Chris McCandless and Timothy Treadwell

The documentary Grizzly Man reminds me of the novel Into The Wild by John Krakauer. Not only do both of these works revolve around a wilderness plot, but both main characters display similar characteristics.  Chris McCandless drastically differs with Treadwell prior to his excursions, but amidst his wild adventures McCandless demonstrates very similar qualities to Treadwell.  McCandless denied any assistance or money from others because he believed he could overcome the wild without such objects.  I feel as though this correlates to how Treadwell refused to listen to people about his safety, and how he felt obliged to “protect” grizzly bears even though they appear to be fine on their own.  Both main characters exhibit a salutary neglect of the dangers they expose themselves to and neither valued money.  Chris McCandless donated his $25,000 college fund while Treadwell refused payment for his lectures on grizzly bears.  Also, both McCandless and Treadwell both meet their fate through following their passions.  McCandless was believed to have perished from eating a poisonous plant, but now we are finding that he actually died from starvation.  Treadwell ultimately died from a grizzly bear attack, which he seems to expect was coming from a hyper aggressive bear.  Both of these stories have numerous correlations other than just the superficial wilderness plot.  However, Treadwell’s story adapts into a hollywood story while McCandless found no fame until after his death.  This gives Treadwell’s story a manipulative feel to it.  The different perspectives of Treadwell provided by his acquaintances seem to seek the audience’s approval rather than telling his actual story.  Also, Treadwell begins to make his story with the thought of a national audience in his mind, which also contributes to the feel of seeking the audience’s approval.  Ultimately, Treadwell’s story does not seem genuine while McCandless’ story does.