at this time, but he is thankful to her for giving him a hatchet before he got on the plane as it proves to be a valuable tool in his survival.

Brian’s Father

Brian’s father lives in the woods of Northern Canada, which is where Brian is headed when his plane crashes. Brian’s father is totally blindsided by her request for a divorce, which he does not want, and he has no idea about her affair. Brian toys with the idea of telling his father about “the secret,” but he cannot bring himself to do so; he knows that the news of it would destroy his father, and he does not want to hurt him any more than he already has been. One night Brian’s father appeared in one of his dreams, which resulted in Brian figuring out how to start a fire.

Terry

Terry is Brian’s friend from back in New York. Brian was with Terry, riding bikes, the day that he saw his mother kissing the blond man in the car. Terry and Brian spent a lot of time together in the city, often riding their bikes or playing in the park; when Brian is feeling particularly hopeless he wishes that he were playing in the park with Terry again. One night Terry appears in Brian’s dreams, along with Brian’s father, which results in Brian figuring out how to start a fire by using his hatchet.

The Pilot

The pilot of the Cessna that Brian was flying is named either Jim or Jake, Brian cannot remember which. The pilot rarely speaks on the flight, but when he does, he allows Brian to fly the plane by himself for a little while and tries to teach him a bit about the instruments. When Brian is consumed with thoughts about his parents’ divorce and “the secret,” it becomes obvious that there is something wrong with the pilot, but Brian does not realize how serious it is until the pilot falls onto the floor, obviously having a heart attack, and dies.

The Rescuer

The man who rescues Brian from the wilderness is not a rescuer at all, but a fur trader. He heard the signal from the transmitter that Brian assumed was broken and stopped down to see what was going on. He had been searching for Cree camps to find furs and he saw the tail end of the Cessna sticking out of the water. The rescuer is amazed when he realizes that the boy standing in front of him is the same boy that searchers have been looking for.

Uncle Carter

Uncle Carter is mentioned in the novel when Brian first comes across the turtle eggs. Brian recalls that his Uncle Carter would eat raw eggs every morning; he decides that if his uncle could do it then he could, as well. Brian has a hard time getting over the texture of the raw eggs but eventually he manages to do so, using his uncle as inspiration.

Mr. Perpich

Mr. Perpich was Brian’s English teacher back in New York. When Brian is struggling with his will to survive and the seeming hopelessness of his situation, he remembers Mr. Perpich and the man’s insistence that life always be approached with a positive attitude, even when faced with difficult situations. From the moment Brian remembers his teacher, he tries to remain positive and do whatever he needs to in order to live as safely and positively as he can.v