Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in 2001: A Space Odyssey, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Collaboration vs. Individualism
Tools and Human Evolution
Space Travel
The Perils of Knowledge
Summary
Analysis
Donning a Mk V spacesuit, Floyd follows Dr. Michaels out to the site. A photographer flashes a photograph of him and the other scientists, a gesture which both amuses and pleases Floyd. The sun comes up, and Floyd marvels that the monolith is seeing its first sunrise. He considers whether it was designed to absorb solar energy, but dismisses it: why would they bury it underground? Looking back to earth, he thinks about the profound implications of such a discovery on human thought and society. Suddenly, Floyd hears several electronic “shrieks.” Looking at his companions, Floyd realizes it isn’t a malfunction of his spacesuit: TMA-1 had “greeted the lunar dawn.”
Floyd witnesses the awakening of the monolith in response to the lunar dawn. Though the meaning behind its “shrieks” is yet unclear, its response to sunlight suggests it was designed to awaken upon its discovery. Its proximity to Earth, as well as its placement in the most conspicuous of the moon’s craters, offers further clues as to its purpose. It appears the monolith’s proximity to humanity may be no accident.
Themes
