Discussion Topic
Eckels and Travis: Character Contrast in "A Sound of Thunder"
Summary:
In Ray Bradbury's "A Sound of Thunder," Eckels and Travis serve as contrasting characters. Eckels is portrayed as a thrill-seeker and overconfident hunter who is ultimately cowardly and ignorant, especially when confronted with the T-Rex, leading to disastrous consequences. In contrast, Travis is cautious, knowledgeable, and brave, understanding the risks of time travel and adhering strictly to rules. Eckels acts as a foil to Travis, highlighting Travis's courage and wisdom through his own fear and lack of foresight.
Compare and contrast Eckels and Travis in "A Sound of Thunder."
The only similarity between Eckels and Travis is their feeling of awe towards the dinosaurs. Travis, for example, calls the dinosaur his "Royal Majesty," suggesting that he feels respect towards it. Similarly, for Eckels, being in the presence of a dinosaur and being able to hunt it represents the ultimate challenge.
In every other respect, Eckels and Travis are very different people. Eckels, for example, is a thrillseeker. He is trying to recapture his youth by hunting a dinosaur. In contrast, Travis is a cautious man who wants everybody to obey the rules. He realizes how dangerous it can be if those on safari do not listen to his instructions. Note, for example, his reaction when Eckels starts aiming his weapon for fun.
“Stop that!” said Travis. “Don’t even aim for fun, blast you! If your guns should go off—”
The fact that Eckels messes around with his weapon demonstrates...
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another key difference between the men: Eckles takes this activity far less seriously than Travis.
In addition, Travis shows no fear towards the dinosaur. He is brave and well-experienced in this field. Eckels, however, becomes extremely nervous when confronted with a dinosaur and is unable to take the shot. He loses his nerve at the last minute—something which Travis would never do.
Eckels in "A Sound of Thunder" is shown to be a man who has bitten off more than he can realistically chew. As he sees the sign advertising the Time Safari at the beginning of the story, a "warm phlegm" gathers in his throat, and as he is offered a chance to tear up the check, his fingers twitch, showing his nerves and foreshadowing his failure to face the T-Rex. It is when he does confront the T-Rex that Eckels completely despairs of getting out of this experience alive, which leads him to leave the path and crush the butterfly which is enough to change the future.
Travis, in comparison, is presented as the guide of the group, confident and knowledgeable about how the time machine operates and the various rules that need to be followed. It is he who is entrusted with ensuring that what they do in the past does not influence the future, and thus he is a very angry at what Eckels did and how he endangered the future, threatening to live him there in the past and forcing him to get the bullets out of the T-Rex. He is a strong man, in comparison with Eckels, who knows what is needed to be done and acts upon it.
Interestingly, when we compare both of these characters, it is Travis more than Eckels I think who appears as the hero of the piece. Eckels is presented as a weak man who is easily overwhelmed by the T-Rex, in spite of his hunting experience. It is Travis who shows courage, strength and resilience, even if we might question his treatment of Eckels and the final action that leads to the "sound of thunder" that closes the story.
Why is Eckels a foil for Travis in "A Sound of Thunder"?
In literature, a foil is a character whose values, traits, motivations, or actions highlight or illuminate those of a different character by means of comparison or contrast. In the science fiction short story "A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury, Eckels is a foil for Travis in two important ways. His cowardly behavior highlights Travis's courage, and his ignorance highlights Travis's knowledge.
It is evident from the beginning of the story that Eckels is not a brave man. As he enters the office of Time Safari, "warm phlegm" gathers in his throat, and he has to force himself to smile. He asks if his safety is guaranteed, and the man in the office says it is not. When the tyrannosaurus rex appears, instead of attempting to shoot it, Eckels turns and runs. In his panic he steps off the path and unleashes change that the expedition discovers when it returns to the year when they had left. In contrast, Travis does not display fear at all. When the dinosaur charges, he stands his ground, firing with the others until the beast is dead. He is furious at Eckels and has great contempt for him because of the cowardly way he ran off.
Eckels's ignorance is integral to the story because the questions he asks allows Travis to explain why they all have to remain on the path and not disturb or damage anything that could affect the future. When they arrive in the past, Eckels asks why the path has been laid out, and when Travis offers only a brief explanation, Eckels says, "That's not clear." This prompts Travis to go into more detail about how even a tiny change in the past becomes more and more serious until it can have drastic ramifications in the future. This explanation is important when they return to the future and realize that it has all changed due to Eckels crushing and killing a prehistoric butterfly.