To echo the directors words ,QUOTE "you're free to speculate as you wish about the philosophical and allegorical meaning of the film" but it is intended, "to be an intensely subjective experience that reaches the viewer at an inner level of consciousness".
The ape represents man at his most basic at first seeming harmless. He's "playing" beginning creativity? But he's playing with fire. It's not just that he's beating some old bones it is QUOTE “the dawning of consciousness (the movement from unconscious to conscious, night to day”. This is mirrored in the movement of chimp to man “ignorance to knowledge]”
This inspiring dread in the knowledge of what this will lead to. QUOTE (The ability to learn and evolve knowledge through impulse but without correlative long-term view).
What it takes to make the first evolutionary leap. When presented with the monolith, is his curiosity and courage to overcome his fear. These innate characteristics -- and not some buzz from the monolith -- lead to the ape's subsequent invention, the tool.
“The Dawn of Man" music starts while the chimp is playing with the bone. it only "dawns on" the chimp that he can use the tool to destroy. What doesn't yet dawn on the chimp is why he should QUOTE “Technical knowledge comes easier than moral knowledge”. The chimp is only smart enough to discern the obvious.
The fight seen between the apes over the water hole symbolises the division of man, there by giving us a insight to mans most basic behaviour in you'd think they'd cooparate, start agriculture. Instead, they fight over it. Ending in murder if it wasn't clear before, it is now the bone is death in more ways than one.
The Day of Man
A million years later, the first tool has become a spaceship and man is soaring at the peak of his evolution. He's so civilised -- when Floyd meets the Russians in the bar, it's: "Dr. Floyd, won't you join us for a drink?". With the last scene and the hospitality te apes gave eachother round the watering--hole Kubric is using these discrete signs to signify how man has evolved.
The use of rotation to show mans steps, the thowing of the bone up into the air turning into the space station, turning into Poole's pen The theme of circularity --boomerang -- karma -- what goes out comes back it is seen in other kubric films. “The Shining” throwing ball against the wall, it comes back. though here this "coming back" is not obvious; it is a metaphor for evolution the constant progression of man and his ability grow.
This evolution thought is coincided with the devolution of the sole mans creation of these tools to be able to live in this environment of space that man is just not suited to. He eats neutralised food given to him from a tool . Every step is an effort. Even using the toilet requires advanced technology. What's more, man has become a bore. His emotions are flat. He communicates in banalities. He has lost his sense of curiosity -- meeting the monolith for the second time, he touches it with a cold, scientific, gloved hand, then poses for a tourist snap.
The Jupiter mission. What a sad sight, man running In a space station just a giant wheel, man greatest invention that goes no where this running sums up the entire film. The progression of man, you can almost see the timeline next to him. man progressing growing but always ending up at back at the same point these men. , boring, all intellect and no feeling. The ones in hibernation testify to man's utter incompatibility with space exploration .
HAL is thought . HAL is a tool, no more and no less than that bone wielded by the ape. But he's so smart he beats man at his own game ("I'm sorry, Frank, but I think you missed it...."). perfectly suited to the space QUOTE “created by man better than man but still a tool “
HAL knows that the monolith is waiting for man to achive his destiny, with higher powers.
Hal sees himself as the next evolution of man with no feelings no soul the biggest symbol of evolution and devolution all at the same time ?. And I'm made for space I am the next step. I don't need to hibernate, I don't need oxygen or phoney cheese sandwiches" The ultimate tool, HAL, doesn't need the apes anymore. He's decided to end an association that has lasted a thousand millennia.