The Time Safari
In the “A sound of Thunder,” there is a hunter who goes by the name Eckels and he pays a huge amount of $10,000 to be part of a travel safari. The firm is known as “Time Safari” and features a time machine which is used by hunters to travel into the past where they experience various aspects such as hunting dinosaurs. One of the significant policies of the company is that nothing is guaranteed. The hunters using the machine are not certain of their safe return, nor are they sure that they will be safe during the journey (Bradbury 287). There are very strict instructions on what is expected from the people who use the services. Eckels makes the journey with two compatriots Billings and Kramer who are under the guidance of Travis who works for the agency.
Travelling Back in Time
The main idea behind the journey is so that Eckels can be able to hunt the beast known as Tyrannosaurus. The journey takes the hunters 6, 255,000 years in the past (Bradbury 288). When they get out of the time machine, Travis shows them the path which is set by Time Safari. The path is above the ground by 6 inches and the hunters are warned to only travel on it and neither should they touch things, they are only allowed to shoot when the guide gives the instructions (Bradbury 289).
The Dangers of Time Travel
Therefore, Bradbury provides various dangers linked to time travel and the effects that this could have on the human connections that we form with other people. He is also able to provide an effective link between the past, present-time and even the future. There are vivid descriptions which make the story rather interesting and realistic.
The Power of Imagination
There is the immense use of descriptions and metaphors, especially when evaluating Tyrannosaurus Rex, which is the prey that has forced the hunters to travel millions of years in time. The author says “The dinosaur has watchmaker’s claws and pistons for legs… (Bradbury 290).” The descriptions are able to implore the human imagination where they can picture the beast even though they have never seen it in real life. Therefore, the story reveals that human beings are very creative and the mind is such a powerful tool.
The Consequences of Changing the Past
The story starts out by setting the effects that one move in the past could have in the future. There is a sense that everything is tied down closely and nothing needs to be altered. Eckels and the other hunters are only able to realize the effects after they arrive back from their journey. One butterfly died in the past and this has significantly changed the present. Eckels became very frightened during the journey, there is mud on his boots an indication that he strayed away from the set path and there should be consequences if any damage was experienced (Bradbury 294). The language being used is very developed. Another occurrence is that the presidential race has a different outcome. When they left President Keith had won the elections, but at the time a different man is in power (Bradbury 296).
Conclusion
The story signifies that all our actions have consequences as human beings. Therefore, the end should not be a means of justifying the means. Despite having killed the beast, the fact that one of the hunters stepping out of the path has yielded many negative effects on the current world. The author seems to suggest that the world is controlled by rules which ensure that everything runs smoothly. Therefore, a wrong deed today may not yield unwanted results today, but these would certainly be felt in the future. Therefore, the story signifies a sense of warning that humans ought to very careful in their lives not to offset the existing balance in life.
Work Cited
Bradbury, Ray. "A sound of thunder." (1952).
