Jillian Chyriwski

Emre Koyuncu

English 106

October 23, 2011

Living in the Wild

Alan Alda once said, “You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the

wilderness of your intuition. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover is

yourself.” Living in a materialistic world where people are seen to be the root of all evil, one

may lose sight of who they are and what truly matters. The only way to find oneself and to

achieve a dream or goal, one must leave what they know behind and venture off into the “wild”

to find what he/she is searching for. Christopher McCandless and Timothy Treadwell found who

they were and what they were searching for when they left their comfort zone and ventured off

into the wilderness of their intuition.

Grizzly Man and Into the Wild are similar in the aspect that both the main characters

wanted to escape “reality” and venture into the wild. The story depicted in Grizzly Man is a more

credible representation of reality, due to the fact that it is a documentary, unlike Into the Wild,

which is a feature film that re-enacts the journey of Christopher McCandless. Grizzly Man shows

the emotional and physical journey of the real Timothy Treadwell; the emotions Timothy express

classify him as a child, unlike Christopher. The actions that both McCandless and Treadwell take

throughout their journeys, is a representation of who they are as a person. The way they act, talk,

interact with others, and behave in certain situations, gives the viewer the insight to classify them

as a certain type of person, being it sensitive or manly.

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Both films center on two characters that veer away from conventional society and break

off to achieve a new life on their own terms. Timothy Treadwell and Christopher McCandless

move on with the belief that no harm could come to them. For Timothy, he had already faced the

worst and feels the bears are what saved him from himself. In Christopher’s defense, he comes

from a corrupt, materialistic based life and believes life on his own, without the burden of

material possessions, will help make him happier and free from the sick society he grew up in.

The character’s ways of thinking and going about achieving their dreams set them up for their

tragic endings.

Into the Wild portrays the journey of Christopher McCandless. Christopher grew up in a

loving family, but his parents were always in constant argument. Their lives revolved around

material and physical objects. Christopher; ironically, was opposite to his parents. He did not

believe that material goods were components of happiness. After graduating from Emory

University, Christopher wants to escape his lifestyle. He destroys his credit cards, identification

and donates all his money. He ventures into the wild but does not tell his family where he is

going or what he is doing; he does not want to keep in touch with his parents but occasionally

gets in touch with his sister. In order to fully reinvent himself from his past life, Christopher

changes his name to Alexander Supertramp. Christopher funds his journey by working for a

harvesting company. Throughout Christopher’s journey, he meets a hippie couple that lets him

tag along for a few days. After leaving the couple and continuing his journey, he once again runs

into the hippie couple and stays with them until after the holidays. Christopher leaves the couple

and camps out in California. While in California, he encounters an old man and spends several

months with him. After about six months of traveling, Christopher makes its to Alaska and

occupies an abandoned bus. Life becomes challenging for Christopher when he realizes that true

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happiness can only be found when shared with others. Unfourtantly, Christopher is unable to

survive long enough to make it back to his family because he accidentally poisons himself by

eating a poisonous berry.

Grizzly Man is the story of Timothy Treadwell. Every summer for thirteen years,

Timothy traveled to Alaska in order to protect the grizzly bears. Timothy believed that the bears

needed someone to protect them from the hunters and the poachers and believed he was that

person. Throughout his stays with the grizzlies, Timothy became attached to the bears. He gave

them names and would tell them that he loved them and would talk to them as if they could

understand him. In addition to the emotions Timothy felt for these animals, he would also change

his behaviors and mimic the actions and movements of the grizzlies; he wanted to be one with

them. Timothy recorded his journeys in order to inform people about what he was trying to do;

the more aware people were of these animals, the less, he thought, they would be hunted and

harmed. During the film, Timothy’s past is brought to the audiences’ attention. He grew up in a

loving family, but as he got older he got caught up in the wrong lifestyle. He moved to California

to pursue an acting career. After being rejected for a part in a show called Three’s Company,

Timothy got caught up in drugs. He needed a way to get clean and by going to Alaska to protect

the bears, Timothy believed that the grizzlies are what helped him. He would never do anything

to harm an animal. Timothy would say that if an animal took his life he would let it happen, he

would not fight back and harm the animal. Ironically, a grizzly took his life. He was attacked and

eaten along with his girlfriend of the time.

