Comparing and Contrasting 2001: A Space Odyssey and “The Sentinel”
Tracy Goldman
HUMN425: Science Fiction
Georgia State University Comparing and Contrasting 2001: A Space Odyssey and “The Sentinel”
2001: A Space Odyssey is a film based on Arthur Clarke's short story, "The Sentinel." The purpose of this paper is to explain the similarities and differences between “The Sentinel” and 2001: A Space Odyssey. There are many similarities and differences between “The Sentinel” and 2001: A Space Odyssey. The obvious similarity is the crystal pyramid in the story and the monolith in the film. According to Dictionary.com a sentinel is described as a) a person or thing that watches or stands as if watching and, b) a character used to indicate
2001was dragged out focusing on every aspect of the use of technology and the mission of the characters. Another obvious difference in the story and film is Hal. Hal is not in the story but in the film. Hal is a computer that controls the spaceship and everything on it. Hal sets the stage of how humans can lose control of their technology or tools whereas in the tools and technology used led them to the discovery and destruction of the crystal pyramid showing the positive aspects of technology. On page 746 the narrator stated, "Our expedition was a large one". This backs to the idea that the narrator was on the moon to explore and find signs of life and the materials that the moon possessed. However in 2001, the men in space were on a mission and therefore already in some ways familiar with space and when the monolith started to beam out signals however the men did not ever fathom the thought of running into another species. The Sentinel” is abrupt and leaves readers with many questions and wanting more of an explanation. After watching the 2 hour journey of humans in space, viewers are left with in awe and instead of questioning where the rest of the story is they are left to question their meaning of existence. Therefore, there are many similarities and differences between “The Sentinel” and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

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