Where the Grizzly Men Are

 Jennifer Spatz

Geography 101

April 7th 2021

Simpson

Where the Grizzly Men Are

Timothy Treadwell was the subject of a nature documentary made in 2005 called Grizzly Man. This documentary was made by Werner Herzog, who captures the natural essence of Treadwell and his relationship to the environment and the world around him. He shows Treadwell as a naturalist in an innocent light by which he is charismatic and respectful with nature to disrupt it in such a way that allows him to intertwine with its naturally occurring patterns and create a double-sided relationship to it. The essay, Survival, Alaska Style, by Susan Kollin, analyzes this documentary, Treadwell, and what nature means in modern culture and environmental crises. 

The relationship between humans and nature is a very complex one, one that is heavily influenced by the ever-changing media. We are seeing an increase in the popularity of survivalists living amongst the wild, untamed nature with limited help or preparation. There are TV shows, books, sports, and movies that promote living off of the wild land and partaking in survival experiences that shape personality and determine skills that are unnatural to humans at this point in time. There is an increasing interest in the consumption and the exploitation of the wild environment because people get inspired by these “pioneers” who find their own journeys in the wild. 

The state of Alaska is a prime example of the battle between the journey of human nature and wild nature. There is a social fight present in which humans are finding their place within nature, and seeing what the result of that looks like. With the increasing popularity of “adventure”, nature is becoming lessened in its effects on human life due to the seekers of the wild experience. This phenomenon makes Treadwell’s experience, which was once exotic and unfamiliar to the media, nonunique and lacking in singularity. With these trends continuing, the phenomenal stories, such as Treadwell’s, where people connect with nature in a wild and unique way are seeming to be less and less insignificant.