Hatchet: Chapter 2  Summary & Analysis

Brian remains frozen for a minute, reliving what he saw and wishing desperately for the pilot to wake up. He decides that he has to help the pilot, but finds that he cannot detect any heartbeat or breathing. Panicked, Brian, feels the nose of the plane begin to drop and realizes that he will have to figure out how to fly the plane himself.

Despite his terror, Brian experiments with the plane’s controls and manages to get it flying level again. He looks out the windows, hoping for a place to try to land, but sees nothing but trees and lakes. He is not sure which direction the plane is heading and is unable to read the navigational devices. Looking over the dashboard, Brian remembers the radio and decides to call for help.

Brian takes the headset from the pilot, even though he is horrified to touch his body, and uses the microphone to call for help into the radio. At first, no one answers, and Brian gives in to panic, screaming and crying into the microphone. He hears his own voice returning and suddenly remembers that the microphone needs to be off in order to pick up an answering signal. Brian turns off the microphone and hears someone faintly answering him, asking for a location and flight number.

Brian attempts to answer and explain his situation, but the responses are increasingly broken up and are soon gone altogether. Brian can only hear static through the radio. Brian calls for help again and explains who he is, but no one answers. He begins to despair, wondering how someone on the radio could help him even if they did answer. An hour passes, and Brian continues to call for help. Eventually, Brian realizes that the plane will run out of fuel if he does not land soon. He also remembers the pilot knocking into the controls and understands that the plane is no longer on its original course.

Frightened and confused, Brian decides to keep the plane flying until it runs out of fuel. Every ten minutes, he calls for help, and in between calls he attempts to plan the best way to bring the plane down when it runs out of fuel. Because landing in the water seems less dangerous than landing in the trees, Brian decides to aim for a lake when the time comes and try to slow the plane down as it hits the water. Even as he makes this plan, he feels that it will be impossible to carry out. Suddenly, the plane’s engine stops, and Brian has no choice but to aim the plane downward. Panicked, he throws up.