Brian's Hunt

Paulsen uses the difference in approach between Brian and the rangers to contrast modern civilization against Brian’s Value of Simplicity and Respect for Nature. While Brian’s close connection to nature tells him he knows the bear and can find it, the rangers feel that hunting one exact bear among many would be impossible. Paulsen uses irony to show that the rangers feel hunting the bear is impossible, despite their sophisticated modern tools such as GPS, planes, and rifles. Brian stresses that they are unable to track the bear because of their modern technology, which separates them from a true knowledge of nature. Paulsen shows that Brian has a genuine connection to nature through the time he has spent in it and getting to know it. Brian knows that this bear has distinct characteristics that will allow him to track it, and this proves true as Brian learns specific things about the bear as he follows sign. Brian also demonstrates an intimate knowledge of nature through his understanding that the bear’s overtly and unnecessarily violent behavior is highly unusual. Kay-gwa-daush, who also has considerable and intimate knowledge of the natural world, shares this opinion. By calling the animal a “devil bear,” she validates Brian’s suspicion that the animal is possibly ill or unusually dangerous and that it is not a violation of natural order to remove it from the woods.

Although the hunt is personal at first, Brian finds that killing the bear does not bring him satisfaction or peace. He is left with a dead bear and the grief of losing his friends. Brian’s Personal Growth Through Experience shows him revenge, whether against other people or forces of nature, is not resolution; killing the bear does not undo the tragic deaths of the Smallhorns. When Brian kills the bear, he treats it like any other animal and does not wish to let it go to waste, despite the complication emotions surrounding the animal and what it represents. Brian’s ability to treat the bear like any other animal not only highlights his Respect for Nature but signals the end of his coming-of-age story as he has matured enough to not hold human grudges against nature. Brian’s experience has given him to have a fundamentally different relationship to nature compared to the rangers, implying that he is wiser than the adults with sophisticated modern technology.

The Value of Simplicity saves Brian from the bear and demonstrates a more authentic connection to nature in Chapters 10 and 11. Modern technology is ineffective against the bear: David’s rifle could not save him, and the rangers cannot hunt the bear even with planes, GPS, and rifles. Rifles are recurring symbols of modern technology. They are supposed to be “better” than a bow and arrows, yet both groups of people that have rifles (the Smallhorns and the rangers) are powerless to stop the bear. Brian’s bow and arrow, which Paulsen argues gives him a more authentic connection to nature, are the only tools capable of stopping the bear, foreshadowed when Brian rejects David’s rifle out of his familiarity with the equal lethality of arrowheads. When the bear attacks Brian, he is saved by his arrows which double as close-ranged weapons against the bear. Bullets are useless in such a situation and not versatile like arrowheads. The adaptability of simple tools is a core proposition of the series since Hatchet, where the titular hatchet fulfills dozens of different roles to keep Brian alive. Brian’s triumph over the bear. Paulsen argues that the simplest human technology symbolizes a more sustainable and authentic connection to the natural world.

As the novel reaches its climatic fight between Brian and the bear, Paulsen again creates drama through diction and syntax. He uses short, repetitive sentences to emphasize the moment when Brian realizes he is the prey rather than the hunter. Paulsen also uses capital letters to highlight the distinctiveness of “The Bear” and its looming presence (94). During the fight between Brian and the bear, Paulsen uses long run-on sentences to describe the details of what is happening without breaks. One event happens after another without pauses, giving the impression of chaos, with hits and tumbles happening all at once.

The final chapters also highlight the special bond that has developed between Brian and the dog in just a few days. Brian trusts the dog’s tracking abilities completely, and the dog gives a warning sign when she senses the bear is coming near. The dog also comes to Brian’s defense during the fight with the bear, showing that she is already loyal to Brian to the point that she would risk her life for him. Paulsen draws a distinction between the bear and the dog. While the bear is cruel and sees humans as food or enemies, the dog sees humans as companions. The dog and the bear are foils for another and demonstrate the two opposing sides of nature. Brian’s relationship to them both concludes his story with emphasis on nature as a complex and evolving force, and one which Brian will continue to renegotiate his dynamic within for all of his life. He does not defeat nature by killing the bear, rather, he finds a way to participate within it.