Stuffed Animals

Whether or not Timothy's activities with the bears were moral is not something I can say, but I do feel that they were excessively unnatural. The museum curator made an excellent point when he said that Timothy was disrespecting the bears by remaining so close to them. He seemed to fail to understand that bears simply are not like humans. Many of the "discussions" he had with the bears involved human concepts and structures, none of which the bears would have been able to relate much to even if they somewhere were capable of comprehending English. Perhaps the most intriguing example of this took place right after the two male bears fought for the courtship of Saturn, the prized female. Timothy sets the shot up so that he is in the foreground while one of the male bears is recuperating in the background. He then proceeds to give the animal advice, often relating his own experience with women. Several obvious aspects of this little lecture make the bear's comprehension impossible as well as also offer a surprising amount of insight into Timothy's troubled personality. As already mentioned, he speaks a language the bear doesn't know, and he uses concepts foreign to non-humans. But even if these could be excused, the distance between Timothy and the bear is too great for the latter to even hear the former. Surely, Timothy must have noticed this, indicating that the chief purpose of his advice was not that it was to be understood. So why did he do it? I believe it, just like his time with the bears in general, was meant to fulfill a deficit in Timothy's own character. It was noted that he had always adored animals, especially at a young age. His favorite companions as a young boy were said to be a pet squirrel and a stuffed bear, and he may very well have a made a strong mental connection of animals with the innocence of childhood. His adult life seemed to have been marred by disappointment, alcoholism, and complicated relationships that always seemed to elude him (as evidenced heavily by his musings on why he didn't have a steady girlfriend). The most joy he appeared to derive came from interacting with children, whom he was willing to educate with no charge, and animals. The aforementioned connection he may have made with animals and childhood would also explain his behavior towards the animals of the Alaskan woods. He often speaks to the bears as if they had the cognitive and emotional capacities of young children, which, in my opinion, is a false assumption borne out his desire to return to a happier time in his life. It is this false assumption that failed to acknowledge bears for the wild animals they truly are, and unfortunately, it may have also led to Timothy's untimely end.