The Hatchet #1

The first time I read The Hatchet by Gary Paulson, I was 13 years old. The same age as the main character, Brian Robeson. Well, since it had been 5 years since I last read, I decided to read it again, this time blogging about multiple issued that arise from the book. The first and most frequent issue in the novel, is Brian's fight with hunger. Although this seems to be at a very individualized level, Brian's fight signifies the millions and millions of other people who are hungry. For many people, the sight of available bread is the highlight of their day. In Brian's case, he didn't even have bread. For over two months, he survived on fruit and meat. Nothing was handed to him, and everyday was a fight for survival. This is how most of the world lives. People fight everyday for survival. Here in Deerfield, it seems like the end of the world is when we do poorly on a test grade. People have earned the right to live here through hard work, but the majority of the world's population doesn't have the same rights and opportunities we do. I'm not sure it's possible to ever completely eliminate hunger, but the only thing we can do is raise awareness. In Brian's case, he was entangled in a fight with hunger each and everyday with no one to lean on. People who starve often feel this way, but it should be our job to make them feel secure and hopeful.