Character Analysis for The Hatchet The main character The Hatchet is Brian. Brian is a thirteen-­‐year-­‐old boy from New York City who flies on a plane to see his dad. This is because Brian’s parents are divorced. Brian can only see his father in the summer. When Brian flew to his father’s house, the pilot has a sudden heart attack. Brian was left alone and soon the plane runs out of gas. He is landed in a forest and alive. He now has to learn the ways to live in the wild and find his manhood. If I had to explain Brian in two words, it would be courageous and determined. He was courageous in the story. I would have been scared to death if I was stuck in that situation. I do not understand how he did it. Maybe, the fear of death drove him. Still, he was brave and daring. One quote from the book that proves this trait is “The controls became very loose-­‐feeling and frightened Brian, making him push the wheel back in”(p 27 Paulsen). This was a quote from when he was trying to land a plane by himself. What he did there was an act of courage as he took control of that plane and landed it. That is hard to do considering the fact he just saw someone die from a heart attack. The other trait is determined. Brian never gave up on the things he accomplished in the forest. For example when Brian wanted to get the survival pack inside the plane. “The bag fought him. It was almost as if it didn't want to leave the plane. He pulled and jerked and still it wouldn’t fit and at last he had to change the shape of it, rearranging what was inside by pushing and pulling at the sides until he had narrowed it and made it longer” (p 182 Paulsen). He was determined to get the survival pack no matter what. He was thinking different ways to solve the solution. He was attacking the problem with every angle possible. That is why he is determined. Determined Courageous