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Chapter 1
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
Moon-Watcher hears strange noises during the night, first a crunching sound, and then “clank of metal upon stone.” In the morning, Moon-Watcher finds a rectangular slab of crystalline material—dubbed the “New Rock”—on the way to the river. He inspects it, but discovering it to be inedible, moves on. Returning from foraging, however, he and the tribe become entranced by hypnotic sounds and images coming from the stone. Grids of light probe the ape-men’s minds and bodies for “potential,” and one by one, they become possessed, forced to enact various skills. Moon-Watcher succeeds at throwing rocks and is rewarded by a rush of pleasure, while others are punished for their failures. They return home, guided by the New Rock’s light.
Moon-Watcher and the man-apes show little curiosity over the arrival of the monolith, or “New Rock.” Their interest in it extends only to its potential as food, a testament to their limited set of priorities; they are too starved to expend any energy on anything other than survival. This foreshadows the profound transformation experienced by the man-apes after discovering hunting. With the fundamental need for food taken care of, they have time and energy to expend on more intellectual pursuits. Here, however, the man-apes can focus on little else besides food.
Themes
