“A Sound of Thunder” by Ray Bradbury is an interesting commentary on causality and destiny. Bradbury, known for his science fiction stories, uses the concept of time travel to demonstrate how our decisions have great consequences. The story explores themes related to the butterfly effect, where the flapping of a butterfly's wings can cause a hurricane on the other side of the world. This story studies the idea of ​​actions and their consequences, showing how even the smallest change can create a ripple effect that causes major disruptions to a preordained destiny. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Set in 2055, “A Sound of Thunder” tells the story of a man named Eckels who embarks on a safari sixty million years into the past with the goal of killing a Tyrannosaurus Rex. He begins the journey confident in his hunting skills, but the moment he lays eyes on the enormous creature, he is numb with shock. In his terrified state, he does the one thing he was ordered not to do; takes a step off the Path. Now, I know this may not seem life-changing, but apparently, touching even a single blade of grass off the Path can change the course of history. Once the group returns to the present, Eckels notices a dead butterfly under his shoe. His inadvertent killing of the butterfly ultimately changes the course of history as they knew it. I liked this story because the author conveyed the message in a fun way. The sci-fi elements mixed with the vivid descriptions of the scenes made for a compelling read. I liked the overall plot, although in my opinion there are always some technical aspects with time travel. No, I don't mean the whole future-altering thing, but rather I find myself questioning the logic and justification of why one thing could drastically change the future, but another thing couldn't. I guess I'm just skeptical of the randomness of it all. Nonetheless, the author provided enough detail that my imagination was able to fill in the missing pieces of the practicality of the situation. I have to say my favorite part of the story was the clever use of imagery. I found that the symbolism allowed the story to be more relatable. The main symbol of the butterfly was a clear allusion to the butterfly effect and made it clear that small things can have a big impact. When Eckels noted the impact his action had had on the present time, he said, “No small thing! Not a butterfly!'. The irony of the situation is that killing a giant who "towered thirty feet above half the trees, a great evil god, who crossed his delicate watchmaker's claws near his oily reptilian chest" caused no change , while the killing of a simple butterfly completely reshaped the story. . This message really resonated with me because it shows how, even though you may think your actions are insignificant, they have a bigger impact than you think. Getting into the topic of symbolism, I must mention a significant element of the story; the Path. For me the Path represents destiny. Eckels is explicitly warned to never leave the path, yet he does and this is what causes the proverbial dominoes to fall. Just like our destiny, the path “Doesn't even touch a blade of grass”. He's untouchable. This shows that destiny is written for us and is not something we can go back in time and change. The debate about whether or not humans have a pre-set destiny is complicated, but due, 1952)