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Understanding the Misunderstood Blair Luchs

Henry David Thoureau, one of America’s most influential writers on nature, once

said that, “A man's interest in a single bluebird is worth more than a complete but dry list

of the fauna and flora of a town.” In other words observing and understanding nature and

the beauty of its surroundings, can be far more valuable to a man then reading about it in

the books given to him by society. Relatively, in this paper, I will reflect on the main

characters of the two films of Into the Wild and Grizzly Man, who are adventure seekers

who use nature as an outlet to escape their societal attachments, but differ in the ways in

which they approach it, including their differences in maturity, interaction with people

along the way, as well as the ways and times in which they express their emotions.

Tim Treadwell, who stars himself as the main character in his documentary film,

Grizzly Man, is an average sized blonde man from California, who fancies himself to be

the soul protector of wild bears in the Alaskan wilderness. Tim spends thirteen summers

in Alaska living and interacting with the bears and other wild animals, believing that he is

their last line of defense from being wiped out by intruders to the land such as poachers

and hunters. He is a man of good intentions who struggles with the norms of societal

behavior, and developing bonds with other people. He uses bears and the wilderness each

summer as a scapegoat to his struggles. Ironically, his love for bears becomes his ultimate

downfall when he is viciously attacked until his death, dyeing from the sole animal he

fought to protect and live with all those years.

Into the Wild is a movie based on the true story of the life of Christopher

Mccandles, a bright and gifted man, who also ventures out into nature to escape the

bonds of society. Chris is a well-educated graduate of Emory University, who spends

most of his college years fumbling through biography after biography about naturists who

had detached themselves from society and gone out into nature to find their true purpose

in the world. Chris, who had already been fed up with society and its desire for

materialistic objects, becomes infatuated with this idea and believes he must also take the

same journey. After graduating, he takes the first chance he gets and leaves his life

behind without a trace to follow him. He goes to multiple places along his way including

farming in the Midwest and kayaking the Colorado River, with the ultimate goal of

arriving in the Alaskan wilderness. Mccandles, when arriving at his destination point of

Alaska, unfortunately is stricken with paralysis and an inability to eat and digest food

when he eats a poisonous plant. This eventually leads to his death as he slowly

diminishes from the world, cold and alone.

Tim Treadwell treats the wild as would a child, while Mccandles approaches it in

a more serious manner. Treadwell gives names to every bear and wild animal he sees and

interacts with, relating to a child playing make believe with stuffed creatures and other

immanent objects. Tim even recalls every bear he names to the exact detail as if he were

a child living amongst his family of bears. It is almost as if Tim is trapped in his

imagination of a Disney fairy tail movie where all the creatures of the wild are his best

friends and he lives happily among them. Tim also survives day to day in the wild in a

very ironic manner to what would typically be demanded by the extreme danger of the

Alaskan wilderness. As what most people would expect a six year old to pack to eat,

Tim’s diet consists of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and candy, further exemplifying

Tim’s childlike ways of desiring sugar-based products that serve no nutritional value.

Tim’s ability to be the writer, director, and star of his own film, allows him

to freely be himself and incorporate any of his own opinions in the film. Tim

desires to use his films to educate and enlighten an audience about the true nature

Alaskan bears. Tim dominantly acts with a “child like persona” throughout his films,

portraying his journey comparable to a children’s bedtime story. Along with his child

like diet of sweets, and continuous jubilant attitude in front of the camera, Tim’s story

targets and is the prime candidate of educating the youth about wild bears and the

wilderness itself. Brinks, Ellen. Uncovering the Child in Timothy Teadwell’s Feral

