In the NPR piece as well as his own videos, Timothy Treadwell appears as having created his own perception of reality distant from the one perceived by most. Treadwell believes the Grizzly Bears are his comrades and that they trust him, yet as most people know Grizzlies are the most violent bears in North America. He sets out to study these bears and live among them for many years. To a rational civilian this would seem outlandish, but to Timothy Treadwell, this is the only reality he can thrive in. According to his Wikipedia page, he attributes his recovery from alcohol and heroine addictions entirely to the bears. The bears cloud his judgement and become his obsession until he is unable to live without them. Ultimately he is killed by the one thing that helps him escape from reality, the bears.
Hmmm... Where have I heard this before. Oh year Cat's Cradle, The Things They Carried, and An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. In all three narratives, people attempt to escape from their dismal depressing realities through religion, fantasy, objects, and science among others. Similar to many of the characters in these stories, Timothy Treadwell uses the bears as an escape. His work allows him to live apart from society and on his own terms similar to many of the Bokononists in Cat's Cradle. Treadwell uses his study of bears as an escape from facing reality. His misperception however, ultimately results in the death of Treadwell and his girlfriend. Had he been more conscious of the eminent danger he was so frequently warned about, he might have lived.
You're absolutely right that this is another example of someone trying to save themselves and escape. The character O'Brien uses stories to save himself and keep himself alive after living through incredible pain and suffering. Treadwell nearly drank himself to death and believes the bears saved him. The repetition both O'Brien and Treadwell exhibit also speaks to this need to continuously attempt to save oneself. O'Brien tells many stories through multiple books. He tells stories about repetition and retells or refocuses his stories throughout The Thing They Carried. Treadwell returns to the National Park for 13 summers. Both O'Brien and Treadwell seem to need this repetition and perpetual "saving" or "escape."
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