The Spirit of Wilderness and Survival in Beartooth

Abstract

The changing cognition of wilderness reveals the complex interaction between human and nature. Wilderness is no longer perceived as a land entirely separate from humanity; instead, modern society places greater emphasis on the symbiotic relationship between human and nature, as well as the state of human existence under the influence of the wild. As a writer who has long resided in the American West, Callan Wink strives to capture the regional landscape of the American West, particularly Montana, the living conditions of its residents, and the formative influence of the environment on human character. His novel Beartooth (2025) explores how to balance traditional wilderness survival with modern civilization to meet contemporary needs through the protagonist’s struggle for survival. Through textual analysis and interpretation of the novel, this study compares two distinct eras of wilderness. It aims to explore how to mediate between traditional wilderness survival and modernized existence by showing two different modes of preserving the spirit of wilderness within the text, thereby examining paths toward achieving harmonious coexistence between human and nature.