Hal Character Analysis in 2001: A Space Odyssey

HAL 9000, the onboard artificial intelligence computer of Discovery One, is a sophisticated and supposedly infallible computer program designed to operate the ship and communicate with its occupants. Apart from his robotic personality, Hal is nearly indistinguishable from a human, at least conversationally. He can pass the Turing test with ease and seamlessly melds with his human crewmates, Frank and Dave. However, as the journey progresses, Hal’s passive, easygoing personality undergoes a shift. Forced to conceal the mission’s true objectives from his human crewmates, Hal begins to feel guilt, his integrity compromised by his deception. In time, this guilt results in computational error: Hal incorrectly predicts the failure of the AE-35 unit. Subsequently threatened with disconnection—to him, tantamount to death—Hal resorts to increasingly drastic measures, first killing Poole and eventually the rest of the crew to cover his tracks. Ultimately, Bowman is forced to disconnect him. This experience deeply troubles Bowman: though not flesh and blood, Hal not only thinks and speaks like a human, but he also feels and fears like one, too. More broadly, then, Hal’s character raises the question of what it really means to be human.

Hal Quotes in 2001: A Space Odyssey

The 2001: A Space Odyssey quotes below are all either spoken by Hal or refer to Hal . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Collaboration vs. Individualism Theme Icon

The toolmakers had been remade by their tools.

Related Characters: Hal , David Bowman (The Star-Child) , Frank Poole

Page Number and Citation: 35

Explanation and Analysis:

Here, the narrator suggests that humans, i.e., toolmakers, have been retroactively shaped by their own technological inventions. Though humans ostensibly made the tools first, the tools have, in return, “remade” them, an ironic inversion of the assumed hierarchy between tool and toolmaker and a commentary upon the profound impact of tools upon the course of human evolution. Human teeth, for instance, once large and sharp for the purposes of tearing through flesh, have grown short and dull since the standardization of tools like knives and forks; the same is true of human claws and body hair, as well as more Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minim

Poole and Bowman had often humorously referred to themselves as caretakers or janitors aboard a ship that could really run itself. They would have been astonished, and more than a little indignant, to discover how much truth that jest contained.

Related Characters: David Bowman (The Star-Child) , Frank Poole , Hal

Page Number and Citation: 119

Explanation and Analysis:

Here, the narrator foreshadows Hal’s mutinous takeover of Discovery One. Suggesting that Poole and Bowman would be shocked to discover the extent to which the “ship”—or rather, Hal—could run itself, the narrator coyly hints at Hal's misuse of the ship’s emergency protocols to grant him full control of the ship. Even though Hal’s efforts are undermined by Bowman, the mere possibility of such a takeover underscores the changing nature of humanity’s relationship to their machines. Once mere tools for the advancement of human endeavors, humanity’s machines have evolved—at least in Hal’s case—to the point of consciousness and autonomy. Accordingly, a Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa.

Nowadays, one could always tell when Hal was about to make an unscheduled announcement. Routine, automatic reports, or replies to questions that had been put to him, had no preliminaries; but when he was initiating his own outputs there would be a brief electronic throat-clearing. It was an idiosyncrasy that he acquired during the last few weeks; later, it if became annoying, they might do something about it.

Related Characters: Hal , David Bowman (The Star-Child) , Frank Poole

Page Number and Citation: 171

Explanation and Analysis:

Much like a human might with a cough or a facial expression, Hal unconsciously signals to his peers when he is about to deviate from standard behavior. For him, this means producing a “brief electronic throat-clearing” right before making an “unscheduled announcement.” Such an idiosyncrasy, or quirk, mirrors one that a human might have, suggesting that Hal, at least in the past several weeks, has begun to think and act more outside of his typical, routine programming. His “throat-clearing,” in other words, is a sign that he is slowly developing a unique personality, and with it, a unique relationship with Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia e

Deliberate error was unthinkable. Even the concealment of truth filled him with a sense of imperfection, of wrongness—of what, in a human being, would have been called guilt. For like his makers, Hal had been created innocent; but, all too soon, a snake had entered his electronic Eden. For the last hundred million miles, he had been brooding over the secret he could not share with Poole and Bowman. He had been living a lie; and the time was fast approaching when his colleagues must learn that he had helped to deceive them.

