Foreshadowing In Ray Bradbury's 'Sound Of Thunder'

Ian Picho

Mrs. Fleetwood

English 1 - Block C

9 January 2017 Stepping Off The Path

According to the poet Stephen Dobyns, “Actions have consequences. Ignorance about the nature of those actions does not free a person from responsibility for the consequences.” The fact that someone is unaware about what could happen to them, does not excuse them from what they have done. People should think before they act, especially actions that could harm themselves and other people or things. In most cases, people are aware that what they are doing is wrong, and should know there will be consequences for their actions. In “Sound of Thunder,” by Ray Bradbury, Eckels does

This shows that Eckels is an anxious person, and not confident. This part of his character will cause him to not have the courage to hunt and kill a dinosaur. As Eckels is handing the official behind the desk his check, Eckels presumes he is unsure if he will be able to shoot a dinosaur even before he gets on the Time Travel Safari. The official says, “We don’t want anyone going who’ll panic at the first shot … Your personal check’s still there. Tear it up,” and as a result, “Mr. Eckels looked at the check. His finger twitched” (Lines 54 -59). These lines foreshadow that Eckels will panic, and is not sure he actually wants to go on the Time Travel Safari. Eckels ultimately realizes that he will not be able to shoot the T-Rex as planned. When Eckels is in the time machine, he senses from his body’s behavior that he is not ready to hunt. “[Eckels] felt the trembling in his arms, and [Eckels] looked down and found his hands tight on the new rifle” (Lines 71 - 72). Eckels feels nervous and still not confident with himself that he will be able to kill the T-Rex. When Eckels finally sees the T-Rex in person, he panics and is afraid he will die after seeing how big and ferocious the dinosaur is in reality. “Get me out of here,” Eckels says, “It was never like this before. I was always sure I’d come through alive. I had good guides, good safaris, and safety. This time, I

His negligence and the mistakes he makes in the past causes negative effects in the present time of 2055. Eckels’ inability to follow directions makes him try to undo the harm he has done. Eckels offers money to fix the disasters he caused. In addition, his mistakes ultimately cost him his life. Similarly, like Eckels, who tries to use money to fix his bad decision, so do people in society try to use money to fix their mistakes. In “Sound of Thunder,” Eckels indirectly speaks about the fact that all living things are important. Currently, society is immensely concerned with nurturing and protecting the wildlife. In addition, Eckels seems to be egotistical. There are many people in society that are overconfident and think they know better than anyone else. Also, like Eckels, people in society have no respect about what others are warning them, or sharing with them. Finally, even the smallest decision made, or actions taken by someone, will have either a positive or a negative effect, resulting in consequences going forward. For example, if a student watches their favorite show on a school night, and does not study, the student will probably do badly on the test, as well as perhaps bear the consequence of being punished by their parents. Every small action has consequences, and those consequences are sometimes foreshadowed by events