A Sound of Thunder Cover Image

A Sound of Thunder

by Ray Bradbury

Start Free Trial

Editor's Choice

Why has Eckels visited the Time Safari office and what is his plan?

Quick answer:

Eckels visits the Time Safari office in 2055 to travel back to prehistoric times to hunt a dinosaur, paying $10,000 for this experience. He plans to kill a Tyrannosaurus rex, which would have died naturally. However, when faced with the dinosaur, Eckels panics and accidentally steps off the designated Path. This misstep alters the future, leading to unforeseen changes in contemporary life upon their return.

Expert Answers

An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

It’s the year 2055. Eckels is a hunter. He’s come to the Time Safari office in order to be taken back to prehistoric times and to kill a dinosaur. He’s paying $10,000 for the opportunity to do so. At least, this is his plan. He joins a hunting party led by two guides, Travis and Lesperance; and they use a time machine to go back to the crucial moment. They’re going to kill a Tyrannosaurus rex that would have been killed by a falling tree anyway. But once faced with the tremendous beast, Eckels becomes terrified. He stumbles back to the time machine, not even realizing that he has stepped off the Path that everyone was warned to stay on. The Time Safari people had done their best to make sure that their actions would not impact the future in any way. Of course, once they return to 2055, they see that this is not the case. Eckels’ misstep has evidently set off a series of changes that now make contemporary life quite different than it was before.

Get Ahead with eNotes

Start your 48-hour free trial to access everything you need to rise to the top of the class. Enjoy expert answers and study guides ad-free and take your learning to the next level.

Get 48 Hours Free Access
Approved by eNotes Editorial