35 pages • 1-hour read
I Survived the Great Alaska Earthquake, 1964
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Chapters 1-5Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 1 Summary
Jackson Barrett is an 11-year-old boy who lives in Alaska with his family. One day, Jackson is in Valdez, a little seaside town, when a huge earthquake begins. Everyone is shocked as cars, trees, and telephone poles begin shaking. The forceful earthquake throws a terrified Jackson around, and as the ground breaks apart, he falls into a great crevasse.
Chapter 2 Summary
Three weeks before the earthquake, Jackson is ice fishing with his parents with little luck. Jackson’s parents reminisce about how they had so much to learn when they first moved to the Alaskan wilderness as a young couple. Though they made many survival mistakes, they kept learning and eventually gained the skills they needed. After a couple of years of living in their small cabin in the forest, they had Jackson.
Going home empty-handed, the family decides to make moose meat chili for dinner. They have to carefully ration their food since they cannot easily go to the store because of their remote location. Even though off-grid life has its challenges, Jackson loves it. The family walks home but suddenly stops when they reach their cabin and notice that a grizzly bear is nearby.
Chapter 3 Summary
Jackson studies the paw prints and confirms that it is a grizzly bear. He wonders why it would be out of hibernation in March since Grizzlies usually sleep until April. His mother calls it a “winter bear,” which frightens Jackson since these bears emerge from hibernation early because they are starving.
As the family looks around, they realize the grizzly is already inside the cabin, eating their stored food. Jackson’s mother wants to stop it, but it is too dangerous. As the bear tears through the cabin, it knocks over the pile of embers from the fire, and the whole house goes up in flames. Jackson watches in panic as the bear emerges from the burning home and runs away into the forest. The house burns, along with the family’s food and belongings.
Chapter 4 Summary
Jackson begins to panic and cry, but his mom reassures him that the family will recover. She tells him they have to “get to work” (19), which is their family mantra. Jackson remembers how this approach helped him in the past, like when he was rabbit hunting and had to use his emergency supplies to wait out a blizzard. He agrees with his mom and is ready to work.
Chapter 5 Summary
The family retrieves their emergency supplies from their steel drums and begins to set up their tent for the night. They decide to walk to Glennallen, the nearest town, the next day and call their friend Uncle Solly for help. Jackson is nervous. The 20-mile, three-day walk into town is a long trek to do on foot in the wintertime, but he understands that they cannot survive in a tent with so little food.
Jackson is excited to reunite with his Uncle Solly and stay with him in Valdez, where Jackson has gone before for summertime trips. Jackson’s parents tell him that they’ll need to work to save up for supplies, and they’ll probably spend the whole spring and summer in Valdez before coming back to the cabin ruins to rebuild.
Chapters 1-5 Analysis
In the novel’s opening passages, author Tarshis introduces the main character, Jackson Barrett, and the string of challenges he faces during his unconventional childhood in 1960s Alaska. By showing how Jackson’s parents have trained him to anticipate and deal with dangerous situations, the author establishes the theme of The Survivalist Mindset. Unlike most children his age, Jackson spends much of his time alone in the remote wilderness and needs to be prepared for all kinds of hazards. By emphasizing the real dangers of off-grid living, Tarshis emphasizes that Mom, Dad, and Jackson have had to develop this mindset to survive the Alaskan conditions. She writes, “No, living here wasn’t always easy. Their cabin had no electricity or running water; their toilet was a hole in the ground. The forest was filled with grizzlies and wolves. A person had to be tough to live in the bush—Alaska tough” (11). Jackson’s memories of being lost in a blizzard highlight how “Alaska tough” he is. His inner monologue about the blizzard describes how quickly people can succumb to the typical hazards of life in the wild: “Blinded by snow, people roamed around and around in circles, until they were too exhausted to take another step. Finally, they dropped to the ground and gave up. Their bodies disappeared under a blanket of snow until the spring, when the wolves and vultures found them…and picked their bones clean” (20). This frightening image reveals Jackson’s do-or-die perspective as he quickly makes a shelter for himself to wait out the blizzard, knowing that if he fails, he might not make it home alive.
For the Barretts, being positive and ready to work is the most crucial part of their survivalist mindset. For example, when the family’s cabin burns down, Jackson’s mom, Deb, reminds him that they cannot dwell on their bad luck. Instead, he must think ahead and start working to survive the cold winter night: “‘You know what we have to do,’ Mom said in a low voice. ‘We have to get to work.’ Get to work. That was a Barrett family saying, almost like a prayer” (10). This positive and work-centered mindset adds realism to the story, deepening the authors’ exploration of the survivalist mindset by showing how Jackson and his parents overcome the challenges of off-grid living.
This connects to the theme of The Strength of Family Bonds in Times of Crisis, which Tarshis introduces here. When a starving grizzly bear raids the Barretts’s family cabin, they lean on each other for protection and support. As Jackson almost gives in to panic, his mom comforts him with a hug and reassuring words. The author writes, “Jackson fought tears and tried to steady his heart… Mom must have heard it too. ‘Hey,’ she said, gripping his shoulders. ‘We’re going to be all right’” (19). Tarshis describes how Mom and Dad keep the family calm and safe by creating an emergency plan. They teach Jackson by example as they follow their mantra of “Get to work”: “As they set up the tent, Mom and Dad worked out their plan. ‘We’ll stay here tonight,’ Dad said, grabbing a tent pole. ‘At sunrise, we’ll leave for Glennallen” (23). Mom and Dad’s reassurance and reliability keep the family bond strong as they navigate their unexpected crisis and take steps to adapt accordingly.
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