Where there is a hatchet, there is a way

An average book may give you a sense of joy from time to time; a good book may touch your mind for a long time. However, the real great one can change or influence your entire life. In an idle afternoon, as I wandered about the library, flipping through rows of books, almost dazzled by the varied categories, a green-covered novel with an ax on it captured my sight. Considering it a thriller at first, I borrowed it without hesitation. But, Hatchet, a page-turner that has been blowing the minds of its readers, turned out to center around courage, wit, and family.

The story started with a 13-year-old boy named Brian on his way to visit his divorced father. However, the plane pilot suffered a heart attack and the plane ended up crash-landing into a lake in the forest. There was nothing left but a gift from his mother—the hatchet. To survive in the endless wildness, Brian, faced with numerous fierce animals as well as grim natural force, had no choice but to make the most of the short-handled axe. Even though he was confronted with such adversity, the fortunate goddess didn’t abandon him and finally granted her smile to the self-reliant boy during his forty-day stay in the wild. “After the storm comes a rainbow”. A vicious tornado struck the area, but it was this very twister that drew the tail of the plane toward the shore of the lake, thus bringing Brain to the light at the end of the tunnel. Brian took advantage of the survival pack and the transmitter in the cabin, and eventually got rescued by a fur trader. In addition to the plot, the author uses a delicate texture of linguistic skill to describe the struggles inside the boy’s heart, including the bittersweet memory of his mother, whom Brian had caught cheating on his father prior to their divorce as well as the dilemma he encountered in the desolation, where he must determine whether to live or surrender himself to the mother nature.

Besides its fascinating plot and the author’s vivid description of Brian's state of mind, what really appeals to me is that the whole story seems an analogy to life. First, life is unpredictable. For Brian, the trip started with nothing unusual but a plain conversation with the pilot, like the one that anyone would do to kill the dullness during the flight. Who would have thought the pilot, who was just talking, could suffer a heart attack and died! This just shares the similarity that we never know what will happen next. Second, life always has twists. Brian fell victim to the crash; we come up against difficulties all the time, which indicates that life is not a bed of roses as we expect it to be. Lastly, Brian survived almost sixty days with his faith and the symbol of living—the hatchet, which gave him the morale and motivation of never giving up. This reminds me of the old saying, “God helps those who help themselves”. Once we give in to the hardship, the god of fortune would never wave to us. Only by steering our own destiny and facing adversity with optimism can we find a way out when experiencing hardships and ordeals. After all, every cloud has its silver lining.

At the same time, the story also makes me wonder how Brian could live under that kind of severe circumstance. If I were him, could it be possible for me to summon up the courage to weather the ordeal lying in front of me? Or would I just do nothing but wallow in self-pity? What happened to Brian provides the readers with plenty of food for thought, especially those who have taken cozy life for granted.

To sum up, Hatchet is more than an adventure story. It teaches the importance of crisis management and the uncompromising attitude toward our life. It helps me look at my own problems in a different perspective. Finally, I believe that everyone has a hatchet in mind, it just depends on whether we are going to use or not.