I. SUBJECT Ray Bradbury’s “A Sound of Thunder” follows Eckels as he joins a hunting party to travel back in time to kill a Tyrannosaurus rex. As the group waits to board the Time Machine, they discuss the results of the recent election in which the more moderate Keith triumphed over the tyrannical Deutscher. After the party arrives in the past, they are warned of the dangers of tiny alterations to the timeline by their safari guides, Travis and Lesperance. Travis explains that the hunters must remain on the levitating path to avoid disturbing the environment, and to only shoot the prey tagged by prior scouts.
The party begins its hunt, but when the dinosaur approaches, Eckels is frightened and runs off the path back to the Time Machine. When Eckels returns to the party, he finds the dinosaur has been killed by the hunters. Travis is infuriated that Eckels left the path, and upon their return the party notices that the room feels different, but they cannot determine any specific reason. As Eckels sees the Time Safari sign, he finds that the words are spelled differently than before he left and it is Deutscher, rather than Keith who has won the election. Eckels quickly glances down at his shoe, discovering a iny butterfly he killed when he stepped off the path. As the hunting party realizes the consequences of Eckels’ actions, Travis shifts his rifle and fires.
II. THEME In “A Sound of Thunder,” Ray Bradbury explores the consequences of thoughtless actions on the lives of the perpetrator and others. Throughout the story, many characters explain or demonstrate how small and often seemingly insignificant actions can have dire effects. When Eckels speaks to one of the officials at Time Safari, the man attempts to explain the dangers of hunting dinosaurs, saying “[w]e don’t want anyone going who’ll panic at the first shot.
Six Safari leaders were killed last year, and a dozen hunters” (58). The official uses the past deaths to inform Eckels that the hunts are not for faint of heart and that it is not too late to back out. Eckels, however, does not truly heed the official’s warning, and chooses to go on the safari despite his obvious lack of courage. This decision to ignore one’s own mental aptitude led to the deaths of the prior hunters, and to Eckels’ even more calamitous fate. Bradbury expounds upon the importance of actions through the character of Travis. Before the safari begins, Travis arns the hunters of the dangers of affecting time.
“The stomp of your foot, on one mouse, could start an earthquake, the effects of which could shake our earth and destinies through Time. Step on a mouse and you crush the Pyramids. Step on a mouse and you leave a print, like a Grand Canyon, across Eternity” (61). This is one of the reader’s first glimpses of the true magnitude of the actions of the hunting party. Travis, a seasoned Time Safari guide, attempts to explain again to Eckels the importance of careful action. A single wrong step, and the party risks changing the entirety of history.
Bradbury utilizes time travel to demonstrate how a single action, if done without thought, can cause adverse consequences for even those far removed from it. For most of the story, the importance of the consequence of thoughtless actions remains mainly an abstract idea, but with the climax of the narrative, Bradbury makes manifest this abstraction. When Eckels notices the dead butterfly that has altered the course of history, he says “Can’t we… can’t we take it back, can’t we make it alive again? Can’t we start over? Can’t we-” (68). Eckels finally comes to recognize the ncredible cost his actions have caused. Despite this, he still believes that there is a way to correct what he has broken; failing to recognize that time travel has caused his problems, and will not be able to fix them. Eckels’ thoughtless choices to travel back in time and step off the path have caused these dire consequences, and now he as well as everyone else must live with them.
IlI. DICTION In “A Sound of Thunder,” Bradbury utilizes both dialogue and narrative to advance the plot. He uses dialogue to allow the participants in his story to interact with each other, adding a ayer of realism and subtle characterization to the work. Eckels and the other characters do not act like game pieces that are simply moved around on a board, but rather they are constantly developing as their own entities. When describing the emotions or actions of the characters, Bradbury interjects periods of narration. He uses narration to create vivid images of Eckels’ surroundings and his thoughts and consequences are so important to the story, narration allows Bradbury to avoid any unnecessary and awkward dialogue, and instead focus on the development of the plot and the characters.
Bradbury uses long, but simple sentences to engulf the readers in the prehistoric world the story takes place. This is exemplified when Eckels exits the Time Machine in the past. Bradbury writes, “the jungle was high and the jungle was broad and the jungle was the entire world forever and ever. Sounds like music and sounds like flying tents filled the sky” (62). Bradbury utilizes long sentences to mimic the expanse of the environment the hunters. He balances this with a parallel structure of phrases within the sentences which provide for a natural pace that is simple enough to hold the audience’s interest.
The reader feels the calmness of the world Bradbury creates, but also senses the danger and suspense lurking just beneath the surface. The author utilizes these elongated sentences to incorporate vivid images throughout the story to create the prehistoric world in which it takes place. This imagery is prominent in his Eckels’ encounter with the T. rex. As Eckels can do nothing but watch, Bradbury describes the creature precisely, writing “it towered thirty feet above half of the trees, a great evil god, folding its delicate watchmaker’s claws close to its oily reptilian chest. And the head itself, a ton of sculptured tone, lifted easily upon the sky. Its mouth gaped, exposing a fence of teeth like daggers” (63).
Through his use of metaphors emotions. Because actions and hyperbole, Bradbury forms an image of incredible strength and savagery in the mind of the reader. He creates a beast that strikes fear in the reader as well as Eckels. Bradbury’s use of diction throughout the short story upholds his subject and theme. As Eckels drops to his knees in despair at the end of the story, “He did not move. Eyes shut, he waited, shivering. He heard Travis breathe loud in the room; he heard Travis shift his ifle, click the safety catch, and raise the weapon.
There was a sound of thunder” (68). Although the reader is left unsure exactly what occurred, it is understood that Travis either shoots himself or Eckels. Through his final words, Bradbury alludes not only to the title but also to the idea of actions having consequences. Eckels’ careless choice to step off the path has led to incredible alterations to the timeline that he must now live with. The reader is left questioning whether Travis chose to kill Eckels as punishment for stepping off the path or himself for fear of what the changed world might hold.
