Vocabulary in Hatchet

A small, rugged aircraft designed to fly into remote, roadless wilderness areas where there are no regular airports or runways.

Moved suddenly and sharply in an uncontrolled way, as the pilot's body did when he suffered the heart attack.

Brian's private, painful knowledge that he saw his mother with another man — a betrayal he cannot bring himself to name or share with his father.

Making a loud, continuous engine noise; used here to emphasize how the plane kept flying on its own even after the pilot died.

Having enough inner drive and energy to push yourself to act, especially when fear or despair makes it hard to move.

The ability to wait calmly and keep trying without rushing or giving up, which Brian learns is essential to surviving in the wilderness.

Brian's own name for the small, sour wild cherries he finds, which upset his stomach badly when he eats too many of them.

Tight bunches of berries or fruit growing close together on the same branch or stem.

Tiny, brief flashes of fire produced when the hatchet blade strikes rock — the first step Brian takes toward making fire.

Something of real value that helps you survive or succeed; here it means Brian himself — his mind and body — is his most important resource.

Brian's nickname for the grouse he finds in the wilderness — plump, ground-dwelling birds that sit still so long they seem foolish and easy to catch.

The main body of an aircraft — the central tube-shaped section that holds the cockpit, passengers, and cargo.

Describing food that has had nearly all its moisture removed by a special freezing process so it is very light and lasts a long time without spoiling.

An electronic device that sends out a radio signal; the emergency transmitter in the survival pack broadcasts a distress signal that rescuers can track.

A sealed kit stored in the crashed plane that contains emergency supplies — food, tools, and signaling equipment — meant to keep a crash survivor alive.

A small, one-handed axe with a short handle, which Brian's mother gave him as a gift and which becomes his single most important tool for survival.

To search the surrounding area for wild food — berries, fruit, or animals — when no prepared food is available.

One of the sharp, stiff, needle-like spines covering a porcupine's body, which pierce the skin painfully when the animal feels threatened.

A type of rock made of compressed sand grains that is soft enough to erode into overhangs and hollows, which Brian uses as a natural shelter.

A violently rotating column of air that touches the ground, producing destructive winds that tear apart Brian's shelter and scatter his supplies.

The rear portion of the aircraft, including the tail fins, which sticks up out of the lake after the tornado shifts the submerged wreckage.

Completely under the surface of the water; the crashed plane sank to the bottom of the lake and stayed hidden there until the tornado disturbed it.

To fit back into a group or way of life after a long absence; Brian struggles to return to normal society after fifty-four days alone in the wild.

Feelings of hopelessness, self-pity, or despair that Brian learns to reject because they drain his will to survive without solving any problem.

A method of learning by trying something, seeing what goes wrong, and adjusting — the way Brian teaches himself every wilderness skill from scratch.