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| {{Short description|1952 science fiction short story by Ray Bradbury}} | |||
| {{About|the short story by Ray Bradbury|other uses|Sound of Thunder (disambiguation)}} | {{About|the short story by Ray Bradbury|other uses|Sound of Thunder (disambiguation)}} | ||
| {{ |
{{Use American English|date=December 2022}} | ||
| ⚫ | {{Use mdy dates|date=December 2022}} | ||
| {{Infobox short story | {{Infobox short story | ||
| | name = A Sound of Thunder | | name = A Sound of Thunder | ||
| | title_orig |
| title_orig = | ||
| | translator |
| translator = | ||
| | author = ] | | author = ] | ||
| | country = ] | | country = ] | ||
| | language = ] | | language = ] | ||
| | series |
| series = | ||
| | |
| published_in = '']'' | ||
| | pub_date = June 28, 1952 | |||
| | | |||
| | genre = ] | |||
| }} | }} | ||
| "'''A Sound of Thunder'''" is a ] ] by American writer ], first published in '']'' magazine on June 28, 1952, and later in Bradbury's 1953 collection '']''.<ref name="Birx2009">{{cite book|last=Birx|first=H. James|title=Encyclopedia of Time: Science, Philosophy, Theology, & Culture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b3ddWSxmi9cC&pg=PA109|access-date=November 22, 2015|date=January 13, 2009|publisher=Sage Publications|isbn=9781412941648|pages=109–}}</ref> | |||
| "'''A Sound of Thunder'''" is an influential ] ] by ], first published in '']'' magazine in the June 28, ] issue and '']'' in June 1956.<ref name="SFF">{{cite web| last=Willis|first=Jesse| title=A Sound Of Thunder| url=http://www.sffaudio.com/?p=28318 |work=Radio Drama Revival: Bradbury 13 |publisher=SFFaudio |accessdate=30 November 2013| date=30 March 2011}}</ref> As of 1984, it was the most re-published ] story up to the present time.<ref>William G. Contento, , January 2008</ref> The story is inspired by the concept of the ], although it was published a decade before physicist Edward Lorenz introduced the phrase into popular usage. | |||
| ==Plot summary== | ==Plot summary== | ||
| In the year 2055, ] has become a practical reality, and the company Time Safari Inc. offers wealthy adventurers the chance to travel back in time to hunt extinct species such as ]. A hunter named Eckels pays $10,000 to join a hunting party that will travel back 65 million years to the ] period, on a guided safari to kill a '']''. As the party waits to depart, they discuss the recent presidential elections in which a candidate, Deutscher, has been defeated by his opponent Keith, to the relief of many concerned. | |||
| When the party arrives in the past, Travis, the hunting guide, and his assistant warn Eckels and the two other hunters about the necessity of minimizing the events they change before they go back, since even the smallest alterations to the distant past could snowball into catastrophic changes in history. Travis explains that the hunters are obliged to stay on a levitating path to avoid disrupting the environment, any deviation will be punished with hefty fines and prosecution, Time Safari scouts had been sent back to select and tag prey whose death will have minimal effect on the future prior to the hunt, and the time machine "steps aside" to prevent people from encountering themselves in the past. | |||
| ⚫ | Although Eckels is initially excited about the hunt, when the monstrous |
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| ⚫ | Although Eckels is initially excited about the hunt, when the monstrous ''Tyrannosaurus'' approaches, he loses his nerve. Travis tells him to go back to the time machine, but Eckels panics, steps off the path, and stumbles into the forest. The other four shoot and kill the dinosaur and see that Eckels has found his way back to the time machine. Travis threatens to leave him in the past before ordering him to remove the bullets from the dinosaur's body, as they cannot be left behind. | ||
| Upon returning to 2055, Eckels notices subtle changes - English words are now spelled and spoken strangely, people behave differently, and Eckels discovers that Deutscher has won the election instead of Keith. Looking at the mud on his boots, Eckels finds a ], whose death has apparently set in motion a series of subtle changes that have affected the nature of the alternative present to which the safari has returned. He frantically pleads with Travis to take him back into the past to undo the damage, but Travis explains that the time machine cannot return to any point in time that has already been visited (so as to prevent any paradoxes). Travis raises his gun, and there is a sound of thunder, implying that Eckels is fatally shot. | |||
| Upon returning to 2055, Eckels and the rest of the party notice major changes; English words are now spelled ], and worst of all, Deutscher has won the election to the approval of the ] populace. Looking at the mud on his boots, Eckels finds a crushed golden butterfly, whose death has apparently changed the nature of the alternative present to which the safari has returned. He frantically pleads to undo the damage, and the story ends on a gunshot fired by Travis. | |||
