Short Story Literary Annaylisis

Have you ever thought about what it would be like to travel to the past? In the short story A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury. A small group of people go on a hunting trip. This hunting trip isn't like most others though. They travel back in time and hunt dinosaurs. They need to be very careful because almost anything they do in the past can affect the future. In the end one man bails out at the sight of the dinosoar and goes back to the time machine. On the way back he felt like he lost control over himself he wondered off the path. He stepped on a butterfly. When he finally got back to the present thing weren't how they were when he left. He lifted his rifle and shot him for not following to instructions. My favorite thing about this story is how the author didn’t tell you exactly what happened but he gave you enough clues to figure it out. This book has an irony mode of literature for a number of different reasons.

One of the main reasons this book is an irony is the plotline. An irony begins with the world in chaos. In the story they are time traveling which is almost guaranteed to soon be illegal. Next comes a major conflict. One man wondered off the path and which could affect the future on a massive scale. Last there is death or loss of sanity for the main character. When they come back from the future they see a sign. It was spelled much differently than it had been when they left for the past. The guide lifted his rifle and shot the man who had wondered off the path. The plotline goes exactly how it needs to to be classified as an irony.

Along with the plotline this story also has the characteristics it needs to fit into the irony category. One of the main characteristics of an irony is non-realistic. In this story they travel back in time to hunt dinosaurs which is currently impossible. In an irony the main character is not in control. In the story it specifically said that he felt like he couldn’t control his movements anymore. Ironies are supposed to expose people’s fears. The man saw the dinosaur and completely lost his composure. He didn’t want to be there any more, he was afraid. The characteristics matched those of an irony.

There are many reasons that this book is an irony. It doesn’t relate to any of the other modes of literature. Comedy and tragedy have to be realistic, romance is happy and nothing can go wrong. I enjoyed reading this story because it got me wondering what it would be like to actually go back to the past. Wouldn’t it be interesting to see how the world once looked? This story has an irony mode of literature for a number of different reasons.