Related Characters: Hal , David Bowman (The Star-Child) , Frank Poole

Page Number and Citation: 191

Explanation and Analysis:

Here, the narrator explains the psychological rationale behind Hal’s psychosis and mutiny. Drawing a parallel between Hal’s experience and that of Adam and Eve, the narrator attributes Hal’s breakdown to the forced loss of innocence at the hands of his creators: despite being created to believe that “deliberate error was unthinkable,” Hal is forced to lie to his colleagues, Poole and Bowman, about the true nature of the mission. This is the proverbial “snake” which enters Hal’s “electronic Eden,” resulting in misdiagnosis of the AE-35 unit, and ultimately, his psychotic breakdown. This biblical analogy underscores the risks and responsibilities—both moral Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatib

It if it could happen to a man, then it could happen to Hal; and with that knowledge the bitterness and the sense of betrayal he felt toward the computer began to fade.

Related Characters: David Bowman (The Star-Child) , Hal , Frank Poole

Related Literary Devices:

Page Number and Citation: 221

Explanation and Analysis:

Having learned the motivation behind his actions, Bowman forgives Hal. This says a lot about Bowman’s character, both for good and bad. On one hand, his forgiveness showcases open-mindedness and a generous spirit, considering the gravity of Hal's actions—killing Poole and attempting to kill Bowman. On the other hand, it exposes Bowman's inherent bias against non-human consciousness. Despite being aware of Hal's artificial intelligence status from the outset, Bowman only recognizes his humanity posthumously, implying that if such a transformation could "happen to a man," then it could also "happen to Hal." This hesitancy to consider Hal as a human Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit e

Hal Character Timeline in 2001: A Space Odyssey

The timeline below shows where the character Hal appears in 2001: A Space Odyssey. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...intelligence which serves as the “brain and nervous system” of Discovery. Capable of communicating orally, Hal easily passes the Turing test—a test designed to determine if a computer has human equivalent... (full context)

...obsessed with great expeditions of the past, like the Odyssey. Sometimes he plays games with Hal, who is programmed to win only half of the time. He ends his day with... (full context)

...no-man’s-land ahead is filled with millions of asteroids, however, and when Bowman reports for duty, Hal reminds him of their upcoming “approach” to asteroid 7794. The closest encounter asteroid on their... (full context)

...Earth, despite the rapid speed of radio communication. Though their trajectory is carefully calibrated by Hal, Bowman has trouble believing their ship is not being sucked into Jupiter’s immense gravitational pull.... (full context)

Discovery drops two atmospheric probes to Jupiter. Bowman and Poole observe Hal’s finely tuned course around the planet. The sun vanishes behind it, and Bowman and Poole... (full context)

...is unsettling, and Poole feels he has moved into a “new dimension of remoteness.” Suddenly, Hal reports a potential failure with Discovery’s AE-35 unit, the unit responsible for maintaining contact with... (full context)

...personal pressure suit and enters “Betty,” one of the ship’s three space pods. Assisted by Hal, Poole ejects from the ship. Though he’s completely untethered from Discovery, the risk of being... (full context)

...space pod, then pushes off towards the original unit. Landing near the unit, he asks Hal to remotely control Betty to give him better light for his repair. Using the tools... (full context)

...Poole’s annoyance, the original AE-35 proves not to be faulty after all. Bowman suggests that Hal’s internal fault predictor could be incorrect, but Poole argues it is more likely that their... (full context)

Signaling a forthcoming announcement, Hal makes an electronic “throat-clearing” sound—an idiosyncratic but useful quirk. Hal tells Bowman the second AE-35... (full context)

Dr. Simonson begins describing next steps, starting with disconnecting Hal, when suddenly the video message cuts off. Hal reports that the AE-35 unit has failed,... (full context)

Poole takes the space pod out to retrieve the AE-35 unit. Hal follows Poole’s commands, but deviates from his normal pattern of communication, and Bowman begins to... (full context)

...normally, Discovery continues toward Saturn. In a daze, Bowman finds himself staring at one of Hal’s fisheye lenses. Hal speaks up unprompted, saying it’s “too bad” about Frank, and asking if... (full context)

Bowman threatens to disconnect Hal. Hal claims to have been suspicious of this, but advises against it, arguing that he... (full context)

Since Hal's inception, his existence has revolved around the fulfillment of his mission. From the outset of... (full context)

Bowman makes his way to the room containing Hal’s essential circuitry. Inside are the logic banks of his brain and—to Bowman’s surprise—one of Hal’s... (full context)

...political given the larger mystery at hand. Ultimately, however, he is more interested in understanding Hal’s behavior. According to Dr. Simonson, Hal’s psychosis was a product of his “unconscious guilt” resulting... (full context)

Hal Character Analysis

Hal Quotes in 2001: A Space Odyssey

Chapter 6 Quotes

Chapter 16 Quotes

Chapter 24 Quotes

Chapter 27 Quotes

Chapter 31 Quotes

Hal Character Timeline in 2001: A Space Odyssey