Download a PDF to print or study offline.
Study Guide
Bibliography
Course Hero. "2001: A Space Odyssey Study Guide." Course Hero. 11 May 2017. Web. 3 June 2023. <https://www.coursehero.com/lit/2001-A-Space-Odyssey/>.
In text
(Course Hero)
Bibliography
Course Hero. (2017, May 11). 2001: A Space Odyssey Study Guide. In Course Hero. Retrieved June 3, 2023, from https://www.coursehero.com/lit/2001-A-Space-Odyssey/
In text
(Course Hero, 2017)
Bibliography
Course Hero. "2001: A Space Odyssey Study Guide." May 11, 2017. Accessed June 3, 2023. https://www.coursehero.com/lit/2001-A-Space-Odyssey/.
Footnote
Course Hero, "2001: A Space Odyssey Study Guide," May 11, 2017, accessed June 3, 2023, https://www.coursehero.com/lit/2001-A-Space-Odyssey/.
Bowman approaches the monolith, transmitting continuously to Earth. Suddenly the monolith appears to recede from him and then turn inside out. Bowman, in amazement, transmits the message: "The thing's hollow—it goes on forever—and—oh my God!—it's full of stars!"
The Star Gate, which had opened, now closes. Bowman has disappeared, leaving Discovery in orbit around Japetus.
Bowman's brief worry he might disappear "into silence," with no one ever knowing what had happened to him proves prescient. However, it doesn't happen "through some breakdown in the relay system," but rather because he is transported through the Star Gate.
The stars he sees develop the theme of the vastness of the universe. In comparison, Jupiter and Saturn seem as small as the United States and Russia and their petty squabbles. The true nature of the universe is much greater than Bowman had ever imagined.
Have study documents to share about 2001: A Space Odyssey? Upload them to earn free Course Hero access!