A Sound Of Thunder Foreshadowing Analysis
Could stepping on an ancient butterfly really change the future? In “A Sound of Thunder” by Ray Bradbury, the characters discover how cautious one must be when interacting with the fragile past. In the story, Eckels experiences a dinosaur hunting safari in the past, when things take a turn for the worse. A T-Rex startles Eckels, which causes him to stumble off the trail. Who knew that mistake would change the world’s future? Throughout the story, Bradbury utilizes a combination of conflicts, metaphors, and foreshadowing to show the character’s struggles in a totally different world. Throughout the story, Bradbury uses conflicts to illustrate the effect of the character’s mistakes and struggles. For example, Travis says, “Well, what about the
foxes that’ll need those mice to survive?” (38). This example of a Man vs. Man conflict shows a discord between Travis and Eckels about the effect of an unnecessary mistake in the past. Eckels believes that without mice, foxes will die, which would cause a huge ripple effect on the future. Another example of conflict is when Eckels is frightened by a T-Rex, causing him to step off the hunting trail and step onto the forest ground, “It’s his shoes! Look at them! He ran off the Path. That ruins us!” (42). Once again, Travis is worried about how such a minor action in the past could affect the future. The author’s use of conflict affects the reader’s opinions about travelling to the past. Many times during the story, Bradbury uses metaphors to describe and analyze the objects in the story. For example, the story says, “A wind storm from the beast’s mouth engulfed them in the stench of slime and old blood” (41). Bradbury uses a metaphor to show the enormous size of the dinosaur, creating an element of suspense with the intense action. Another example is when Travis says, “[The Cave Man] He is an entire future nation” (38). The use of metaphors shows us how important a single man was to the past. Bradbury’s use of metaphors along with foreshadowing creates many intense scenes of the past. Bradbury uses foreshadowing many times throughout the story to make the readers anticipate what will happen next. For example, “A little error here would multiply in sixty million years, all out of proportion” (38). This quote is used to hint at a problem that could have a great impact on the future world. Another example of foreshadowing is when Lesperance says, “Take it easy, all he did was kick up some dirt.” (43). This quote is very interesting because it allows the readers to shape their opinion about what will change the future. The author’s use of foreshadowing, along with the other literary elements, shapes the importance of every small occurrence. Bradbury’s use of conflicts, metaphors, and foreshadowing in “A Sound of Thunder” emphasizes the problems that arise throughout the story. These literary elements allow the reader to feel as if they are one of the characters. No one would have thought that the unnecessary death of a butterfly in the past would have such a great impact on the future.
foxes that’ll need those mice to survive?” (38). This example of a Man vs. Man conflict shows a discord between Travis and Eckels about the effect of an unnecessary mistake in the past. Eckels believes that without mice, foxes will die, which would cause a huge ripple effect on the future. Another example of conflict is when Eckels is frightened by a T-Rex, causing him to step off the hunting trail and step onto the forest ground, “It’s his shoes! Look at them! He ran off the Path. That ruins us!” (42). Once again, Travis is worried about how such a minor action in the past could affect the future. The author’s use of conflict affects the reader’s opinions about travelling to the past. Many times during the story, Bradbury uses metaphors to describe and analyze the objects in the story. For example, the story says, “A wind storm from the beast’s mouth engulfed them in the stench of slime and old blood” (41). Bradbury uses a metaphor to show the enormous size of the dinosaur, creating an element of suspense with the intense action. Another example is when Travis says, “[The Cave Man] He is an entire future nation” (38). The use of metaphors shows us how important a single man was to the past. Bradbury’s use of metaphors along with foreshadowing creates many intense scenes of the past. Bradbury uses foreshadowing many times throughout the story to make the readers anticipate what will happen next. For example, “A little error here would multiply in sixty million years, all out of proportion” (38). This quote is used to hint at a problem that could have a great impact on the future world. Another example of foreshadowing is when Lesperance says, “Take it easy, all he did was kick up some dirt.” (43). This quote is very interesting because it allows the readers to shape their opinion about what will change the future. The author’s use of foreshadowing, along with the other literary elements, shapes the importance of every small occurrence. Bradbury’s use of conflicts, metaphors, and foreshadowing in “A Sound of Thunder” emphasizes the problems that arise throughout the story. These literary elements allow the reader to feel as if they are one of the characters. No one would have thought that the unnecessary death of a butterfly in the past would have such a great impact on the future.