Eckels is killed by Travis at the end of the story because Eckels disobeyed the rule of staying on the path and inadvertently altered the future by killing a butterfly. Travis takes drastic action to prevent further damage to the future.
At the end of Ray Bradbury's story "A Sound of Thunder," Eckels is killed by Travis, the safari guide. The cause of this final event is that Eckels stepped off the designated path during the dinosaur hunt.
Here is a step-by-step breakdown of what happens:
1. Eckels travels back in time with a group of hunters to the prehistoric era to hunt a Tyrannosaurus rex.
2. Before the hunt, the group is given strict instructions to stay on the designated path to avoid altering the future.
3. However, Eckels becomes frightened when he sees the immense size of the dinosaur and panics.
4. In his panic, Eckels steps off the path and inadvertently kills a butterfly, a seemingly insignificant action.
5. When the group returns to the present, they notice subtle changes in the environment, indicating that the future has been altered by Eckels' actions.
6. Travis, the safari guide, realizes that Eckels is responsible for these changes and becomes enraged.
7. Travis decides to take matters into his own hands and shoots Eckels, killing him as a way to prevent further damage to the future.
The complete probable question could be What happens to Eckels at the end of Ray Bradbury’s story “A Sound of Thunder”? What is the cause of the final event?