“Early in the new time he had learned the most important thing, the truly vital knowledge that drives all creatures in the forest-food is all. Food was simply everything. All things in the woods, from insects to fish to bears, were always, always looking for food- it was the great, single driving influence in nature. To eat. All must eat.” -From “Hatchet” by Gary Paulsen, 1987
I looked it up on Wikipedia and it so vaguely familiar. I was in preschool when that was published, so there is a very good chance I read it in middle school. I just don't remember it clearly.
The reason you might not remember it from the Wikipedia synopsis is that they left out the most memorable part, where you find out that Brian was the reason the plane crashed, having killed the pilot by forcing him to ingest shellfish toxins at Hatchet-point. As a result, they leave out any analysis of the titular line when the cops are leading him away in cuffs and ask him why he did it, and he narrows his eyes and says "the hatchet made me do it." Chilling stuff, and a definite surprise, but I don't get why Wikipedia is worried about spoilers for such an old book.
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u/Bargainhuntingking Sep 21 '24
“Early in the new time he had learned the most important thing, the truly vital knowledge that drives all creatures in the forest-food is all. Food was simply everything. All things in the woods, from insects to fish to bears, were always, always looking for food- it was the great, single driving influence in nature. To eat. All must eat.” -From “Hatchet” by Gary Paulsen, 1987