2 years, 8 months ago
What does the ending of 2001 a Space Odyssey represent?
Research has not been really clear and it has always plagued me... What are the star child and old man about? Well just all of it really.
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M$1 Answer
2001 is all about evolution. From apes to modern man to a god in embryo. At the end of the book Kubrik talks about the thoughts of the embryo you see on the screen. He is looking over earth with all of it's weapons in space (according to the story). The statement is something along this line, the embryo knew something had to be done to help but he wasn't sure what to do at that time but he would decide.
All of the different scenarios you see on the screen have to do with the evolving man. The monolith was the catalyst or stimulus for the changes. In the ape scenes you noticed that the weapon was not thought of before the monolith appeared and that only one ape tribe had this knowledge.
The monolith was buried on the moon waiting for mankind to reach that level of evolution and became the reason that the mission was sent to Jupiter because that was the direction the signal was sent when it was exposed to sunlight for the first time in many millenia.
The following books also deal with the evolution theme, 2010 and 2061.
All of the different scenarios you see on the screen have to do with the evolving man. The monolith was the catalyst or stimulus for the changes. In the ape scenes you noticed that the weapon was not thought of before the monolith appeared and that only one ape tribe had this knowledge.
The monolith was buried on the moon waiting for mankind to reach that level of evolution and became the reason that the mission was sent to Jupiter because that was the direction the signal was sent when it was exposed to sunlight for the first time in many millenia.
The following books also deal with the evolution theme, 2010 and 2061.
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Read the books, it really helped me to understand what Kubrik was thinking.
Read the books, it really helped me to understand what Kubrik was thinking.
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
I forgot to add that the old man and the child are the same being, just part of the evolution process. They are all David Bowman as he progresses from one stage to another.