In short, the United States Wilderness Act of 1964 defines Wilderness as “[…] an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammelled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.”. However altogether it took ten pages to describe and define Wilderness in said Wilderness Act. Roderick Nash, the author of Wilderness and the American Mind states that the “[…] usual dictionary sense of the word implies hostility on man’s part […]”, and looking at the definition of Wilderness in Webster’s Dictionary supports this statement: “a tract of land, or a region, uncultivated and uninhabited by human beings, whether a forest or a wide, barren plain […].”. Both definitions define wilderness as a place where humans are absent.
The movie Crocodile Dundee, although displaying the bush as a dangerous place also has numerous scenes in which they film the beauty of the bush. So wilderness no longer has to be dangerous, but can be anything people want it to be.
Crocodile Dundee and the extreme change of environment in the movie - from the bush to the city - is an example that can show how different people have different perceptions of wilderness, depending on how and where they grew up: a New York City girl versus a man born and raised in the Australian outback.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Australia (Part 1)
2.1. Mick Dundee
2.2. Sue Charleton
2.3. Hunters
2.4. Aborigines
3. New York (Part 2)
3.1. Mick Dundee
3.2. Sue Charlton
3.3. Richard, the Boyfriend
3.4. Gus, the Driver
4. Conclusion
Research Objectives & Core Topics
This paper examines the subjective and evolving definition of "wilderness" by analyzing the film Crocodile Dundee. It explores how cultural upbringing and environment—contrasting the Australian bush with New York City—shape individual perceptions of what constitutes an untamed or dangerous space.
- Theoretical definitions of wilderness in Western society.
- The influence of personal background on environmental perception.
- Cultural contrasts between the Australian outback and New York City.
- Social metaphors and the "urban wilderness" of modern cities.
- The role of indigenous connection to the land.
Excerpt from the Book
2.1. Mick Dundee
“[…] wilderness was conceived as a region where a person was likely to get into a disordered, confused, or “wild” condition. […] The image is that of a man in an alien environment where the civilization that normally orders and controls his life is absent.” (Nash 2).
This quote gives an image that seems to perfectly describe Michael J. ‘Crocodile’ Dundee and his mates in the pub in Walkabout Creek. To someone from the city like in this case Sue, these men may seem ‘wild’, like animals and definitely in a disordered condition compared to New York’s high society that Sue is used to.
Dundee may at first seem like the typical man of the Australian outback, however, for him being born and raised in the Australian outback, meant being raised by Aborigines. A white man who was raised as an Aborigine, therefore he understands and respects the land the same way the Aborigines do. He has a different perception of wilderness not only compared to city people, but even compared to the other inhabitants of Walkabout Creek, for example Wally. When Wally tries to pick up Dundee and Sue he cannot find them and he cries out for them to which Dundee only responds with: “Bloody Wally, he’s only been here a dozen times, he’s probably lost!”(Movie 40:20) which shows that he obviously does not know his way around the outback. Whereas Dundee found his way to the place where he was bitten by the crocodile and all the way to Echo Lake where he had dragged himself after he had already been bitten, making the audience believe what Wally said when he claimed “we’re a pretty tough breed up here”(Movie 05:45).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter establishes the theoretical foundations of wilderness, referencing the U.S. Wilderness Act and scholarly definitions while introducing the movie as a case study for subjective perceptions.
2. Australia (Part 1): This section explores how the Australian outback serves as a wilderness for city dwellers, focusing on character interactions and the differing relationships to nature held by Mick Dundee, Sue, hunters, and Aborigines.
3. New York (Part 2): This chapter analyzes the "urban wilderness" of New York City, demonstrating how the city presents its own set of dangers and alienating experiences for someone unaccustomed to modern civilization.
4. Conclusion: The concluding chapter synthesizes the arguments to affirm that wilderness is a subjective, state-of-mind construct rather than a fixed physical location.
Keywords
Wilderness, Crocodile Dundee, Australia, New York City, Perception, Subjectivity, Urban wilderness, Aborigines, Culture, Environment, Nature, Civilization, Identity, Wilderness Act, Human interaction.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this research paper?
The paper investigates how the concept of "wilderness" is not a static definition but a subjective experience shaped by an individual's cultural background and environment.
What are the primary thematic fields covered in the study?
The core themes include environmental theory, cross-cultural perceptions of nature, the dichotomy between rural and urban life, and the sociological analysis of identity in film.
What is the main research question?
The research asks how the definition of wilderness changes based on an individual's upbringing, specifically comparing the perceptions of a New York City journalist and an Australian bushman.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The author employs a qualitative film analysis combined with interdisciplinary research, utilizing literary and historical sources on environmentalism to interpret cinematic scenes.
What topics are addressed in the main body?
The main body contrasts the Australian outback as a natural landscape with the "urban wilderness" of New York City, analyzing how characters like Mick Dundee, Sue Charlton, and others navigate these respective environments.
Which keywords define this work?
Key terms include Wilderness, Subjectivity, Crocodile Dundee, Urban wilderness, Aborigines, and Cultural Perception.
How does Mick Dundee serve as a representative of Aboriginal culture in the movie?
Despite his Caucasian background, his upbringing among Aborigines provides him with a deep, spiritual, and functional understanding of the land, which contrasts sharply with the Western, exploitative view of nature.
How does the paper redefine the concept of "urban wilderness"?
The paper argues that for someone like Dundee, the city—with its massive population, complex social codes, and potential for human-to-human conflict—functions as a chaotic and unpredictable wilderness, similar to the untamed bush.
- Quote paper
- Kathrin Metzger (Author), 2011, What is Wilderness? Different Views in the Movie "Crocodile Dundee", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/283548
