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One interpretation of '''2001: A Space Odyssey''' is made by [[Leonard F. Wheat]] in his book, ''Kubrick's 2001: A Triple Allegory''. He states that, "Most... misconceptions (of the film) can be traced to a failure to recognize that 2001 is an allegory - a surface story whose characters, events, and other elements symbolically tell a hidden story... In 2001's case, the surface story actually does something unprecedented in film or literature: it embodies three allegories."{{Fact|date=December 2007}} According to Wheat, the three allegories are: |
One interpretation of '''2001: A Space Odyssey''' is made by [[Leonard F. Wheat]] in his book, ''Kubrick's 2001: A Triple Allegory''. He states that, "Most... misconceptions (of the film) can be traced to a failure to recognize that 2001 is an allegory - a surface story whose characters, events, and other elements symbolically tell a hidden story... In 2001's case, the surface story actually does something unprecedented in film or literature: it embodies three allegories."{{Fact|date=December 2007}} According to Wheat, the three allegories are: |
Revision as of 16:02, 27 January 2008
One interpretation of 2001: A Space Odyssey is made by Leonard F. Wheat in his book, Kubrick's 2001: A Triple Allegory. He states that, "Most... misconceptions (of the film) can be traced to a failure to recognize that 2001 is an allegory - a surface story whose characters, events, and other elements symbolically tell a hidden story... In 2001's case, the surface story actually does something unprecedented in film or literature: it embodies three allegories."[citation needed] According to Wheat, the three allegories are:
- Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophical tract, Thus Spoke Zarathustra.[citation needed]
- Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey, which is clearly part of the film's title. Wheat notes that the name "Bowman" may refer to Odysseus, whose story ends with a demonstration of his prowess as an archer. He also follows earlier scholars in connecting the one-eyed HAL with the Cyclops, and notes that Bowman kills HAL by inserting a small key, just as Odyssey blinds the Cyclops with a stake.[1]
- Arthur C. Clarke's theory of the future symbiosis of man and machine, expanded by Kubrick into what Wheat calls "a spoofy three-evolutionary leaps scenario": ape to man, an abortive leap from man to machine, and a final, successful leap from man to 'Star Child'.[2]
Wheat often uses anagrams as evidence to support his theories. For example, of the name Heywood R. Floyd, he writes "He suggests Helen - Helen of Troy. Wood suggests wooden horse - the Trojan Horse. And oy suggests Troy." Of the remaining letters, he suggests "Y is Spanish for and. R, F, and L, in turn, are in ReFLect." Finally, noting that D can stand for downfall, Wheat concludes that Floyd's name has a hidden meaning: "Helen and Wooden Horse Reflect Troy's Downfall".[3]
Jerome Agel puts forward the interpretation that Discovery represents both a body (with vertebrae) and a sperm cell, with Bowman being the "life" in the cell which is passed on. In this interpretation, Jupiter represents both a female and an ovum.[4]