A Different Side of Nature

             The film Grizzly Man documents Timothy Treadwell, a man hopelessly enamored with nature, specifically grizzly bears. In this film, the viewer is taken on Treadwell's journey of "saving" and "protecting" the Grizzlies of Alaska, particularly on Kodiak Island. Treadwell experiences a deep connection to these animals, and the nature that surrounds him. This strong love for both things often causes him to become suspicious of people who he believes are out to discredit him, and harm the bears. The director of Grizzly Man, Werner Herzog, gives his opinion, which is almost polar opposite to Treadwell's, in regards to nature. He believes that Treadwell's love for nature and belief that he could become one with it and specifically the bears, is misplaced. Herzog's take is that nature is chaotic and unbalanced. It is inherently bad and as human beings, it is not our place to become one with it, but rather distance ourselves from it. 
         Timothy Treadwell eventually died by being eaten by a bear, along with his girlfriend at the time. According to many of his friends and relatives, he would've been happy at the time of his death. By being eaten, he was in a way providing for the bears as was his "duty" the good thirteen years he spent in Alaska. The cause of Treadwell's death would've been solid proof of Herzog's belief that nature is inherently bad, and unforgiving toward human beings. The bear did not view Treadwell as he viewed it. It was by no means a mutual love - the bear did what it needed to survive, never taking into account the life he was ending. 
         Treadwell definitely wouldn't have taken the side of Herzog and been at all under the assumption that nature is evil, if he was seeing another person being eaten by a bear, or their death caused by a bear. Treadwell's opinion would have been, probably more so than before, that nature is beautiful and we as human beings, can integrate ourselves into it if we act as "warriors" and be strong. He would've viewed this event as a lack of conviction on the human's part. This, in my eyes, is direct proof that Treadwell saw a different side of nature than Herzog. This could be because of his experiences with human beings and his fascination with the bears, but nature to him was sacred and worth dying for.