| ==Symbols== | |||
| '''Tyrannosaurus Rex''' – The Tyrannosaurus Rex is also called “The Tyrant Lizard, the most incredible monster in history”. As a symbol, the dinosaur represents an Adolf Hitler character. This representation as a Hitler by Bradbury is taken further by his use of the color red paint as a marker for what animal they can kill while they are in the past. | |||
| '''Dominoes''' – Eckels describes his action of killing the butterfly as representing a small domino that then knocks down a larger domino that in turn knocks down a gigantic domino. This a reference to the political ] that was used in the 1950s and 1960’s by the United States to justify political involvement in countries the United States believed would fall to the ] takeover. | |||
| '''Deutscher''' - In German, the name means “a male German”. As a symbol, this can be viewed as representing Adolf Hitler, the German Dictator. The description that Bradbury provides for Deutscher is the worst kind of dictator a militarist, anti-Christ, anti-human and anti-intellectual. “we’d have the worst kind of dictatorship” according to the man behind the desk at Time Safari, Inc. | |||
| == |
==Adaptations== | ||
| A comic-book version appeared in issue #25 of ]'s '']'' (1954), adapted by ] with art by ] and ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.comics.org/issue/11548/#99449/ |title=Weird Science-Fantasy #3 |publisher=Grand Comics Database |access-date=February 4, 2019}}</ref> | |||
| '''Eckels''' – Is the main protagonist of the story. He is scared at first of the potential dangers of going back in time to hunt. As he enters the building containing the Time Safari, Inc. he has to push down a mouth full of phlegm suggesting that he was nervous about the upcoming safari. Eckels also questions if the safari guarantees that he will come back alive further showing his lack of confidence. He is clearly out of his element and his actions support this. When Eckels finds out that Lesperance had traveled back in time, he completely disregards Travis explanation of the potential dangers of disturbing anything while they are in the past. Eckles takes Travis’s explanation of not belonging in the past and the dangers of it as simple conjecture telling Travis “that’s not clear”. When he comes face to face with the Tyrannosaurus Rex, he turns numb and says “Get me out of here” and describes how different and unlike any of the other safaris he had been on before. It takes the commanding of Lesperance to prevent Eckels from blindly shuffling off the path. After being redirected by Lesperance, he makes his way back to the time machine well the others continue the hunt. Eckels represents the stereotype of the rich game hunter that is more interested in showing off the trophy and not the thrill of the hunt. When the party returns after successfully taking down the Tyrannosaurus Rex, Travis makes Eckels retrieve the bullets from the dinosaur as punishment for stepping off the path. Staying in line with his character Eckels attempts to pay off Travis with a one hundred thousand dollars. Travis refuses and gives Eckles a knife and tells him to reach his arms all they way down the mouth of the dinosaur till his elbows are colored red and pull the bullets out. Despite the fact the Tyrannosaurus Rex is dead, Eckels this stills causes great distress to him. When he returns he is shuddering and collapse to the floor and does not move until they return to the future. Upon returning to the future, the Eckles find the world he left slightly altered. The first he noticed was slight taint of chemical smell in the air. The first physical change that he notices is the sign on the wall that displayed the name and slogan of the Time Safari Company had changed. The spelling of the words was very different. It is after this that he sits down and wipes the mud off his boots when he notices a dead butterfly embedded in the mud. At this point, all the fears that Eckels felt become a reality. Eckels verifies that things are different by confirming who won the presidency. In this new time line, Deutscher won the election. After pleading to everyone, Travis then raises his rifle and takes the safety off and a sound of thunder is heard. It is implied that Travis is true to his word and shoots Eckels. | |||
| The story was adapted for the first issue of Topp's Publishing's ''Ray Bradbury Comics'' (1993) with art by ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.comics.org/issue/52596/ |title=Ray Bradbury Comics #1 |website=TV.com |date=May 22, 2007 |access-date=October 5, 2013}}</ref> | |||
| '''Keith''' – The winning candidate for president before the safari heads back unto the past. Considered to be the moral liberal of the two candidates. At the end of the story, he is the losing candidate and is described as being weak and lacking guts. Keith represents the western ideal of compassion for all men and is the inverse of Deutscher. “Thank God Keith won. He’ll make a fine President of the United States.” Although said by the counter clerk, it was feeling that all the members of the party agreed with. | |||
