In both the documentary Grizzly Man and the novel Foe, I noticed one common theme above all others: the quest for truth. In the documentary, filmmaker Herzog attempts to chronicle the life of Timothy Treadwell by using sequences of the countless hours of video footage that Treadwell shot over the course of his last five summers in the Alaskan grizzly-bear infested wilderness. He conducted interviews with Treadwell's friends and family, in hopes of discovering the truth behind this unique man and his lifestyle. While Herzog's bias and manipulation is a different story, he still searches for a truth and eventually comes to a conclusion.
In Foe, we see the quest for truth arise with Susan trying to discover what is real in her life, with the search for her kidnapped daughter. When one day a girl comes up to Susan claiming to be her real daughter, she does not recognize the girl. Susan denies knowing the girl, because all she really knows is the daughter in the role of being lost. She then begins to question whether she is really real, and what her purpose is. Several examples can be brought up regarding the search for truth, but there is no doubt that it exists in both the documentary and the novel.
I agree with your connection between the two stories, but I think there's a deeper connection present in both. Both Treadwell and Susan are searching for a truth they themselves constructed, or at least says the lens through which we observe them. The grizzlies of Kodiak Island are among the most protected bears in the world, thanks both to location and government intervention, with Treadwell providing little to no additional safety. He searches for some truth of bear "culture" which he - and only he (almost) - believes exists. Yet, after 13 seasons in the backcountry, tread well's truth became survival and solitude, for which he searched relentlessly. Likewise, Susan adopts the unknown history of Cruso as her desired truth, even adopting his name in her efforts. Yet, after her initial search for her daughter, Susan's focus is completely devoted to sharing a story and caring for Friday, who arguably she adopts in place of a daughter.
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