It seemed like Nim was very aggressive towards his female keepers. In contrast, aside from the very first guy (husband of the first keeper/mom) whom Nim was rebellious to, neither Herb or future male friends seemed to have their faces ripped out or get fatally injured even when they abandoned him. This was rather odd to me. He being a male, I expected more aggression towards the males.
I'm not a zoologist (I only studied human psychology!), but I got the impression that Nim, in his own way, became more attached to his female keepers/teachers, and therefore felt more emotionally betrayed by them. I was also left with the feeling, especially after his vicious response to Ms. LaFarge's long overdue visit (which, as they said, could have easily caused her death, but Nim actively chose not to), that he'd probably kill most of the males in his life (except maybe Bob), but only injured the female humans - and often said "sorry" once he had - because it was in his nature to do so in order to make a point. Maybe the human males were better at asserting dominance, too, thus not opening themselves up for as much of a challenge.
I could be way off base, and someone with more veterinary experience could weigh in with something more insightful, but those were my thoughts as I watched.
P.S. I'm sure I'm not the only one who wished Herb would get bitten by Nim while watching the documentary...can't even believe he participated in the documentary with all the ethical issues involved (sex with students anyone?)...
Couldn't agree with you more there, on all counts! I didn't especially dislike him because of his relationship with students, but it sort of speaks to his arrogance that he'd be so candid and unapologetic on camera about how he treated/disposed of the girls one by one. Of course, we could already tell how wretchedly arrogant and ignorant he was simply by the fact that he thought this whole experiment was a good idea in the first place. "Hmm, let's take yet another infant chimp away from its mother and send him to live with a family full of kids in a Manhattan brownstone!" Uh...okay? I guess that proves once and for all that "educated" does not necessarily equal "intelligent."
I really do wish Nim had taken a chunk out of him. Even just a little one. I'm not normally a sadist, but that would've given me some satisfaction, because Herb was far and away the cruelest person in Nim's life. The scene where he shows up a year later to a photo op at the primate institute, and how happy Nim is while believing he's "going home"...that just broke my heart. Herb never got what was coming to him.
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Amry0217
12 years ago
Yes, Nim came walking up the path and when he saw Herb sitting there the excitement he showed, the excited shrieks "his friend" someone who was there in the beginning. Now things were familiar, he really was overjoyed. But how did Nim feel at the end of the meeting when Herb went one way and Nim was left behind. So......heartrending. How could Herb do that to anyone? Bob was definitely a good friend and the best thing to happen to Nim.
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He lifts me clear to the sky, you know he taught me to fly.
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huwdj
11 years ago
I have to agree with your assessment of Herb. He has a complete prat who seemed to run the project with no thought for Nim and little for his human assistants.
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