2001: A Space Odyssey

2001: A Space Odyssey

    This novel is very strange.   The book begins in pre-historic times, telling
about the man-ape’s experience with the monoliths in Africa, and suddenly
jumps to the space age people and their experience with the monoliths on the
moon.   The book is packed with a lot of themes, such as: “No matter how
good you are, there is always something better”, and “You can’t sacrifice the
reliability of the human mind for a machine”.  
    The first theme, “No matter how good you are, there is always something
better”, is first symbolized in the first section of the novel.   When the reader
is first introduced to the man-apes, they are slow-thinking, docile creatures
who can’t remember anything for more than a few minutes.   After the
introduction of the first monolith, and it’s mind control over Moon-Watcher
and his tribe, the man-apes begin to display more intelligence and know-how.
They are taught how to make and use tools, and how to hunt and kill animals,
both for nourishment and defense.   This teaching sets the stage for evolution
and brings the reader to the space age.   In the sixth and final section of the
book, the theme is symbolized again.   Astronaut David Bowman discovers
another monolith on one of Saturn’s moons, Japetus.   Upon venturing into
the structure, he is transformed into a being of no physical body, free to roam
the galaxy.
    The other theme, “You can’t sacrifice the reliability of the human mind
for a machine”, comes across in the betrayal of the ship, Discovery’s,
onboard computer, HAL 9000.   This is also and example of irony, because
something that was supposed to be a convince for five humans, ended up
being a major burden for one human by murdering the other four.
    Something else ironic is that the creatures who created the monoliths were
extremely more advanced than the humans.   After a while, the humans
reached the same level as the as the E.T.s and eventually out-evolved the
same beings that got them to that...