Question

How does the point of view from which Gary Paulsen tells Hatchet to help you understand Brian’s actions, thoughts, and feelings? Why do you think Paulsen chose to use Brian’s third-person limited point of view rather than either Brian’s first-person point of view or a third-person objective point of view? Use your understanding of the point of view to think about how the story would have been different if you had read it from those other points of view. Support your writing with evidence from the text.

Answer 1

This question is about "Hatchet"

Answer and Explanation:

1. The point of view used in the story only reveals Brian's thoughts and feelings, not showing us deeply any other character and what are their motivations, actions and thoughts. In that case, we can get to know Brian deeply and have sympathy for his actions.

2. Brian is a traumatic person who has had many sad moments. If the author used the point of view in first person, with Brian telling his own story, this could generate an exaggerated and biased narration. This is because for us, what has gone wrong is always much greater than we imagine. A third-person point of view, however, limited, can present Brian's facts and thoughts as they really are, impartially and let the reader make his own conclusion. Furthermore, the third-person point of view presents a reliable narrator, the first-person point of view does not present a reliable narrator.