Chapter 4 · Hatchet

Copywork

If the plane had come down a little to the left it would have hit the rocks and never made the lake. He would have been smashed. Destroyed.

Read the passage aloud. Why might the last sentence be only one word?

Discussion

Narration Tell the chapter back in order: the memory of the Secret, waking at the lake, the first night and morning, the mosquitoes, and the view over the water.

Brian thinks, "I'm alive," and soon after, "Like the pilot." What might each thought do to him? Character
Brian screams awake from the memory of the Secret. Why might it come back to him now, after the crash? Inference
On the still lake Brian sees "an upside-down forest to match the real one." Why might Paulsen give us that picture here? Author's choice
Brian says the nature shows "never once" mentioned the mosquitoes. What might he have expected the wilderness to be like? Theme
The chapter opens with the Secret and ends with Brian asleep by the lake. Why might Paulsen begin with the memory? Plot structure

Make a Connection Tell about a time something good and something bad came from the same event.

Vocabulary

smashed: He would have been smashed. Broken to pieces by a hard blow.
destroyed: Driven into the rocks and destroyed. Wrecked so badly it cannot be used or saved.
abated: some of the sharp pain had abated Grew weaker or less.
battered: Just battered around a bit. Beaten up and bruised.
clammy: His clothes were wet and clammy Damp, cold and unpleasant to touch.
remnants: the torn remnants of his windbreaker The small pieces that are left.
haze: But all in a haze, all in a haze-world. A foggy, unclear state of mind.
swarm: One minute he was sitting in the middle of a swarm A large crowd of insects moving together.
viciously: attacked the new soft flesh of his back so viciously In a fierce, cruel way.
agony: almost crying in frustration and agony Very great pain.

Critical thinking

Brian feels himself over after the night. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how badly he is hurt.
Using two pieces of evidence, explain what Brian tries against the mosquitoes and what finally stops them.
Using two pieces of evidence, explain how this new place feels to Brian: strange, peaceful, or both.