| '''Deutscher''' – The losing candidate at the beginning of the story. He is described as the worst kind of dictator - a militarist, anti-Christ, anti-human, and anti-intellectual. He represents the cold calculating leaders of militaristic countries. Deutscher can be viewed as an Adolf Hitler style of leader. | |||
| '''Mr. Travis''' – The travel guide and leader of the party. He explains all the rules and is responsible for make sure everything goes as plans. Travis explains how what they do in the past the can reverberate and is compounded over time. “And all the families of the families of the families of that one mouse! With a stamp of your foot, you annihilate first one, then a dozen, then a thousand, a million, a billion possible mice!” Travis takes this example further and describes a world in which stepping on a mouse could alter the course so much that George Washington never crosses the Delaware and the United States does not exist. At the end of the Safari, it is implied that Mr. Travis kills Eckels with a gunshot. | |||
| The story was adapted for the fourth season episode six of '']'' on October 8, 1989, starring ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tv.com/shows/the-ray-bradbury-theater/a-sound-of-thunder-110331/ |title=The Ray Bradbury Theater — Season 4, Episode 6: A Sound of Thunder |website=TV.com |access-date=February 4, 2019 |archive-date=November 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161106205026/http://www.tv.com/shows/the-ray-bradbury-theater/a-sound-of-thunder-110331/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
| '''Lesperance''' – Travis assistant. He travels back in time before the safaris and tracks the target. He finds the exact moment that it will die naturally and sets the trip around it. Lesperance also acts as a balance to Travis. He calms Travis down and convinces him to let Eckels come back with them. He is also responsible for deescalating Eckels emotional state when he gets scared when he finally comes face to face with the Tyrannosaurus Rex. | |||
| A ] starring ], ], and ] was released in 2005.<ref name="Ebert2013">{{cite book|last=Ebert |first=Roger| author-link= Roger Ebert| title=Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2007|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SbAEim_dVQkC&pg=PA648| access-date= November 22, 2015|date=February 5, 2013| publisher= Andrews McMeel Publishing|isbn=9780740792199|pages=648–}}</ref> Famed film critic ] stated that while he "cannot endorse it, can appreciate it" as a film that is bad because it "want so much to be terrific that explode under the strain."<ref name= "Ebert2013"/> | |||
| ==Adaptations== | |||
| The story was aired on ''The Ray Bradbury Theater'' on October 8, 1989.<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://www.tv.com/shows/the-ray-bradbury-theater/a-sound-of-thunder-110331/ |title=The Ray Bradbury Theater - Season 4, Episode 6: A Sound of Thunder |publisher=TV.com |date=2007-05-22 |accessdate=2013-10-05}}</ref> In this adaptation, Travis levels a pistol at Eckels' head prior to a "sound of thunder" and a quick cut to credits.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=-xuq3kOwGGw |title=Sound of Thunder - 3 of 3 |publisher=YouTube |date=2007-09-26 |accessdate=2013-10-05}}</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | A ] ] was also released. It was finished in time for the film's planned 2003 release, delayed along with it, and ultimately released in February 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ca.ign.com/articles/2005/03/02/a-sound-of-thunder-2 |title=A Sound of Thunder |publisher= IGN | work= ca.ign.com |date=March 2, 2005 |access-date=October 5, 2013}}</ref> Planned console ports were canceled. | ||
| The story was also parodied in the ''Time and Punishment'' section of '']'' episode "]". | |||
| The story is parodied in the ''Time and Punishment'' section of '']'' episode "]."<ref name="RogersStevens2015">{{cite book|last1=Rogers|first1=Brett M.|last2=Stevens|first2=Benjamin Eldon|title=Classical Traditions in Science Fiction|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eA27BQAAQBAJ&pg=PA322|access-date=November 22, 2015|date=February 9, 2015|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780190228330|pages=322}}</ref> | |||
| ] developed ] under the same title, which was targeted for a 2003 release but ultimately delayed until September 2005. The film continues the story beyond Bradbury's work, bringing to life how the death of a single butterfly would impact evolution and humanity's chance of survival.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0318081/|title=A Sound of Thunder (2005)|publisher=IMDb.com|accessdate=2013-10-05}}</ref> The movie failed at the box office and received poor reviews. | |||