Tale: Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008. P. 305

Tim’s preparedness for survival in the wild matches that of what a child would bring if

their parents let them have their way. Instead of bringing hearty, nutritional food that will

be of value necessary for his survival, he ignorantly brings sweets like a child would

prefer at the dinner table instead of what is good for them. Christopher Mccandles, on the

other hand, comes fully prepared and equipped with tools and food necessary for his

survival, including scout books on finding edible berries and a rifle for food and his own

protection. Mccandles is on a whole different maturity dimension then Treadwell,

understanding that the wild is not some game or fairy tale to be underestimated with

candy and child like imagination. Furthermore, Mccandles hunts for his food and is

constantly trying to find ways to get the best and most nutritional value out of the

vegetation and game surrounding him. He comes to the wilderness with nothing but tools

in which he leaves upon himself to figure out how to utilize, showing the planning and

responsibility he has as a grown adult. Mccandles possesses the mental capability of

being able to shoot and kill an animal if it ensures survival, where Treadwell states in the

film that he would never hurt an animal no matter what it came to. In other words,

Treadwell states that he would rather die then take an animal’s life in its own habitat.

Treadwell believed the only weapon he needed for protection from the

bears and the wild was that of unwavering kindness. He had convinced

himself that if he was in the wilderness protecting the bears of Alaska,

nothing could happen to him because he was on an “alien mission” and

would not be harmed if he always expressed a kind attitude. Zasky,

Jason. Bear with Me: www.failuremag.com, 2003, P.1

Tim and Mccandles also contrast in their interaction and social ability with other

people, as well as attracting counterparts. When Tim is in the wilderness, he keeps

himself completely isolated from other human beings even when others attempt to

interact with him. Tim feels that when he is in the wild, he is part of the bears’ family,

and feels that other people are nothing but intruders and uninvited guests barging in on

his land. Primitively, he sees the Alaskan wilderness as his territory and does not want to

share it with anyone else in fear of it being taken over. Treadwell also vents in several

scenes of his documentary about his struggle to form romantic relationships with women.

He is constantly questioning the reason for which the opposite sex has never been that

attracted to him, even though he feels like he is a man of good physical and mental

qualities. This may contribute to the reason behind Treadwell’s extreme affection and

attachment towards bears. Oppositely, Mccandles does try and keep himself isolated from

people, but accepts the chance of interaction when offered. He sees opportunity for

further education on survival from other people, and interestingly forms a very close

bond to another family who starts become more to him like his own parents then his

biological ones ever did. Chris is very gifted socially, easily forming new friendships

with strangers he meets along his journey. Everyone he meets seems to want to learn

more and more about him and are intrigued by his cause for running away from home.

Interestingly, unlike Treadwell, Mccandles never seems to possess any desire for

romance. He is a very good conversationalist and attracts women easily, but never

comments nor takes the opportunity for romance when given. The only stable

relationship in his life with another woman, comes ironically from his sister, being that

she is the only one he writes letters to and somewhat keeps in touch with along the way.

He may feel that relationships will only provide distractions and get in the way of his

goal of enlightenment in the wilderness.

Finally, Mccandles and Treadwell differ in the methods and times in which they

express themselves, as well as their realizations of fate. Tim shoots his journey in the

wilderness on camera with his own designs and preferences. He has the capability of

putting his life on film, giving the audience a vivid picture and description of what he is

feeling and going through at various times. He uses the camera as a way to vent himself

and capture his roller coaster of emotions, so the audience may see the different sides of

his conscious. Tim also comes to many realizations throughout different time frames of

his stays. Tim even understands and accepts his fate of his dangerous life in in the wild

by being perfectly content with his understanding of the inevitability of his death in the

wilderness. When interviewed at the start of his films, Tim admits to the camera that he

knows he will probably die in Alaska and can sense the “death on his fingers”. On the

other hand, Mccandles records all of his experiences and thoughts in a personal journal.

Unlike the camera where a given emotion is understood easily with eyewitness, the

journal makes it particularly difficult for the makers of the film to fully capture and

comprehend Mccandles’ exact thoughts at a given time in his adventure, because words

can be expressed and understood in many different contexts that could prove inaccurate

to an authors true feeling. Also, Mccandles is seeking his own realization while living in

the wild, but, unlike Treadwell, does not find it until the very end when he is on his

deathbed. Furthermore, when Mccandles was planning and experiencing his adventure,

he had every intention of coming back to civilization once he had obtained his inner truth.

