"Never Cry Wolf"

"Never Cry Wolf" is a film concerned primarily with the clash produced when civilization encounters nature and the wilderness. The plot of the film revolves around the events which the main character, Tyler, takes part when he travels to the Arctic. There, he conducts a scientific study, the "Lupine Project". Other characters in this film include the wolves, which are the basis of Tyler'' study, Ootak, a native of the land, Rosy, a native hunter, and finally Mike, the pilot who flew Tyler to the wilderness in the North. The clash between nature and civilization is also illustrated by symbolism portrayed in the film, irony, and the values exhibited by the characters.

Character analysis:

Tyler, the main character, is a scientist who goes to the north to conduct a study to learn more about Wolves, and their effect (if any) on the decreasing number of caribou. When Tyler first arrives, he has doubts about his presence in the north, and whether or not he made the right decision to volunteer to conduct the study. "Why me? Maybe it was all a mistake". After a short period of time, he began to loose his confidence, afraid that nature would defeat him, and that he would not survive the harsh, long winter. "I can't go on with this". Yet, Tyler was determined to succeed in his assignment. After the airplane left him on his own, he established a form of human contact, by finding a radio station that he listens to.

When Tyler confronts nature, and the wolves, he has many negative physical and psychological experiences. When he walked across a frozen river, covered with snow, the ice suddenly cracks, causing him to fall into the freezing cold water, nearly drowning to death. At night, when he is sleeping, he dreams of being eaten by the wolves.

Clearly, Tyler's confrontation with nature leads to disadvantages side effects, and one of which is the temporary fear of nature. Due to the content of his study, this fear has the potential to be quite detrimental and he must therefore learn to overcome his fears. In order to do so, he must surround himself with the objects of his fear. With the help of Ootak, a native of the north, he settles in a cave, and begins his research on the wolves. He remains close to their habitat. It took a while for Tyler to get used to the process, as he still subconsciously is fearful of the wolves "I am in pursuit of the phantoms".

With time however, he learned how to relate to the wolves, and eventually become friendly with two wolves in particular, George and Angeline. His relation to the wolves grows to a point where he even starts to behave and eat like them.

Unfortunately, Angeline and George were killed by Rosy who wanted to sell their thick fur. Tyler reacted by reflection on his evolving relationship with nature, and concluded, "in the end, there were no simple answers". Tyler recovered from the loss he felt by the death of the wolves, and announced "I wish I could just say thank you, straight to wilderness".

Despite his negative initial feelings about living isolated in the wilderness, Tyler managed to overcome obstacles in his path, and successfully complete his study. Along with his accomplishments, came an unforeseen gift, an irreversible love for nature. Tyler leaves that audience with a powerful comment "In the end, there are no heroes, no villains, only silence".

Tyler, externally, is a loser at the end of the film, because he was not able to protect the wildlife, but internally, he gained more knowledge, information, and peace of mind that he would have ever thought.

Ootak, is an old, wise and spiritual Inuit. He lived all his life in the great north and it is the only habitat that he knows. He is married, and he became an adoptive father to Mike, when his parents dyed. Mike, describes his father as a caring soul.

Ootak is a symbol of nature, that he nurtures, understands and respects nature. This relationship is understood from a situation that he experienced. When Ootak was younger and out for an expedition, he fell asleep in the wrong place. He was expecting to die eaten alive by the wolves. But, when he awoke untouched, he realized that is was the wolves who granted him his life, and so he owes them his outmost respect and devotion. He felt that he really was a part of nature. He is against hunting animals to make a profit. Ootak know no impatience and he posses the greatest endurance.

Mike

Mike is a young Inuit who was taken care of Ootak his entire life. He learned valuable lessons from Ootak, including understanding of nature.

Mike also deals with civilization. He recounted a story, about when he was in a bar, having a good time with a woman, until he smiled. Since he has no teeth, it turned the woman off. Towards the end of the movie, when Tyler is looking for Angeline and George, and he comes across Mike. When asked about the wolves, Mike answered that he didn't see them, and says "Survival of the fittest" with a brand new smile. This shows that Mike hunted and killed wolves for money, in order to but new teeth. Therefore, Mike symbolizes civilization.

He posses a very interesting conflict. He gets along with nature and civilization. He demonstrates that to survive you can't always be faithful to your beliefs and backgrounds. Mike believes that when its time to survive, there is no right or wrong. He is not criticized for his actions, that he is taking advantage of nature, as Rosy is. This creates irony in the film.

Rosy

Rosy's character plays quite an important role in conveying the message of the film. At first, the audience has mixed feelings about the local pilot who enthusiastically orders Tyler to discard most of his paraphernalia. After a suspended flight, where the engine fails, Tyler is mercilessly left to survive in the wilderness. By a "miracle" Rosy managed to fly home.

Rosy is encountered later in the movie, as the sound of gunfire is heard. Rosy seems to have become very prosperous, as he owned three new airplanes. Rosy greets Tyler warmly, like best friends, as he discusses his future plans to exploit their area.

Tyler's whole mission becomes clear from Rosy. It is not the wolves who are destroying the caribou, but it is the greedy humans like Rosy. Rosy symbolizes man's inner greed, and man's bloodthirsty behavior.

The wolves

The wolves play a major role in the story. At first they were mere phantom in Tyler's mind. Their presence is only heard from their lonely howls in the night. When Tyler finally finds them, he decides not to let the opportunity pass and to make his camp near their cave. The wolves are their confronted to the potential danger the Tyler would bring, but they make a choice of staying where they are, defying the dangers. In fact, they even marked their territory just outside the borders of the territory "marked" by Tyler.

Soon, Angeline and George along with their little ones continued with their lives, undisturbed by Tyler. George would go off hunting, while Angeline would take care of the pups, (just like how society works). Pretty soon, Tyler and the wolves lived in a state of symbiosis, sharing the land, and the food (mike). At some point, Tyler begins to envy the life of the wolves, their direct contact amongst each other, their territorial divisions, and their social organization. Unfortunately, in the eyes of man, they are but mere animals that represent a lot of money. However, from the nature point of view, the wolves are part of the cycle of life, where the fittest survive. This can be demonstrated by the Great Caribou Hunt, where the wolves are the hunters, and the caribou are the pray. In general terms, the wolves symbolize nature and wilderness.

"Never Cry Wolf" delivers a powerful message in a powerful film. Its study of the impact of technology and civilization on both the human and the animal world of the Arctic indicated that the conservation of the natural wildlife is of great concern.