| The story is referenced in a brief scene at the beginning of the '']'' episode "]."<ref name="DoctorWho2024">{{cite AV media |people=Gatwa, Ncuti (actor) and Gibson, Millie (actor) |date=May 4, 2024 |title=The Butterfly Effect! {{!}} PREVIEW {{!}} Space Babies {{!}} Doctor Who |trans-title= |type=YouTube preview |language=English |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHGW3PlUKMY |access-date=June 10, 2024 |archive-url= |archive-date= |format= |time= |location= |publisher=BBC Studios |id= |isbn= |oclc= |quote= }}</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | A ] ] was also released. It was finished in time for the film's planned 2003 release, delayed along with it and ultimately released in February 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ca.ign.com/articles/2005/03/02/a-sound-of-thunder-2 |title=A Sound of Thunder |
||
| The story is mentioned by the protagonists in the novel '']'' by ] on page 648. | |||
| ⚫ | ==See also== | ||
| ==Influence== | |||
| * '']'', a short story by ], first published in 1956 in ]. Also produced as an episode of ] for NBC radio in 1956. | |||
| "A Sound of Thunder" is often credited as the origin of the term "]", a concept of ] in which the flapping of a butterfly's wings in one part of the world could create a hurricane on the opposite side of the globe. The term was actually introduced by meteorologist ] in the 1960s. However, Bradbury's concept of how the death of a butterfly in the past could have drastic changes in the future is a representation of the butterfly effect and is used as an example of how to consider ] and the physics of time travel.<ref>{{Cite web | url = http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/evolution/Time-and-The-Physics-of-Ray-Bradbury--.html | title = The Physics of Ray Bradbury's 'A Sound of Thunder' | work = ] | date = June 15, 2012 | access-date = September 2, 2015 | first= Faye | last = Flam}}</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | ==See also== | ||
| * '']'', a short story by ], published in 1959 in '']''. It also features a time traveler hunting for dinosaurs. | |||
| * {{annotated link|A Gun for Dinosaur|"A Gun for Dinosaur"}} | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
| ⚫ | {{Reflist|35em}} | ||
| ⚫ | {{ |
||
| <ref>Patai, Daphne. "Ray Bradbury And The Assault On Free Thought." Society 50.1 (2013): 41-47. Academic Search Premier. Web. 22 Nov. 2014.</ref> | |||
| ==Further reading== | |||
| * {{Cite book |last=Paradowski |first=Robert J. |chapter=Ray Bradbury |title=Critical Survey Of Long Fiction |edition=4th |year=2010 |pages=1–9 |publisher=Literary Reference Center}} | |||
| * {{Cite book |last=Weller |first=Sam |title=The Bradbury Chronicles: The Life of Ray Bradbury |location=New York |publisher=William Morrow |year=2005}} | |||
| <ref>Holmes, Neil. "Fateful butterfly." New Scientist 182.2443 (2004): 31. Academic OneFile. Web. 22 Nov. 2014.</ref> | |||
| * {{Cite journal |last=Holmes |first=Neil |title=Fateful butterfly |journal=New Scientist |volume=182 |issue=2443 |year=2004 |page=31 |url=https://www.newscientist.com/letter/mg18224435-500-fateful-butterfly/}} | |||
| ⚫ | {{Reflist}} | ||
| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
| {{Spoken Misplaced Pages|20120607 wiki ASoundOfThunder.ogg|2012 |
{{Spoken Misplaced Pages|20120607 wiki ASoundOfThunder.ogg|date=June 7, 2012}} | ||
| * {{ |
* {{ISFDB title|id=61488}} | ||
| * {{IMDb title | 0683183 | A Sound of Thunder}} | |||
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| {{Ray Bradbury|state=collapsed}} | {{Ray Bradbury|state=collapsed}} | ||
| {{Authority control}} | |||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Sound Of Thunder}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Sound Of Thunder}} | ||
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Latest revision as of 13:13, 18 December 2024
1952 science fiction short story by Ray Bradbury This article is about the short story by Ray Bradbury. For other uses, see Sound of Thunder (disambiguation).
| "A Sound of Thunder" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by Ray Bradbury | |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Science fiction |
| Publication | |
| Published in | Collier's |
| Publication date | June 28, 1952 |
"A Sound of Thunder" is a science fiction short story by American writer Ray Bradbury, first published in Collier's magazine on June 28, 1952, and later in Bradbury's 1953 collection The Golden Apples of the Sun.
Plot summary
In the year 2055, time travel has become a practical reality, and the company Time Safari Inc. offers wealthy adventurers the chance to travel back in time to hunt extinct species such as dinosaurs. A hunter named Eckels pays $10,000 to join a hunting party that will travel back 65 million years to the Late Cretaceous period, on a guided safari to kill a Tyrannosaurus rex. As the party waits to depart, they discuss the recent presidential elections in which a candidate, Deutscher, has been defeated by his opponent Keith, to the relief of many concerned.
