Introduction
Gary Paulsen’s works are different from other novels designed to appeal to young adults because of his ability to celebrate the natural terrain and the interactions of the characters with nature. As his books are generally read by young adults the plots are simple but appeal to their own experiences involved in the process of growing up. The books are set in a naturalistic setting where the main character leaves society either through their own devices or by an accident. While living in nature the main characters undergo a transformation in which they learn how to coexist with nature rather than to be frightened of it.
His plots are reminiscent of Thoreau’s sojourn at Walden Pond. Thoreau’s purpose in living there was to peruse a greater intimacy with God and to increase his own spirituality (Lyon, Melvin E., 289). Thoreau experienced a rebirth through identifying with Walden Pond. The identification with the pond allows him to participate in both cycles of nature: spring and the morning (Lyon, Melvin E., 289). Thoreau believed that lakes were nature’s most beautiful and expressive feature (Lyon, Melvin E., 291).
Main body
Thoreau described lakes or ponds as being close to the divine. The source of life for the pond has no visible outlet while being renewed by the presence of springs. Therefore it can be stated that it continually receives new life and motion from above as he believed that humans do (Lyon, Melvin E., 291).
How Paulsen approaches the telling of a story allows young students to connect with some of the great literary writers of the past. When the student reads a piece of literature written to their level of understanding and then compares the concepts presented within to the works of a prominent writer such as Thoreau the adolescents can understand and appreciate the work better (Norris, Jerri K., et al, 82).
In Walden Thoreau explores the youth of the human race. It reflects the rebellion against authority, the thirst for adventure, and the desire for increased contact with nature. While it should appeal to young adults the status of Thoreau’s works can be off-putting and difficult for teachers to explain and students to understand (Bressler, Leo A., 14).
Two of Paulsen’s works focus on the experiences of an adolescent boys who either through choice or misadventure find themselves in the wilderness with only their own wits to help them find the necessary resources for survival. In The Island, Wil Neuton is characterized as a modern Thoreau. This character chooses to leave his family and town to experience nature at its purest level such as Thoreau who chose to live at Walden Pond for several years. While living on the island he was not in isolation as Brian was in Hatchet because he could visit the mainland or visitors could come to see him. This is more in line with Thoreau’s experience because his choice of woodland locations was within easy walking distance of Concord, Massachusetts. A quote from Walden Pond is “I have a great deal of company in my house, especially in the morning when nobody calls” (Thoreau).
Henry David Thoreau was originally inspired by Ralph Waldo Emerson who in 1936 wrote an essay entitled Nature advancing the idea of American Romanticism. In American Romanticism the concept that each individual should seek a spiritually fulfilling relationship with the natural world was formed. Thoreau lived at Walden Pond from July 1845 to September 1847. During this time he built his own house, caught and cooked his own food, and collected the material to write the book, Walden. This book while focusing on the presence of the divine in nature is credited with inspiring respect and awareness of the natural environment.
When Thoreau left Walden Pond he did so with the understanding that in the many lives contained within a lifetime, “he could not spare any more for that one”. The realization obtained by Thoreau is illustrated in Paulsen’s work through the experiences of young men.
Hatchet was published in 1988 and is the story of a thirteen-year-old boy named Brian Robeson who was the only survivor of a plane crash in the Canadian wilderness after the pilot died from a heart attack while flying the plane. Brian escapes from the plane with only a hatchet for assistance. This chapter informs the reader of two of the underlying issues that Brian is struggling with throughout his experience. The divorce of his parents and the secret that he can not talk about with his mother is causing tension between himself and his mother while the pilot teaching him how to take control of a situation by learning how to manipulate the environment. Teaching Brian about the plane shows him that every situation can be resolved through increased education.
The conversation that Brian has with the pilot before he dies is also important to explain the book’s interaction with nature and its transformative effects. “All flying is easy. Just takes learning. Like everything else.” (Paulson, 5). When Brian crash-landed in the wilderness he did not have the necessary education to survive through the process of trial and error he learned how to build a shelter, find food and co-exist with nature. Education is a large part of the themes of the book. The time the pilot took in order to teach Brian how to fly the plane represents how there is something new that can be learned every day. The individual who understands this and applies it to their own lives will be ultimately successful.
