Grizzly Man

The documentary Grizzly Man is an intriguing video that I seem to have a hard time forgetting. The whole video is comprised of footage from this mans 13 summer voyage with these magnificent creatures. This man, Timothy Treadwell, spent summer after summer filming and trying to become one with these animals. There is much controversy over whether or not he should have been able to do this. I truly believe that however crazy it may be, this expedition into the wild with the Grizzlies is acceptable. I think his reasoning behind being out there with these animals is strong enough to permit him to do so. People think that this guy was crazy and disturbed. Who in their right mind would want to walk up to a Grizzly and pet it on its nose? Who would want to sleep every night in a little tent, providing very little protection? Why should this man be able to go into the wild and disturb these wild animals from their normal everyday lives? These are just a few questions that people may be asking themselves, and they definitely make for good debate. No one will ever truly understand what Treadwell was thinking but people will each have their interpretations. I believe that Treadwell’s past had a big influence on his decision to live in the wild with these animals. I have a good feeling that he might have been depressed to a certain degree. He was a heavy drinker, probably due to depression. In his early years he had a near fatal overdose, which for sure changed his perspective on life. He got injured during his younger years and lost his scholarship to the school of his choice. Also, his father mentioned that the thing that ruined him the most was probably not getting the job he applied for. Without understanding Treadwell’s background you may be quick to assume that he is a deranged and crazy man. I tend to believe that he is just very dedicated and addicted to his obsession of wildlife. “I had no life. Now I have a life.” This is a quote that Treadwell stated in his documentary. It shows you how he feels about his life. Before his experiences with the bears, he was depressed and considered himself to have no life. After his encounters with the bears, he claimed to have a life. So basically, I feel it all comes down to how poorly life was treating him before his travels into the wild. He found a new life and new friends on the flat lands of Alaska. It was here that he finally starts to realize that he belongs out with these bears. He thought the bears needed a caretaker, someone to look after them. Everything he did was with the right intention, but outsiders viewed it as not normal, crazy, and just plain right unacceptable. I agree with his morals and ideas of life. He truly wanted to become one with the bears. The more you know about these animals, the easier it is to understand them. I can relate to Treadwell in that I used to always go fishing when I was in the US. Everyday after school I would be out on the stream, deep down in the woods. I guess you could say fishing consumed my life. During these adventures each day, I would think of myself as a 20 inch palomino trout. If I were a trout, what kind of food would I want today? Its sunny, kind of windy and the water looks clear. These are things I thought about while I was wading up and down the stream. I really had to become one with the fish, so I could understand them, and in my case catch the fish. Treadwell was doing what he loved to do. I think people need to realize that what he was doing was for the good. Was he on his butt talking about what he COULD do? No. He was out doing it! That is something people don’t understand. His motives were all for a good cause. He wanted to become a better person. He wanted to create awareness around the world about the dangers of hunters and the dwindling populations of animals around the globe. He taught classes to young students in hopes of educating them about the problems these bears are facing. Throughout the movie you could really see the emotional side of Treadwell. You can tell that he was dedicated to these animals and would do anything to help them. I think the use of foul language is crucial to this documentary. Treadwell freely expressed all of his ideas. This makes me wonder, Did he want people to see this? What was his intention to do with all this footage? Would he have made his own documentary? Watching this video made me think of a lot of things. I thought about how very few people have such close connections with animals. I think its great that Treadwell had such close relationships with these Grizzlies and even the foxes. I thought it was amazing to see Treadwell interact with these wild animals. I think being able to form a relationship with the foxes made him that much more eager to form relationships with the bears. So all this comes down to one simple question. Was Timothy Treadwell a hero? I would start by pondering what exactly being a hero entails. When I hear the word hero, I think of someone who is admired for certain achievements or the bettering of society. So, would I classify Treadwell as a hero? I would have to say yes. He was out trying to make a difference in the world, regardless of what others thought. No not everyone agrees with what he was doing but you got to give him some credit for being an individual with drive and passion. He had a fond love for animals, more specifically, the grizzly bear, and didn’t let anyone stand in his way. I thought it was cool to see Treadwell walking with the bears in the very last scene. The whole movie Timothy wanted to become one with the bears and in the end that was the feeling I got. Its incredible to watch him get so close to these wonderful yet scary creatures. Timothy Treadwell’s story is the epitome of people taking their passions in life to the furthest extreme. He did what he loved, and no matter what people say about him, he had good intentions and died the only way he would have wanted to. RIP Timothy!

I could write so much more on this video, so if you have any questions let me know!