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Literary Devices
Definition of Allusion
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals, historical events, or philosophical ideas... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to... read full definition
Chapter 7
Explanation and Analysis—Nuclear Arms Race:
Throughout 2001: A Space Odyssey, Clarke alludes to the nuclear arms race between the United States and the U.S.S.R, which greatly accelerated during the 1960s when the novel was published. During the Cold War period, both nations engaged in tense competition to build their own stockpiles of nuclear weapons while advancing the technology itself. Although the development of these weapons symbolized great technological achievement, the weapons remained capable of killing millions—an anxiety reflected in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Clarke's novel takes place decades after the 1960s, but his consistent allusions to the ever-present nuclear threat reveal that even in an alternate universe, man-made technology causes significant and increasing stress for human beings. For example, in Chapter 7, Floyd reflects on the "political situation" on Earth:
In a million years, the human race had lost few of its aggressive instincts; along symbolic lines visible only to politicians, the thirty-eight nuclear powers watched one another with belligerent anxiety. Among them, they possessed sufficient megatonnage to remove the entire surface crust of the planet. Although there had been—miraculously—no use of atomic weapons, this situation could hardly last forever.
Floyd's musings harken back to the age of prehistoric man-apes, who discovered their "aggressive instincts" amidst their inventing of tools and grouping of tribes. However, the evolution of mechanical technology allows for aggression on a great scale: indeed, as the narrator writes, enough aggression to "remove the entire surface crust of the planet." In the 1960s, there were not—nor are there today—38 nuclear powers. However, this passage reflects the consistent anxiety about the usage of nuclear power throughout time. This technology develops on an exponential scale, and the consistent allusions to nuclear power divulge the nature of the tense political climate in which Clarke wrote 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Related Themes:
Chapter 27
Explanation and Analysis—Hal's Garden of Eden:
In Chapter 27 of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Hal comes to terms with his failure to protect those aboard Discovery One. Although Hal was designed to be a machine free of error, he develops a human-like consciousness and recognizes his guilt at hiding Project Jupiter—the true purpose of the mission—from the human astronauts. As Hal succumbs to this guilt, the narrative alludes to the fall of man, as documented by the story of Adam and Eve in the Bible:
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.
In this passage, the narrator alludes to the Garden of Eden story, originated in the biblical Book of Genesis. Having been told to stay away from the fruit growing on the tree of knowledge, Adam and Eve disobey the rule of God and fall victim to a serpent's persuasion, thus committing the first original sin. Like Hal in 2001: A Space Odyssey, both Adam and Eve harbor a secret that leads them to fall into sin, and they become victims of the serpent's evil ways. In Clarke's novel, Project Jupiter acts as the "snake" in Hal's Garden of Eden, which will ultimately unravel Hal's internal computer system and cause issues for the spacecraft and astronauts on board.
The narrator also references Hal being born "innocent," which alludes to the original innocence of humankind before Adam and Eve were banished from Eden. A computer system, Hal assumedly follows whichever codes his controllers input into his system. He has no concept of independent choice or morality: hence his "innocence." However, when his technology develops past the need for human input, he becomes susceptible to poor decision-making and heightened, human-like emotions. According to many in the novel, computers are not supposed to have a moral compass or independent capabilities, but Hal does: a development that causes a fall from grace akin to Adam and Eve in the Bible. This allusion hints at a cautionary tale told throughout the novel: no one, not even a computer system, is immune from wrongdoing.
Related Themes:
