Perpich is one of Brian’s former English teachers. He teaches Brian the importance of thinking positively and valuing oneself, lessons that turn out to be crucial for Brian’s survival in the wilderness. Brian often thinks of Perpich as a source of strength as he struggles to remain positive and calm in the face of adversity.
Perpich Quotes in Hatchet
The Hatchet quotes below are all either spoken by Perpich or refer to Perpich. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Simon & Schuster edition of Hatchet published in 1987.
).
Chapter 5
Quotes
Nothing. It kept coming back to that. He had nothing. Well, almost nothing. As a matter of fact, he thought, I don’t know what I’ve got or haven’t got. Maybe I should try and figure out just how I stand.
Get the entire Hatchet LitChart as a printable PDF.

Perpich Character Timeline in Hatchet
The timeline below shows where the character Perpich appears in Hatchet. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 5
...thinks that he actually doesn’t know what he has. Brian remembers an English teacher named Perpich who used to talk about staying positive and getting motivated, and he thinks that Perpich...
(full context)
...his assets. He also inventories his clothes, shoes, and torn windbreaker. Finally, Brian realizes that Perpich would say that Brian himself is his most valuable asset. Brian wishes that Perpich were...
(full context)
...the woods for three or four days. Resolute, Brian touches the hatchet and, thinking of Perpich, motivates himself to find food and shelter.
(full context)