The pilot’s death started the transformation of a child to adulthood. With no adult to take charge of the situation, Brian had to decide on which course of action would produce the best result. Unfortunately through a combination of inexperience and panic caused him to delay crashing the plane in a clearing taking him further off the flight plan. This chapter shows Brian’s struggle with fear, frustration, and hopelessness forcing him to find the resources inside himself necessary to ensure his survival.
Brian’s background had no experience in survival situations. Throughout the book, he has to learn through experimentation how to find shelter and food. He also has to maintain his optimism while searching for a way out of the wilderness so that he could return home. After he calms down and begins to think analytically about his situation he remembers playing a game with one of his friends in which they pretended that they were lost in the wilderness. He used this experience to form plans on how to survive. The construction of a lean-to gave him protection from the elements as well as wild animals. After constructing the lean-to Brian begins focusing on how to build a fire without matches. Using the crystal in his watch to provide the stimulus created enough heat to ignite pieces of wood. These improvements to his situation gave him a measure of control and relieved some of the panics he experienced at being lost in the woods. While he did not begin to enjoy his situation the improvements made the situation less daunting.
This becomes especially hard after seeing a search plane looking for him. Through this experience, a new “Brian” is formed that is stronger and more capable than the boy who left his mother at the airport. A quote from Hatchet showing Brian’s transformation from a scared teenager is: “In measured time, 47 days had passed since the crash. Forty-two days, he thought, since he had died and had been born as the new Brian” (Paulsen, 122). While Brian would have made the transition from child to adult without this experience, but this experience will shape the way he will solve other situations that may at first look seem impossible.
During the first weeks after the crash, Brian is forced to rely on his growing skills to provide him with the materials needed for survival. However, after a storm, the tail of the plane surfaces and he is able to retrieve the survival pack from the plane. This is an ironic twist because for the first several months of his experience he was forced to search within himself for the necessary skills to survive. His interactions with nature facilitated his survival and the eventual acquisition of the survival pack presented the introduction of the modern disconnect from nature (Norris, Jerri K., et al, 82). Had Brian been able to retrieve the survival pack he would not have found the strength of character needed to survive in his new surroundings (Norris, Jerri K., et al, 82). When the supplies ran out he would have been at the mercy of the elements rather than at ease in nature.
Both Polson and Thoreau have explored the changes in an individual’s character after a solo experience in the wild. When Brian left his mother at the airport he was going to enjoy the first summer after the divorce with his father. He boarded the plane with a hatchet given to him by his mother as well as some advice given to him by his English teacher. “You are your most valuable asset. Don’t forget that. You are the best thing you have” (Polson, 51). This advice combined with the hatchet received from his mother represents Brian’s ability to survive in the wild with the tools he has with him. These tools are the combination of his mind and the hatchet.
Conclusion
The transformative effect caused by prolonged exposure to nature are topics that both Paulsen and Thoreau explore in their work is an important literary concept. This transformation causes a character to change from an individual with no confidence in their skills to survive to be a confident and self-reliant individual who might not have all of the answers but knows that there is a workable solution.
References
Bressler, Leo A. “”Walden,” Neglected American Classic.” The English Journal. 51.1 (1962): 14-20.
Lyon, Melvin E. “Walden Pond as a Symbol.” PMLA. 82.2 (1967): 289-300.
Mitchell, Diana, and Linda P. Young. “Creating Thematic Units.” The English Journal. 86.5 (1997): 80-84.
Norris, Jerri K., et al. “Booksearch: Using Adolescent Novels as Transitions to Literary Classics.” The English Journal. 78.3 (1989): 82-84.
Paulsen, Gary. Hatchet. New York, NY: Aladdin Publishing, 1987.
Thoreau, Henry David. Walden. Stilwell, KS: Digireads.com Book, 2005.