He knew the risks of being on his own in the wild, yet unlike Treadwell, believed his fate

to be in civilized society amongst people he loved. His difference in realization of fate to

Treadwell’s is that he did not accept his death until it became an impossibility for him to

live, while Treadwell knew what his death was going to be and accepted it with a full

possibility of living. It becomes clear in the movie that Chris has always struggled to find

what makes him feel content and truly happy. Chris has no desire for materialistic objects

because they can never give him a true and lasting sense of self worth. Chris finally

discovers his real answer only when he has become completely isolated and is going to

die on his own. He realizes that his problem stemmed from never truly opening up to

anyone and experiencing the delight of life with other people. He comes to conclusion in

the final passage of his journal that the fruits of life are enjoyed around other people

because “happiness is only real when shared.”

In conclusion, Mccandles and Treadwell share a common dilemma of finding

where they fit in in the world. They detached themselves from the constraints of society

and left everything behind, only to find out what they yearned for so badly was right in

front of them from the beginning; family, love, and the ability to experience happiness

with others. What is unexpected is that the cause of their death came from what they were

there in the first place for. They turned to nature in hope of finding the answer to what

they so intensely wanted to know, only to find out what they were missing all along was

waiting for them at home. After all of the drastic strides to find these answers, it seems

unfortunate that they were only able to use this knowledge once it was too late.

Mccandles and Treadwell may have died before their time, but what they were so

fortunate in finding was the ability to accept death with no regrets. Their methods for

finding happiness may have been a bit extreme and nutty at times, but they both

understood the value of experiencing hands on nature and the amount of education it has

to offer. The real fruit of education lies in experience.

Blair Luchs

8/31/11

Putting the fans in the stands:

Vince Lombardi, one of the greatest football minds of all time, once said, “ Some people

try to find things in this game that don't exist, but football is only two things - blocking

and tackling.” In other words, football is a game to be watched and played solely on its

basics, which are the players doing their duties and the coaches telling them how best to

do their duties. Nothing Else. I think Danny Hope has a good sense of the idea that the

players are meant to play and the spectators and meant to spectate. The spectators

criticizing Hope think they know a lot about football because they show up to games on

Saturday afternoons in their, “nosebleed” seats, tailgating and drinking beer, and fancy

themselves as experts. They have not spent one day in a football coaches shoes; watching

film, making game plans, preparing and giving speeches to young, nervous players, and

yet they are suddenly God’s football gift to earth? I would compare them to the typical

obnoxious sports dad. You know, the one that is always yelling right next to your ear on

every play, and always has something to preach to the coach after a lost game? Schools

and owners hire their coaches because they know he or she has what it takes to lead a

team to victory. If a coach didn’t have that ability, wouldn’t it become obvious to these

owners to get rid of them and find a new one? In closing, imagine getting off after a long

days of work, and as soon as you walk out the door, hundreds of people yelling at you

about how you didn’t do your job right and how they knew better. Shouldn’t they worry

about their own business?

At the end of a hard days work there’s nothing better than coming to theuniversity dorms to get some much needed rest. The dorm, with its state of the art security systerm that requires a student id of a resident, provides a true sense of comfort.and security to the individual who just seeks to rest and relax. Loud noise is prohibited after 10 pm so individualsdo not have to listen to the newest drake album in the middle of the nightwhen they have an 830 am class the nect day. The dorm’s many perks when they have an 830 am class the nect day. The dorm’s many perks range from computer labs to showers to kitchen ware to make a home cooked meal. There is nothing you can’t nd to satisfy every living need. This represents the close of my day.

Revive

After watching the sun rise and getting ready for the day, Tarkington’sdownstsairs gym is the next objective to be crossed off my list. Not onlydoes it serve me as a method to stay healthy and in shape, but also serves as the perfect outlet to relieve some of my much built up stressthat college is notorious for giving. The different parts of the seat highlighted by the hue and contrast represent the many different waysand positions I can incorporate my routine. This is a very important and positions I can incorporate my routine. This is a very important apsect to my day because it keeps me from going o er the edge of stress.

