"Tragic Hero"

Grizzly Man by Werner Herzog (DVD)
Treadwell lived with grizzlies in Alaska for parts of 13 summers with no means of protection.  And though he was no hero, at least not in the way we usually think about heroes, I think it would be fair to consider him a "tragic hero."  Dictionary.com defines as a tragic hero as a "character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw that, combined with fate and external forces, brings on a tragedy."  Treadwell would have been a psychologist's dream, since reveling in potential imminent death on a daily basis surely cannot be considered rational behavior.  Still, he was incredibly brave and seemed to truly care for the wild creatures that were his subjects. While I had laughed and snickered about the "guy who was eaten by grizzlies" before I ever saw this film, I was touched by it and slightly ashamed.  No, I don't think Treadwell was really helping the bears.  Yes, I think he was crazy.  Yet, due to my own soft-hearted feelings toward living creatures, I feel some kinship with Treadwell and am sorry he could not have channeled his love for animals in a more useful direction.  While he was clearly troubled, Treadwell was not the joke I had made him out to be.
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