Survivor A Sound of Thunder

How does the character search for solace, purpose, and/or redemption in this story?

For the most part, Eckles was trying to find redemption at the end of the story, when he goes back to the future and finds out how much he had changed the future. But mostly he wasn't trying to find a purpose or solace. He just wanted everything to be the same as how he left it before he went on this mission.

How does the character's experience reflect the historical period in which his/her story is told?

The character Eckles, went back in time to hunt dinosaurs, so obviously he came from the future. The travel guides told Eckles not to leave the path, but Eckles got scared and ran off the path without thinking. This changed the future because he ended up killing a butterfly which supposedly caused a chain reaction to the future. This ended up changing history. So this story took place in the future and in the past, so it has more then one historical period. When he was in the past he saw many dinosaurs and the surrounding was very different then it was in the future. When he was in the future everything was new and there were no dinosaurs.

How does the character's experience in the story symbolize the theme of survival and the human spirit?

This story does symbolize survival because Eckles was trying to survive from staying away from the huge dinosaur. Even though he ended up chickening out from shooting the dinosaur, he in facts runs away and falls off the path without noticing. Because of this he killed a butterfly which changed the future, and at the very end he dies for what he had done. So what he thought was being save actaully killed him at the end. All he had to do was do what he was told and not run away.