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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." According to Wheat, the three allegories are:

1. Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophical tract, Thus Spoke Zarathustra.
2. 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.
3. 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'.

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".

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.

References

1. Wheat, Kubrick's 2001, p.4
2. Leonard F. Wheat, Kubrick's 2001: A Triple Allegory (London: Scarecrow Press, 2000), p. 3.
3. Wheat, Kubrick's 2001, p. 46
4. Jerome Agel, The Making Of Kubrick's 2001 (1970)

External links

• Kubrick's 2001: A Triple Allegory by Leonard F. Wheat

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