Compare and Contrast
Obsession is a word that easily describes Tim Treadwell and Philippe Petit. Both of these men lived in their own reality, fueled by blind ambition. Although their respective interests are extremely different, they both share an unmatched passion for what they individually valued. Tim’s worship of the grizzly bear and Philippe’s absorption in achieving a tightrope walk across the Twin Towers; completely consumed them in their own perception of reality. Both men became alarmingly ignorant as to how their own actions could affect their own fate and the fate of their friends and family.
Philippe had an infatuation with stringing up a tightrope across the Twin Towers even before the famous buildings had ever been erected. He discovered the buildings in a magazine. Though he had staged successful tightrope walks in 1971 at Notre Dame and then again in Sydney, Australia in 1973, this was simply not enough of a thrill for him; as it only escalated his obsession with the Twin Towers. Similar to Philippe, Tim also had a pure obsession (although rather misguided). He displayed an absorption into the world of grizzly bears and the role he believed he played in their protection. Treadwell believed that he was (as he put it) a self described warrior, fighting for the survival of the species from everything from loggers to poachers or even the state park service, who were truly in charge of the bear’s environment. Both of the men’s resolve to succeed in their endeavors showed an immense work ethic and personalities full of passion; the preparation and work they both put into their separate causes gives evidence to this. Philippe spent months traveling back and forth from France to New York; although he was brash in wanting to achieve his goal, he relied on his friends to assist him in planning the walk of his dream. It actually took him several tries to actually go through with his plan. Tim on the other hand, spent thirteen consecutive summers in the...