Brian's Return

Paulsen begins the novel with Brian in the only environment that brings him peace and fulfillment: the woods. After his survival experiences, nature became part of him, and this made it impossible for him to fit in anywhere else. Paulsen uses a flashback to explain the circumstances that drove Brian back into the wilderness. In doing so, he shows the contrast between the peace nature brings and the unrest that civilization holds for Brian. Through the flashback that begins in Chapter 2, Paulsen reveals more of Brian’s home life than in any other novel of the Hatchet series, focusing on the state of Brian’s mental health. Brian makes an effort to fit in with his peers but finds none of their interests hold meaning for him after the life-or-death situations he has been through. As a result, he finds himself withdrawing from others. Brian also struggles with the constant noise of everyday life. He misses the sounds of nature and longs to escape the incessant hum of modern life. Paulsen shows that Brian is not in a healthy place mentally. His experience in nature irrevocably changed him, and no matter how hard he tries, he cannot shake its effects.

The attack from the bully, Carl, brings Brian’s internal struggle into the open. Brian’s survival instincts take over and he no longer sees the situation clearly because of the threat Carl poses. Paulsen uses this event to show how deeply Brian was changed by his experiences in nature. The incident also serves as the catalyst for Brian’s eventual return to the woods. Brian is uninterested in trying to explain himself to others because he knows they cannot understand him. He invents the term “animal-boy” as a way of referring to himself and acknowledging that he does not conform to social norms.

Although knowledge of previous novels in the Hatchet series is not necessary for understanding Brian’s Return, Paulsen includes nods to events from previous novels as a way of reminding the reader of Brian’s experiences. Paulsen mentions the “first horror” Brian experienced when attacked by mosquitos in Hatchet (1986), the first novel in the series, and identifies the canoe as The Raft, a craft given to Brian as a gift from his traveling companion Derek after Brian saved him on a makeshift raft in The River (1991), the third novel in the series chronologically. Additional references to previous novels can be seen in later chapters, making the narrative connect fluidly to Brian’s previous experiences.

Paulsen also introduces some of the novel’s themes and motifs in these first few chapters. Brian puts one such theme concisely: “Man proposes, nature disposes” (4). The power and unpredictability of nature is highlighted throughout the novel and is indeed a valuable lesson that Brian knows already, yet continuously learns through new experiences. Others think that Brian conquered nature by surviving on his own, but Brian knows differently; nature taught him how much he didn’t know and forced him to bend to its power. Paulsen creates a contrast between Brian’s knowledge of nature and the knowledge of outdoor magazines and shows. In doing so, Paulsen shows that the people who are considered experts in outdoor sports and survival skills may not truly have experienced life-or-death survival situations, and as a result, don’t fully know nature’s capabilities.

This contrast between Brian’s view and the view of so-called outdoorsmen leads into one of the novels motifs: hunting ethics. Brian looks to the hawk as an example of ethical hunting. It only hunts to survive, and Brian vows to do the same. Brian is offended by the ease of hunting with guns and locating fish with modern technology. He takes issue with the practice of hunting for sport. Although he knows he must kill to survive, he does so respectfully. Paulsen develops the idea of hunting ethically throughout the novel as he shows more of Brian’s hunting practices.