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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