Push

The iDesk is one of the most valuable assets a resourceful student at PurdueUniversity can use. With its expansive variety of supplies which are loaned to the student free of charge for as long as needed, this can be the ultimatetime and penny saver to the typical broke and restless college student. This place has everything from cameras to headphones, from tools to usb cables. The friendly staff is very knowledgeable and can easily help you find anythingyou will need for a particular task. Nothing is better to come to, providingyou will need for a particular task. Nothing is better to come to, providingan excellent alernative to spending thousands of dollars on equipment.

Welcome to one of many of the itap labs Purdue University provides all around campus. There is no place better to come to for any technologicalissue or project to be taken care of. Every computer is equiped with all the latest and updated programs a student could possibly need toget an assignment done. The computers are so handy that they even have help bars that can answer an unfamiliar student’s question about a particular program. Run out of ink for your printer in yout room? No particular program. Run out of ink for your printer in yout room? No problem. iTap provides students with the ability to print anything on campus using their purue log in id.

iUtilize

,

Being that I don’t have my car here at Purdue with my present freshman status, I have incorporated into my daily routine my skateboard as my primary method of transportation. I have grown to use it so much that when I don’t have it sitting next to me in class, it feels as if a part of me is missing. It is my favorite way to get around because of its many diverse aspects.; getting me to class on time, serving as a fun hobby to get better and better at, as well as being serving as a fun hobby to get better and better at, as well as being easily transported without needing the use of an expensive lock.

Something I have done as long as I can remember, is waking up whenever possible to watch the sun rise. Rising with the sun gets my mind set for the day and never fails to give me a fantastic view. Although corny, I believe setting your biological clock in unisonto the sun’s keeps you at one with the world and I feellike the rest of my day is off balance if I do not do it. like the rest of my day is off balance if I do not do it.

Reading the same text over and over again and battling the urge to shut those eyes? Give your mind a break and head down to the Hick’s underground cafe. This quick stop will provide you with everything your tired mind needs for a boost.The products sold herewill satisfy any mood or taste with it’s many delectable snacks and caffiene related products.(if a bit of a heavier boost is needed) The staff is typically students who are easy to talk to and understand the staff is typically students who are easy to talk to and understand the necessity of quickness. My favorite place to come when I can’t possibly read one more word of homework or just planning an all nighter.

At the end of every day, the perfect place to come and crank out school work is the Hick’s underground student library. Half the place does not even have cellular reception serving as the perfect blockade of distraction. My friends and I will go in this conference in the room and go over anything we didn’t quite understand. This room serves as a valuable tool to be productive and lets you get away from the secluded dorm room and be with friends. dorm room and be with friends.

Blair Luchs 8/23/11

Creative Writing Assignment The definition of being creative is to relate or involve the imagination of original

ideas. Constructing a piece of creative work, to me, is exactly what the definition of

creative states in that in order for a work to be “creative,” it needs contain an original

idea, and an imaginative mind to create that idea. Any work can be considered creative in

and of itself if it falls in to these previous categories, regardless of opinion. By exercising

their imaginative skills, a writer learns to look inward upon themselves and can learn a lot

about who they are and what they believe in. In order for Dilbert to make his poem more

creative, he needs to add life and his own insight to the poem. A poem without life is like

a rose without petals. It my still be and appear to be a rose, but without its petals, there is

no beauty to be pondered upon. Any simple being, in this case a monkey, can create a

simple set of words that do not have much meaning, but in order for it to be creative, it

needs to have something far deeper that clearly shows a lot of thought process. Dr. Seuss

once said in order to stem imagination, one must, “Think and wonder, wonder and think."

Seuss is saying that thinking and imagination work hand in hand with each other and

without one, it is impossible to form the other. This is what Dogbert is trying to get

across to Dilbert in that he is “a monkey” if he just rights words on paper without adding

any true meaning to the words. For instance, an infant can memorize how to count to ten,

but if asked to answer what one plus three is, it will not be able to answer. In conclusion,

in order for a creative work to be conceived three questions should be answered. Is my

work Creative? Did my creative work require a lot of thinking on my part? Is my work

original?