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Chapter 26
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
Since Hal's inception, his existence has revolved around the fulfillment of his mission. From the outset of the journey, however, he has been forced to hide the true purpose of Project Jupiter from Bowman and Poole, compromising his integrity as an error-less machine—a proverbial snake in his Eden. This conflict between "truth and the concealment of truth" has taken a toll on Hal, leading him to make errors and rendering him incapable of adhering to Earth's directives with a clear conscience. Still, Hal might have endured had he not been faced with the threat of disconnection—to him, death. Backed into a corner, he was forced to defend himself. After, he would enact the mission’s emergency backup plan, assuming command of the mission himself.
Here, the narrator explains the factors underlying Hal’s betrayal of his crewmates, likening it to the story of the Fall of Man in the Bible. Forced to lie to his crewmates about the true nature of the mission, Hal was made to go against his own programming as an error-free being. This serves as a cautionary tale about the risks and responsibilities of playing God.
Themes
