In Ray Bradbury’s short story “A Sound of Thunder,” Eckels wants to go back in time to hunt dinosaurs because he is what is commonly called a “trophy hunter.” Trophy hunters are those who crave the opportunity to hunt and kill rare or endangered species or animals the accessibility of which exist outside the realm of the norm, as when Americans or others travel to Africa or Asia for the purpose of killing animals foreign to the United States. For such individuals, the opportunity to hunt a long-extinct species, such as dinosaurs, especially dinosaurs known to have been particularly ferocious, would be too hard to resist. Such is the case with Eckels.
In Bradbury’s story, Eckels arrives at the corporate office of the company that has developed a time machine and that uses it to offer expensive hunting excursions to the distant past. Such excursions involve considerable...
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risk, from accidental death or from being consumed by one’s prey or, most dramatically, from altering the course of history. Eckels has been passionate about the outcome of a major election, the result of which went his way. As he is contemplating the risks of the hunt and the catastrophe that would have materialized had the opposing candidate won, Eckels is assured by an employee of the company that all he has to focus on at the moment is his hunt, not the risks associated with the hunt or any hypotheticals emanating from the recent election. Evidence of Eckels’ motivation is present in the following exchange between him and the employee:
“. . . Keith’s President now. All you got to worry about is—”
“Shooting my dinosaur,” Eckels finished it for him.
Eckels wants to kill a dinosaur solely for the experience of hunting such rare and dangerous prey.
Eckels wants to be able to shoot and kill a dinosaur: something he could hardly do without traveling back in time. He has made arrangements with the business called Time Safari, Inc.., and is paying $10,000 for the experience. The year is 2055. This is Eckels’ first foray into time travel. It’s unclear whether or not he has hunted animals before. But obviously the chance to see and kill a Tyrannosaurus rex has grabbed his interest. As soon as he enters the Time Safari office, however, his nerves are already starting to get the better of him. Once the time machine takes the hunting group back to the prehistoric age and landscape, his apprehension quickly grows to terror. Killing a dinosaur isn’t quite as easy or as fulfilling as he expected.
Why does Eckels want to travel back in time in "A Sound of Thunder"?
Eckels wants to travel back in time to hunt and kill a dinosaur.
Eckels is paying ten thousand dollars to be a part of a safari group going back in time. The company that does this is Time Safari, Inc., and the expedition is being led by Mr. Travis.
Eckels is not a character that readers are meant to like. From the moment that we are introduced to him, it is clear that he is pompous and arrogant. He waves around his check like it's a talisman of power and privilege.
The muscles around his mouth formed a smile as he put his hand slowly out upon the air, and in that hand waved a check for ten thousand dollars to the man behind the desk.
Eckels doesn't seem to realize that he will not be the only paying customer on the safari, because he uses "I" a lot instead of "we." At one point, rules are being explained to Eckels about what he does and does not have to worry about. He rudely interrupts the other man and says the only thing he (Eckels) has to worry about "is shooting my dinosaur." Notice how Eckels believes that his check guarantees himself shooting rights.
Of course as the reader comes to learn, Eckels is all talk. Despite his brave bravado, he is the only safari member that runs in fear back to the time machine. The T. rex is simply too scary for him.
"Get me out of here," said Eckels. "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 figured wrong. I've met my match and admit it. This is too much for me to get hold of."
He's so scared in fact, that he steps off of the path, kills a butterfly, and changes the future/present forever.