35 pages • 1 hour read
Gary PaulsenA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Paulsen uses food as a motif throughout the novel to highlight changes in Brian after The Time and to show the reader a main component of life that is often taken for granted. Brian sees food differently because of The Time. He has experienced hunger in a way most people never have, “where you don’t think you’re ever going to eat again” (19). He recognizes that food means everything for survival, and that all of nature revolves around obtaining food. Brian appreciates food, but not only because he loves to eat. He appreciates the whole process of handling the food, cooking it, chewing it, and watching others eat it. During his run with Derek up the river, Brian goes several days without food and loses weight. He experiences extreme hunger but does not let that keep him from pushing forward to save Derek. Paulsen’s use of the food motif shows one major way that Brian changes based on his time in the woods, and also reminds the reader of the everyday things he or she takes for granted.
The namesake of the novel, the river acts as a symbol of both nature’s power and beauty, and helps develop this contrast. Brian casually observes the river from the airplane, as well as notes the strength of the river when he hears it gurgling his first night on the lake. However, when Derek is in a coma and Brian sees the river on the map, he notices it in a new way. Although it looks small on the map, he realizes that it may be his best hope for saving Derek, and the river “drew him, pulled at him” (78). As Brian begins the run down the river, the reader sees that the river could either bring Brian and Derek to safety, or could kill them. The raft lies at the mercy of the current, evident when Brian approaches the rapids and the water “owned the raft, owned Derek, owned him” (116).
Despite the river’s danger, Paulsen uses imagery to highlight the river’s beauty through Brian’s eyes. For example, Brian thinks the tall trees on the riverbanks make the river seem like “a soft, green tunnel” (111). When Brian must swim to catch up with the raft, he becomes one with the river and can think of nothing else. Ironically, the river almost kills Derek and Brian but ends up as their route to salvation. In the imagery and events of Brian’s river run, Paulsen shows the natural beauty of the river as well as its raw power, and uses the river as a symbol to develop nature’s opposing traits of splendor and strength.
Time runs throughout the novel as a motif that, similar to food, shows a seemingly simple element of life that most people take for granted. Brian’s view of time comes from his first 54-day experience in the woods that he thinks of as The Time. This simple title for his ordeal holds immense meaning for Brian. Because of his survival experience, he knows that in nature, time is of the essence. His understanding of time’s importance depicts him as the knowledgeable authority for his and Derek’s survival in the woods. For example, while Derek wastes time talking, Brian knows that they have a limited amount of time before darkness comes, and they need to find shelter, food, and a fire stone. When Derek is in a coma, Brian knows that moving quickly is vital for Derek’s survival and feels time works against him because Derek can only live for a few days without water. Once Brian decides to attempt the run down the river, he knows time is everything for survival.
Paulsen uses time as a motif to show the contrast between the comfortable life most people take for granted, and the absence of comfort when surviving in nature. He highlights the way an emergency survival situation changes what one values and brings an appreciation for everyday commodities.
By Gary Paulsen