In both films, the main characters wanted to escape “reality”; however, their reasoning

for venturing into the wild is different. Timothy Treadwell traveled to Alaska every summer for

thirteen years in order to “protect” the bears. Timothy faced personal demons, a mysterious and

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difficult past, paranoia and a guiding obsession to protect, live among, and capture on film the

grizzly bears of the Alaskan Peninsula (Ingman). Timothy believed that the only way to stop the

poachers and hunters was to live with the bears and watch over them; he was their sole protector

and if he could not protect the grizzlies, who could? He wanted to take what he knew about the

grizzlies and inform people about what was going on. The more people knew about these

animals the more they would “respect” them and not hunt them for game. The love Timothy had

for the grizzlies is clearly shown in this documentary. He goes to the extremes of concealing

himself in the bushes and trees in order to avoid hunters and park rangers in order to achieve his

goal: protect the grizzly bears. Although Timothy received threats from some hunters, it did not

stop him for going to the Alaskan Peninsula every summer. He saw the hunters as a challenge

that he had to overcome and was willing to do whatever it took to keep the grizzlies out of harms

way. Timothy’s death can be seen as a paradox because after his death, his message was able to

reach out to more people.

On the other hand, for Christopher McCandless, he wanted to find himself. Christopher

was tired of the sick society he was living in. As he saw it, people were bad to each other and are

often judgmental and controlling. The materialistic desire of people corrupted society.

Christopher grew up in a household where material possessions were the basis of the family. His

parents offered him materialistic goods but Christopher did not want them. They were not

components of happiness and he saw money as a way of making people cautious. In order to

escape his materialistic society, Christopher burned his credit cards, his identification, pretty

much everything that would classify him as Christopher McCandless. He also changed his name

to Alexander Supertramp to further enhance the fact that he is separating himself from his

materialistic life. Christopher was set on heading out on his own and nothing was going to

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change his mind. “There was just no talking the guy out of it,” James Gallien, the last person to

see Christopher during his journey, recalls. “ He was determined. He couldn’t wait to head out

there and get started” (Krakauer). According to “Death of an Innocent”, Christopher did not want

to know what time it is, what day it is or where he was; none of that mattered (Krakauer). The

soul purpose of his journey was to escape society and if that meant not contacting his family for

nearly three years, Christopher was willing to take the chance.

Even though Grizzly Man and Into the Wild were the stories of real people, Grizzly Man

is classified as a documentary, while Into the Wild is a feature film. Grizzly Man is the actual

footage shot by Timothy Treadwell every summer he went to live with the bears. Into the Wild is

a re-enactment of what could have been the journey of Christopher McCandless.

An actor in Into the Wild played Christopher McCandless. An actor cannot properly

capture and portray the true feelings of another person. The way the feelings and emotions of

Christopher were portrayed in the film, most likely were not exactly the way the real Christopher

had expressed himself during certain parts in his journey. Also, not every detail was documented

during Christopher’s journey. The directors had a base for their film but not all the details were

there. It is unsure which scenes really happened and which were made up for entertainment

purposes.

In comparison, Grizzly Man is a documentary. It posses the emotions of Timothy

Treadwell and portrays the physical and emotional journey Timothy went on to protect the

grizzly bears. The footage that put together the film was actual footage taken by Timothy

throughout his summers with the bears. His emotions were true. Timothy poured his heart and

soul into his work. His mood changed throughout his stay and it is clearly shown. Throughout his

stays with the bears, Timothy encounters extreme highs and lows.

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The emotions portrayed by both Timothy and Christopher made them who they are. The

way the react to certain situations and behave when things do not go the way they planned,

enable the viewer to figure out what kind of person they are or may turn out to be. The more

emotional a scene is, the stronger the emotions Timothy and Christopher will display; whether it

is in a masculine or childish way.

