The cyclops in The Odyssey is a more conventional monster. He is a classic beast of Grecian times, a man eater. Odysseus escapes from the cyclops by getting it drunk and then blinding it with a stick. Dave does blind Hal, but in a different manner. He disconnects HAL's memory chips until HAL is reduced to a non thinking piece of machinery. Once this is accomplished, Dave can escape to continue on his journey to the universe beyond.
Dave must blind HAL to live and continue on his journey, just as Odysseus must. Odysseus and Dave both continue on in their Journeys after they have blinded their foes. The central them of incapacitating by blinding is here. This is interesting because it shows a brains-as-opposed-to brawn method of taking on the villain.
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| HAL's cyclops eye | Polyphemus, son of Poseidon and the cyclops in The Odyssey |
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| Dave blinding HAL by disconnecting him | Odysseus blinding the cyclops |