Summary
Analysis
The monolith vanishes, and Moon-Watcher soon forgets its existence, unaware of what it did to him and his tribe. Moon-Watcher and a dozen males descend toward the river. Though they think nothing of their bone clubs or knives, the Others are filled with fearful apprehension at the newfound determination of Moon-Watcher’s tribe. Moon-Watcher brandishes the head of the leopard on a stake, paralyzing the Others. Only One-Ear, the Others’ leader, stands his ground, and Moon-Watcher smashes his head with the leopard club, killing him. Moon-Watcher realizes he is “master of the world.” He is uncertain what to do next but knows he will “think of something.”
Killing One-Ear with the leopard-headed spear, Moon-Watcher ushers in a new era for the man-apes. The tribalism that characterized the man-apes before the arrival of the monolith, when man-apes could not inflict true harm against one another, has passed. Gestures of violence have been replaced with genuine violence, a testament to the profound impact of tools on the man-apes. The stable, largely peaceful past is no more, underscoring the double-edged sword that is humanity’s relationship with technology. While it saves them from extinction, it comes at the cost of conflict and violence.