Bradbury’s “A Sound of Thunder” seems to be just another science fiction tale about time travel and its many dangers. It follows a man by the name of Eckels who pays a large sum of money to go back in time to catch a dinosaur. However, once he actually faces the terrifying beast, he becomes frightened and is unable to finish the hunt. During his clumsy state of cowardice, he steps on a butterfly and ultimately changes the course of history. Upon careful analysis, this story reveals a very unpleasant truth about humanity and its relationship with the world. It gives rise to the argument that humans are Earth’s most dangerous creatures because they have an unnatural and insatiable hunger, false delusions of grandeur, and no respect for life.
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He was born in the 1920s, a time of growth, forward movement, and big dreams. Most other science fiction writers of his time focused on the future and the mysteries that await there. However, Bradbury was more interested in the past and discovering the many truths that were hidden within it. He had a strong preference for the mundane and was wary of science and human ingenuity. Some have gone as far as saying that he was “a lone symbol of the dangers of technology” (Wolfe 2048). It is likely because of this that his dystopian novels and chilling stories gained such a widespread popularity.
Bradbury opens the story by placing Eckels inside the Time Safari Inc. building. The narrator states that “the muscles around [Eckels’] mouth formed a smile,” almost as if the happiness he feels is an uncontrollable physiological reaction (203). This goes to show that when Eckels thinks about catching prey much larger and fiercer than that caught by most, he is overcome with glee. In fact, he does not stop to consider the dangers of this hunt for more than a few seconds as he allows himself to ask whether or not his safety is guaranteed. Even after acknowledging that it is not, he remains giddy with …show more content…
However, his behavior is also very easily found among most, if not all, humans. This reinforces the idea expressed in “A Sound of Thunder” that humans are the most dangerous creatures because they are always hungry for more than what is necessary to ensure a comfortable existence, they do not realize how small and unimportant they really are, and they selfishly believe that only their lives matter. To put it into perspective, it is not the fact that Eckels cowered that makes him guilty, it is the fact that he sought an unnecessary trophy, overestimated his abilities and ultimately valued his own life beyond the life of others. Perhaps Bradbury was not looking to condemn humans, but to make them aware of the severity of their carelessness and destructive actions. Bearing this in mind, humanity is not beyond repair. Furthermore, it is not evil, it has simply “succeeded extravagantly at the expense of other species” (Kolbert 126). It can differentiate between right and wrong. The next step is to choose to do what’s right and even when this means
He was born in the 1920s, a time of growth, forward movement, and big dreams. Most other science fiction writers of his time focused on the future and the mysteries that await there. However, Bradbury was more interested in the past and discovering the many truths that were hidden within it. He had a strong preference for the mundane and was wary of science and human ingenuity. Some have gone as far as saying that he was “a lone symbol of the dangers of technology” (Wolfe 2048). It is likely because of this that his dystopian novels and chilling stories gained such a widespread popularity.
Bradbury opens the story by placing Eckels inside the Time Safari Inc. building. The narrator states that “the muscles around [Eckels’] mouth formed a smile,” almost as if the happiness he feels is an uncontrollable physiological reaction (203). This goes to show that when Eckels thinks about catching prey much larger and fiercer than that caught by most, he is overcome with glee. In fact, he does not stop to consider the dangers of this hunt for more than a few seconds as he allows himself to ask whether or not his safety is guaranteed. Even after acknowledging that it is not, he remains giddy with …show more content…
However, his behavior is also very easily found among most, if not all, humans. This reinforces the idea expressed in “A Sound of Thunder” that humans are the most dangerous creatures because they are always hungry for more than what is necessary to ensure a comfortable existence, they do not realize how small and unimportant they really are, and they selfishly believe that only their lives matter. To put it into perspective, it is not the fact that Eckels cowered that makes him guilty, it is the fact that he sought an unnecessary trophy, overestimated his abilities and ultimately valued his own life beyond the life of others. Perhaps Bradbury was not looking to condemn humans, but to make them aware of the severity of their carelessness and destructive actions. Bearing this in mind, humanity is not beyond repair. Furthermore, it is not evil, it has simply “succeeded extravagantly at the expense of other species” (Kolbert 126). It can differentiate between right and wrong. The next step is to choose to do what’s right and even when this means