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Changes In Ray Bradbury's Short Story 'The Sound Of Thunder'

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Time is a hard set of rules, not a set of guidelines; it is set in stone, but, in an alternate reality, perhaps it can be changed. In this story, this premise is realized, and the result is nothing short of astounding. Humans aren't able to change time, if they could, disaster may ensue. In Ray Bradbury’s short story, “The Sound of Thunder,” the main character, Eckles, is murdered because of his own stupidity, the accumulated anger of his safari guide, and the effects he causes in this alternate timeline he arrived in. Eckels made very poor decisions while he was out on his safari, mistakes that would never be forgiven. During his safari to the past, Eckels made very incriminating decisions which ultimately led to his own demise. Firstly, he panicked when danger faced him, and this caused him to run away, directly disobeying orders, killing a very vital insect in a process. Next, Eckels angered his tour guide by disobeying, almost resulting in his entire group meeting an ill fate beneath a 10-ton reptile. Finally, the culmination of his decisions resulted in major shifts in history, causing a dictatorship and, potentially, a more severe fate for this world he had crafted. All these factors greatly angered his tour guide to a point where Eckels death was no longer avoidable. Travis, Eckels’ tour guide, had helped preserve …show more content…

When Eckles killed the butterfly, a series of events followed for millions of years. Initially, the group returned home after a horrifying experience only to find a regime in place, all in part, due to Eckels. Secondly, their language they were very accustomed to had been altered drastically; it had been altered almost to the point where it almost seemed foreign. Finally, they had found their beloved candidate, Keith, had lost to their current dictator. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back; Eckels was shot and killed on

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