The “Butterfly Effect”.  is when a small event can have large unintended consequences, and, sometimes, a little thing can make a big difference. A small choice may seem minor, but it can affect not only your future but the people around you as well. A Sound of Thunder is a sci-fi story that talks about a man named Eckels who pays a time travel company to take him on a hunting expedition back to the age of the dinosaurs, hoping to kill a Tyrannosaurus Rex. When they finally encounter the tyrannosaurus rex,  Eckels freaks out, steps off the path; a path that will change the future. In the story, Ray Bradbury shows how little things can make a big difference and how regret often makes people rethink their decisions

Throughout the story, Travis, the Safari Guide keeps on reminding Eckels to stay on the path: “‘Stay on the Path. Don’t go off it. I repeat. Don’t go off. For any reason!’” (Bradbury 225) The use of repetition “Don’t go off” highlights the conflict of the story. Later, Eckels asked why he shouldn’t step off the path and Travis replied saying “‘We don’t want to change the future. We don’t belong here in the past… step on a mouse and you leave your print, like a grand canyon.’” (Bradbury 227) “‘Time can make a big roar or a little rustle in history, we’re being careful.’” (Bradbury 227) As the little thing of stepping on a mouse, the author describes it big, making a huge change to the world. As the story continues, Eckels made a mistake of accidentally stepping on a butterfly which caused a conflict in the timeline of history: “‘Not a little thing like that! Not a butterfly… no, it can’t be. Not a little thing like that. No!’” (Bradbury 236) By stepping on the butterfly, Eckels changes the path of history such as the spellings on the sign and how a new man was elected president. As the author made sure to repeat “not a little thing like that”, pointing out how important it impacted history. A small choice may seem minor, but it can affect not only your future but the people around you as well.