Hatchet — Chapter 14

About This Passage

This passage was chosen for three reasons. First, it uses three vocabulary words (confines, shelter, corrosive) in a short space, each one working hard. Second, it is the exact moment the chapter's big lesson hits Brian — that in the woods a 'funny little mistake' can turn dangerous in less than half a second. Third, it shows Paulsen's careful word choice: 'confines' (how small the shelter is), 'sulfurous' (the skunk-smell made real), 'corrosive' and 'seared' (the spray acts like acid, not a joke). Copying this passage teaches pupils that precise words can carry real information, not just decoration.

Narration Prompt

Retell chapter fourteen in five or six sentences. Include the word 'Mistakes' that keeps returning in Brian's mind, the skunk that sprayed him over the turtle eggs, the stronger shelter Brian builds, the food shelf and ladder, and the fish pen — and end with the idea that Brian is now 'trying to save ahead, think ahead.'

Discussion Questions

1. Brian thinks the word 'Mistakes' four times in this chapter. What does this repetition show about how his thinking has changed since the early days after the crash? What in the text tells you this?
2. When Brian first sees the skunk he 'nearly smiled' and it looked 'almost cute.' What does this tell us about how easy it is in the woods to mistake something small for something safe? How does Paulsen show the cost of that mistake?

+ 3 more questions in the complete study guide