The story of Timothy Treadwell as documented by...himself...and presented to us by Werner Herzog is quite an interesting one. While there is no doubt that Tim has his mental issues, his time spent in pure nature can be treated like an experiment. How did it change him, if it did?
Tim's treks into the Alaskan wilderness did more than just raise awareness for grizzly bears and the problems that face them (or don't as argued by some experts in the film). He also managed to offend and enrage many people while acquiring the unending praises of others. Among the people he angered were the native Alaskans who have been living in harmony with the bears for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. His behavior, living with the bears in an attempt to become more like them, was seen as disrespectful to the bears.
Can a human ever truly become like a bear? Herzog would argue that we couldn't. His views on humanity seem to be that we are too different from what nature is. It's as if nature and humans are on a split timeline of evolution. Somewhere our paths diverged. Nature continued to act as it always had, only blinking when us humans meddled in its business. Humans on the other hand developed their own way to be and act which is completely unlike the savagery and chaos experienced in nature.
Treadwell would argue differently. He might say that humans are just another on a facet of the wondrous jewel which is nature. We can "transform" ourselves into the worlds which surround us. We can just fold ourselves into nature's gooey dough and act on our basic instincts in a completely natural fashion.
It would seem to me that the conclusion of Treadwell's filming contains the very answer we are searching for. In his death, we see that, despite his 13 summers of dedication to these animals, they still saw him as no more than a meal when they needed it most. He failed to become more than a means to make it through the winter. The dramatic transformation he was searching for was simply replaced with a sad struggle for life.
I like the way you describe how nature "only blinks" when humans interfere with it. I think that Treadwell would definitely have seen himself as a part of nature, but I'm not sure if he would put all humans in the same category. I think that after so many years of struggling against human society, he would have developed a negative attitude toward most humans. I think you put his life in a sad but true lens. However, to him, I think he would be happy to be "means to make it though the winter."
ReplyDeleteNick,
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate how you described nature and our relation to it. I think that there is evidence to Herzog's opinion of nature - Treadwell's death is a perfect example of it. It can be, in our eyes, cruel and unforgiving. Treadwell definitely had this idea that humans were the cause of everything wrong in the world - I think because of his experience with fellow humans, his view of them was skewed and not always justified. The two perspectives of nature definitely makes one think of said nature and if we can ever be truly integrated within it, as Treadwell seemed to be attempting to do.
Nick,
ReplyDeleteI really loved the way you presented this post. You had a sense of informality that some others did not, and it made for an interesting read. I really enjoyed your third paragraph, where you discussed Herzog's perspective of the connection between humans and nature. I thought it was interesting how you said, "It's as if nature and humans are on a split timeline of evolution." That's definitely a unique way of interpreting Herzog's perspective, and I think that it shows that you have a unique thought process. Sometimes I relate with Timothy because I, too, would like to fold [myself] into nature's gooey dough" XD
I agree that Treadwell was a very controversial topic. Even people almost always on the same side (e.g. nature lovers) took a split on their opinion of Treadwell. Some saw him as a great help while others saw him as just meddling. I believe your last paragraph really says all it needs to. The bears saw no love for him, no remembrance, just a feeble prey. Great blog post.
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