The difference between the two is that unlike Christopher McCandless, Timothy

Treadwell is referred to as a child. The way he behaves and his attitude towards the bears are

seen as childish ways. Timothy refused to adopt the masculinity of the hunter that keeps wild

animals at a distance; he sought out physical contact (Brinks 306). Timothy constantly showed

love and affection to the bears. He would tell the bears “I Love You” and give them names. This

act is compared to the way a child would interact with stuffed animals or dolls; they treat them as

if they are real and have feelings and emotions. Also, Timothy would pick up on the behaviors of

the grizzlies in order to be one with them. He would mimic the actions and movements of the

bears. This type of behavior resembles the way a child mimics the actions and behaviors of

his/her parents, family members or other people surrounding him/her. Timothy, also, had a diet

consistent of a child. He would eat peanut butter sandwiches and candy. The food he brought had

no nutritious value for him and resembled what a child’s lunch would be if he/she were able to

pack lunch. “Treadwell projects a child-like persona, conveyed in part by his abundant energy;

by his “Prince Valiant” haircut; by his diet of peanut butter sandwiches, candy bars, and Coke;

and by the presence of his childhood teddy bear as tent-mate” (Brinks 305). Adult viewers wrote

of Timothy as infantile (Brinks 305).

To question Timothy’s manliness can seem ironic. He chose to spend his summers with

Alaskan bears, animals who are large in size and dangerous in strength (Brinks 310). Timothy

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lived with these dangerous bears with no firearms; however, his masculinity is still questioned

because of the way he treats the bears. People were so appalled by the way he acted, they sent

hate mail. It was said that he got what he deserved and the only tragedy was that his girlfriend’s

life was taken with his.

Unlike Timothy, Christopher can be seen as a man in the eyes of the viewer. The viewer

never has a reason to question his manliness. He ventured off on his own, like Timothy;

however, Christopher did what he had to do to survive. If that meant having to kill animals to

gain food, he would, while Timothy would never harm an animal. Christopher associated himself

with others he came in contact with and did not stay isolated. He did not act “childish” when it

came to getting help. Christopher wanted to find himself on his own, but he was not scared to ask

for help if he needed it. Also, unlike Timothy, Christopher did not bring much with him. He had

to hunt for his food and find other ways to survive. According to James Gallien, the man that

drove Christopher to the edge of Denali National Park in Alaska, stated that Christopher’s

backpack appeared to weigh only 25 or 30 pounds, which seemed like a “light load for a three-

month sojourn into the backcountry” (Krakauer). Hunting, hiking, and venturing off into the wild

with not much to keep him alive can let the viewer refer to Christopher to as a man. Christopher

did not express his emotions the way Timothy had. The only time the viewer actually saw

Christopher break down was at the end of the film when he knew his time was up and he would

not be able to make it out alive.

Both films depict the lives of two very different men who traveled into the wilderness to

achieve a goal of their own. The reasons for their journeys are different; however, they both felt

they had to venture off in order to be a “better” person. Timothy Treadwell had to protect the

Alaskan grizzly bears, while Christopher McCandless needed to escape the sick society he was

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living in. The way they react and behave when put in different situations, separate the two.

Timothy’s actions portray him as a child because of the way he mimics and treats the grizzlies.

“Rejecting the middle-class path of professional success and happiness, Treadwell substitutes

another fantasy and “starts all over again” as a child among the animals” (Brinks 308).

Christopher is not specifically referred to as a man, but compared to Timothy, his hunting and

ways of survival help the viewer classify him as a man. John Krakauer, the author of Into the

Wild, states that:

“Engaging in risky behavior is a rite of passage in our culture no less than in most

others. It can be argued that youthful derring-do is in fact evolutionarily adaptive, a

behavior encoded in our genes. McCandless, in his fashion, merely took risk-taking to its

logical extreme” (Lehmann-Haupt).

These two films may be two different stories about two completely different men, but they both

end the same way: in tragedy. Timothy and Christopher’s dream to do something more with their

lives and participate in something bigger than themselves, led to their belief that they could not

be harmed. Ironically, both characters are harmed in the end trying to find themselves and

venture off into the wilderness of their intuition.

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Works Cited

Brinks, Ellen. “Uncovering the Child in Timothy Treadwell’s Feral Tale.” The Lion and the Unicorn. 32.3 (2008): 304-323. ProQuest Research Library. Web. 10 Dec. 2011.

Ingman, Marrit. "Discord and Ecstasy Werner Herzog on 'Grizzly Man'." Austin Chronicle 19 Aug 2005. n. pag. Web. 23 Oct. 2011.

Krakauer, John. "Death of an Innocent." Independent 11 Apr 1993. n. pag. Web. 23 Oct. 2011.

Lehmann-Haupt, Christopher. "Taking Risk to Its 'Logical' Extreme." New York Times 04 Jan 1996. late ed n. pag. Web. 23 Oct. 2011.

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