What is the end of 2001: A Space Odyssey about?

The end of 2001: A Space Odyssey movie features bizarre colours and the main character appearing in a bed, then becoming an old man and finally a fetus!

I always found this a pretty disappointing end to the film because it seemed to make no sense.

Does anyone know what this is about? Is it symbolism? Or is it just random images?

Answer

The being that placed the monolith are the caretakers of the universe. They encourage new species to develop, like seedlings. Sometimes they have to tear out weeds before they get out of control. The monolith buried on the moon was a signaling device to let the aliens know that man had sufficiently developed to invent space flight and thereby become a potential problem. The monolith by Jupiter was a gateway to their home world. There, Bowman lived out his life under observation while the aliens judged humankind's maturity. When they were satisfied, the gave him the powers of a god and sent him back to earth, again as a test to see how he would use his powers.

You can read all of this in the novel, as well as a short story by Arthur C. Clarke, called The Sentinel.

Comments

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