Author Question: What happens in the last three paragraphs of the story? What will be an ideal ... (Read 163 times)

skymedlock · **on:** Jul 20, 2018

What happens in the last three paragraphs of the story?

What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

How does the plot of the story depend on the setting? Would it be possibleto tell this story in different settings?

What will be an ideal response?

Ksanderson1296 · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 20, 2018

Answer to Question 1

Eckelss fate parallels the murdered butterfly, as revealed in the storys final paragraphs. When Eckels picks up the butterfly with shaking fingers, he pleads: Cant we take it back, cant we make it alive again? Cant we start over? The answer is, tragically, of course not. Although the Machine has taken the four men back in time, its power is limited: it cannot resurrect the life of a human, animal, or insect. Travis had warned Eckels of the seriousness of one misplaced step: A dead mouse here makes an insect imbalance there, a population disproportion later, a bad harvest further on, a depression, mass starvation, and finally, a change in social temperament in far-flung countries (par. 40). The story ends as Travis shoots Eckels with his rifle, resulting in the final paragraphs there was a sound of thunder.

Answer to Question 2

The storys plot absolutely depends on two settingspast and future. The story would be impossible without these two temporal settings and the time machine connecting them.