Never Cry Wolf

Never Cry Wolf

“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...