"The River" Update + Analysis Prompt

"The River" Update + Analysis Prompt

Well, it's about time I finished "The River." Overall, the book was really engrossing to me and intense events followed one after another. The most intense event was found near the end of the book, and after that intense event, comes an epilogue. 

The development of the theme within the novel is evident throughout the whole story. The theme is mainly to look out and care for friends and not leave any friend behind under any circumstances, based on all the events of the story. Gary Paulsen does seem to have this primary theme guide his decisions within the plot and main events of the story.

Gary also supports this theme through the main events, conflict, and the resolution of this conflict. The main events before the conflict are that Brian accepts the task to go into the wilderness for his second time, with Derek by his side this time, and while during these events in particular, Brian and Derek work and look after one another to prepare for their survival adventure. Soon after they arrive, they create a good well-created surviving habitat. The main conflict within this book is that while Brian and Derek are sleeping in their self-made shelter, a huge rainstorm came over them, and lightning was intense. Then this one particular streak of lightning hit a nearby tree and it also struck Derek, and Derek was then in a coma. So Brian needs to find some help to save Derek. He finds a map showing him a nearby trading post. And the way to get there is by the current of a river. Brian quickly builds a solid raft and he ties Derek to this raft, and so he starts to paddle down the river. Although the river is really intense, fast, and Brian encounters a waterfall, Brian soon manages to get the raft and Derek to the trading post. That is the conflict. And the resolution is that Brian gets the raft and Derek to the trading post. Therefore, this conflict and resolution present in the story clearly supports the theme. 

This theme that Gary Paulsen chose clearly guided his decisions within the whole plot of the story. If he hadn't chosen this theme, then the events that happened in "The River" probably never would have happened. 

As the main events, conflict, and the resolution occur, the originality of the theme is definitely one of a kind to have created a story, such that it is set in the wildernesses of Canada. In my opinion, the author probably never would have made their own opinion towards the story's subject more distinctive, because he himself has made the story in a way that throughout the story, Brian and Derek are working together to create a survival experience and all through the rest of the story, including the river scenes, it is clearly shown that they are not leaving one another behind under any circumstances.