How does Ray Bradbury use language to describe the T-Rex in “A sound of thunder”? What are the effects on the reader?
“A Sound of Thunder” is a science fiction short story by Ray Bradbury. The story is about a man named Eckels who’s a passionate hunter. Eckels travels back in time to kill a dinosaur but his actions alter the balance of nature and he changes the future. The author uses a series of unique describing techniques, which make this short story full of surprises.
The author uses a number of linguistic techniques to describe the dinosaur. When the characters first make contact with the beast, the author uses a metaphor to suggest the movements the dinosaur makes:
“Each lower leg was a piston”
The word piston immediately makes the reader think about a machine and then to the smoothness a piston can give to its movements. So when the writer says that each leg was a piston, he gives the idea that the dinosaur was flexible. This can be exciting for the reader because when something as dangerous as a dinosaur is also flexible it produces a series of new fearful action possibilities.
When the author ants to introduce more action into the description he uses this simile:
“Exposing a fence of teeth like daggers”
When Bradbury uses the description “…like daggers” he portraits a very dangerous and threatening element. This gives the reader a sense of action and makes him want to now what will happen with the threatening teeth of the beast. He also uses the word “exposing” to show that the dinosaur was feeling threatened and that he was about to attack.
When the characters first see the dinosaur in the jungle, the author uses this phrase:
“There’s His Royal Majesty now”
The words “Royal Majesty” make the reader think about a respected figure and immediately shows that the characters reflected admiration and fear towards the beast. This is because royal majesty often represents a King or Queen and therefore power.
The beast is a majestic figure, and when Bradbury wants to make a comparison with a human he uses this phrase:
“…hands which might pick up and examine men like toys”
Before this phrase the author uses words like “delicate” to refer to the upper hands of the T-Rex, which, compared to the size of the dinosaur seam very small. When you compare these hands to a human, and the author says that you could examine men like toys with them, you realize that even these “insignificant” hands are a threat to a human and represent danger.
The dinosaur is not a majestic and dangerous beast, and Ray Bradbury wants to make this clear. To say this he uses this alliteration:
“…watchmaker’s claws close to its oily reptilian chest.”
When the author uses this repetition of words on the beginning of the words he is trying to make clear the idea that the front hands of the T-Rex are as precise ad delicate as the ones in a watchmaker. On the other hand alliteration is a way to give more power to the words and to the description. The author also uses the word “watchmaker” to make the reader see that the dinosaur has other qualities apart from being a brute and massive monster and to emphasise this part of his body. This alliteration makes the reader want to find out what will happen later and how these delicate hands will be used.
“A Sound of Thunder”. What’s the meaning of this? This can be confusing because the author makes many suggestions about it and uses this words in many ways. When Bradbury says:
“There was a sound of thunder”
This is the last phrase in the story and is used just after Eckels returns from the past and realizes he changed the future. This action takes him to his death and Travis executes him. From the place this phrase is located it gives the idea that the “Sound of Thunder” is the consequence of messing with nature and its power, and from breaking the balance in time. On the other hand Mr. Bradbury uses this words to describe the sound of Travis’s rifle when fired. This also suggests that the “Sound of Thunder” represents a gunshot or even the presence of death.
In conclusion to this analysis the author leaves the meaning of “A Sound of Thunder” opened to the readers interpretations and tries to send a message, which in m opinion, could be “don’t mess with nature and don’t break the balance in time.” After reading this marvellous story by Ray Bradbury you get the feeling that there are always consequences.
By: Daniel Segura Mijares
10/11/08
