Eckels Allowed To Kill The Dinosaurs In A Sound Of Thunder?

Eckels is an experienced hunter visiting Time Safari Incorporation in the year 2055 in the story “A Sound of Thunder” by Ray Bradbury. He and his safari group go back 60,002,055 years to the prehistoric times to hunt dinosaurs. Travis, the Time Safari leader, warns them not to step off the anti-gravity metal path made for them to walk on, for if they do, it will dramatically affect anything that were to happen in the future. The hunters are only allowed to shoot the dinosaurs that have red paint on them because the animals are going to die in the near future anyway. A T-rex appears around the corner and Eckels gets more frightened as the dinosaur comes closer. He runs to the time machine because he knows he can’t shoot the dinosaur even if he wanted to. He accidentally steps off the path on his way back to the time machine as the other safari members kill the T-rex. On their way back to the time machine, Travis notices Eckels mishap because he sees a dead butterfly on his shoe. Eckels’ punishment happens to be to go pull the bullets out of the dead dinosaur. The travelers go back to the future, but upon the return, they notice the English language seems different then it was before. Travis warns Eckels to be careful of what he does, or it could change his …show more content…
For instance, he thinks that everyone should be jealous of him when he says, “Think, said Eckels. ‘Every hunter that lived would envy us today. This makes Africa seem like Illinois’” (80). Eckels says this so people will resent him. He looks to be better than everyone else. He wants everyone, dead or alive, to wish they were him. Furthermore, the author writes, “Eckels balanced on the narrow path, aimed his rifle playfully” (84). Eckels tries to show the other hunters that are with him that he has experience as a hunter and tries to show off. Overall, Eckels constantly shows his pompous behavior and loves to show