38 pages • 1 hour read
Gary PaulsenA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Paulsen emphasizes this theme in each of the Hatchet series novels but expresses it most explicitly in Brian’s Return: “Man proposes, nature disposes” (4). Humans can predict weather and other natural events and plan accordingly, but nature will always have the upper hand. Humans cannot truly conquer nature, and nature will take its course whether one is prepared or not. Brian knows this and usually demonstrates preparedness, but still needs to be reminded of it on occasion.
Brian shows his wilderness experience by anticipating possibilities and preparing for them. When he travels in the canoe, he ties down all his gear, covers it in plastic bags, and keeps his bow and an arrow at the ready. He knows that the canoe could flip at some point, so he plans accordingly. However, in the midst of his seemingly flawless preparedness, the unexpected happens: a deer jumps into his canoe. This event is one he could have never predicted. However, because of his foresight in securing his gear, when the unexpected does happen, the damage is minimal. Paulsen uses this example to show that one must prepare as best as one can. Even then, a totally unanticipated event may occur, but if one has taken precautions, consequences will be minimal.
By Gary Paulsen
Brian's Hunt
Gary Paulsen
Brian's Winter
Gary Paulsen
Canyons
Gary Paulsen
Dogsong
Gary Paulsen
Guts: The True Stories Behind Hatchet and the Brian Books
Gary Paulsen
Harris and Me: A Summer Remembered
Gary Paulsen
Hatchet
Gary Paulsen
How Angel Peterson Got His Name
Gary Paulsen
Lawn Boy
Gary Paulsen
Liar, Liar
Gary Paulsen
Masters of Disaster
Gary Paulsen
My Life in Dog Years
Gary Paulsen
Nightjohn
Gary Paulsen
Northwind
Gary Paulsen
Soldiers Heart: Being the Story of the Enlistment and Due Service of the Boy Charley Goddard in the First Minnesota Volunteers
Gary Paulsen
The Crossing
Gary Paulsen
The Monument
Gary Paulsen
The River
Gary Paulsen
The Transall Saga
Gary Paulsen
The Voyage of the Frog
Gary Paulsen
Action & Adventure
View Collection
Action & Adventure Reads (Middle Grade)
View Collection
Beauty
View Collection
Books that Teach Empathy
View Collection
Earth Day
View Collection
Juvenile Literature
View Collection
Realistic Fiction (Middle Grade)
View Collection
Safety & Danger
View Collection
Science & Nature
View Collection
The Journey
View Collection
Trust & Doubt
View Collection