When the party arrives in the past, Travis, the hunting guide, and his assistant warn Eckels and the two other hunters about the necessity of minimizing the events they change before they go back, since even the smallest alterations to the distant past could snowball into catastrophic changes in history. Travis explains that the hunters are obliged to stay on a levitating path to avoid disrupting the environment, any deviation will be punished with hefty fines and prosecution, Time Safari scouts had been sent back to select and tag prey whose death will have minimal effect on the future prior to the hunt, and the time machine "steps aside" to prevent people from encountering themselves in the past.
Although Eckels is initially excited about the hunt, when the monstrous Tyrannosaurus approaches, he loses his nerve. Travis tells him to go back to the time machine, but Eckels panics, steps off the path, and stumbles into the forest. The other four shoot and kill the dinosaur and see that Eckels has found his way back to the time machine. Travis threatens to leave him in the past before ordering him to remove the bullets from the dinosaur's body, as they cannot be left behind.
Upon returning to 2055, Eckels and the rest of the party notice major changes; English words are now spelled phonetically, and worst of all, Deutscher has won the election to the approval of the pro-fascist populace. Looking at the mud on his boots, Eckels finds a crushed golden butterfly, whose death has apparently changed the nature of the alternative present to which the safari has returned. He frantically pleads to undo the damage, and the story ends on a gunshot fired by Travis.
Adaptations
A comic-book version appeared in issue #25 of EC Comics's Weird Science-Fantasy (1954), adapted by Al Feldstein with art by Al Williamson and Angelo Torres.
The story was adapted for the first issue of Topp's Publishing's Ray Bradbury Comics (1993) with art by Richard Corben.
The story was adapted for the fourth season episode six of The Ray Bradbury Theater on October 8, 1989, starring Kiel Martin.
A film adaptation of the same name starring Ben Kingsley, Edward Burns, and Catherine McCormack was released in 2005. Famed film critic Roger Ebert stated that while he "cannot endorse it, can appreciate it" as a film that is bad because it "want so much to be terrific that explode under the strain."
A Game Boy Advance video game based on the film was also released. It was finished in time for the film's planned 2003 release, delayed along with it, and ultimately released in February 2005. Planned console ports were canceled.
The story is parodied in the Time and Punishment section of The Simpsons episode "Treehouse of Horror V."
The story is referenced in a brief scene at the beginning of the Doctor Who episode "Space Babies."
The story is mentioned by the protagonists in the novel 11/22/63 by Stephen King on page 648.
Influence
"A Sound of Thunder" is often credited as the origin of the term "butterfly effect", a concept of chaos theory in which the flapping of a butterfly's wings in one part of the world could create a hurricane on the opposite side of the globe. The term was actually introduced by meteorologist Edward Norton Lorenz in the 1960s. However, Bradbury's concept of how the death of a butterfly in the past could have drastic changes in the future is a representation of the butterfly effect and is used as an example of how to consider chaos theory and the physics of time travel.
See also
- "A Gun for Dinosaur" – Short story by L. Sprague de Camp
References
- Birx, H. James (January 13, 2009). Encyclopedia of Time: Science, Philosophy, Theology, & Culture. Sage Publications. pp. 109–. ISBN 9781412941648. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
- "Weird Science-Fantasy #3". Grand Comics Database. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
- "Ray Bradbury Comics #1". TV.com. May 22, 2007. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
- "The Ray Bradbury Theater — Season 4, Episode 6: A Sound of Thunder". TV.com. Archived from the original on November 6, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (February 5, 2013). Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2007. Andrews McMeel Publishing. pp. 648–. ISBN 9780740792199. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
- "A Sound of Thunder". ca.ign.com. IGN. March 2, 2005. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
- Rogers, Brett M.; Stevens, Benjamin Eldon (February 9, 2015). Classical Traditions in Science Fiction. Oxford University Press. p. 322. ISBN 9780190228330. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
- Gatwa, Ncuti (actor) and Gibson, Millie (actor) (May 4, 2024). The Butterfly Effect! | PREVIEW | Space Babies | Doctor Who (YouTube preview). BBC Studios. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
- Flam, Faye (June 15, 2012). "The Physics of Ray Bradbury's 'A Sound of Thunder'". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
Further reading
- Paradowski, Robert J. (2010). "Ray Bradbury". Critical Survey Of Long Fiction (4th ed.). Literary Reference Center. pp. 1–9.
- Weller, Sam (2005). The Bradbury Chronicles: The Life of Ray Bradbury. New York: William Morrow.
- Holmes, Neil (2004). "Fateful butterfly". New Scientist. 182 (2443): 31.
External links
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- A Sound of Thunder title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- A Sound of Thunder at IMDb