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
For the most part, Bowman now lives on the control deck. He spends much of his time contemplating the mystery lying in wait for him, and the nature of the aliens responsible for creating TMA-1. Few believe the extraterrestrials originated from the inhospitable Saturnian system, and yet the possibility of an extra-solar species is hotly debated, with many claiming interstellar travel to be physically impossible. Such controversy pales beside battles between biologists concerning the nature of the alien’s bodies, however. While some believe them to be humanoids, others believe they could take any shape. Some suggest they may have transcended the need for physical bodies, becoming conscious robots, or even more outlandishly, immaterial beings.
Bowman contemplates the various possible forms the monolith’s extraterrestrial creators might take. Such playful ruminations are a departure for the typically closed-off, even robotic Bowman, a reflection of the psychological impact of the mystery lying in wait for him on Japetus. Mentally, Bowman is preparing himself for the creatures he may encounter.
Themes
