Watching Grizzly Man for the third time, first out of a lens of a naïve
consumer, second in my “Animals in Literature” English class, and now looking
for the “truth and lies” I see a different side of Timothy Treadwell. Although
it seems as though Timothy was not protecting the bears, and even possibly
putting them in danger, he believed that he was saving them. This brings me
back to the religion of Bokononism in Cat’s
Cradle, which is based on lies that raise the general happiness of the
population. Treadwell used to be depressed and an addict and “taking care” of
the bears presented as a purpose of life to him. He devoted his life to the
bears and managed to cut out alcoholism from his life, an incredibly hard task
for addicts. Timothy fulfilled his life doing what he loved and said himself “I
will die for these bears”. Although
Timothy didn’t particularly know this was a lie, like they do in Bokononism,
spending his summers with the bears made him happy. He was able to live the
rest of the year with his mind at ease, knowing, or thinking, he was doing good
for the bears. His trips also inspired projects and visitations to schools,
which kept him busy during the year and brought happiness to him and the people
around him. Maybe Treadwell did not do a great deal for the protection of
wildlife as a whole, but he fulfilled his life and died for, what he thought
was, a noble cause.
I like how you were able to make a connection between Grizzly Man and Cat's Cradle. I never really thought about Timothy this way. When I was watching the documentary I could only really think that Timothy was delusional to think that he was needed on federally protected lands and that he could somehow protect the bears. But Timothy was almost living by the foma. Maybe he knew that he wasn't actually making a difference by staying with the bears, but convincing himself he was doing something important gave him purpose. Creating this 'mission' for himself made him feel needed and brought him the happiness that he couldn't find anywhere else. Ultimately he was able to do what he loved even if it was extreme and more than just a little crazy.
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