All of your actions have consequences, even if you don’t realize it. In the story “A Sound of Thunder”, a man named Eckels goes back in time to kill a tyrannosaurus rex. Traveling back in time is a dangerous thing, so of course, there are very important rules to follow. After seeing how massive the tyrannosaurus rex was, Eckels got intimidated and accidentally broke a very important rule. This story shows the reader that the most unexpected things and the smallest actions can have an unforeseeable consequence in the future.

In the story “A Sound of Thunder” by Ray Bradbury, the author believes that even the smallest most unexpected things can have an unpredictable impact and consequence. Travis, the Safari Guide, constantly reminded Eckels not to step of the path or shoot any animal that he was not instructed to shoot. He states “…Stay on the path. Don’t go off it. I repeat. Don’t go off. For any reason! …And don’t shoot any animal we don’t okay” (Bradbury, 4). Travis is an experienced guide and he is familiar with the rules they have to follow and the consequences that may happen. By constantly reminding Eckels and the others, he is stressing that it is imperative that they obey these guidelines. As the story continues, Eckels walks off the path after backing out of killing the tyrannosaurus rex. At first, Eckels doesn’t think much of it, telling himself there will be no consequence. When he gets back, he realizes he was wrong. He had stepped on a butterfly and killed it. After realizing that his small action had made such a big change to the future: “No, it can’t be. Not a little thing like that. No!” (Bradbury, 15) This shows that it was unexpected. Although he was told that the smallest things can change the future, he didn’t believe it would have as big of an impact as changing the current presidential election results. He didn’t think that accidentally stepping on something as small as a butterfly would change the entire outcome of the future. Even the smallest things can have the biggest consequences.