The word "pathetic," in modern and common usage, is typically defined in terms of being sad, weak or contemptible. However, the word is actually rooted in the Greek word "pathos," which means something closer to "feeling" or "emotion." Thus, a pathetic fallacy is an error in feeling, or, more accurately, the misattribution of feeling to a thing that does not feel, such as saying the sun is cruel.
Ascribing human feelings to non-human things is...
The word "pathetic," in modern and common usage, is typically defined in terms of being sad, weak or contemptible. However, the word is actually rooted in the Greek word "pathos," which means something closer to "feeling" or "emotion." Thus, a pathetic fallacy is an error in feeling, or, more accurately, the misattribution of feeling to a thing that does not feel, such as saying the sun is cruel.
Ascribing human feelings to non-human things is probably a deeply-rooted, ancient practice that may have been employed in an attempt to understand the many mysterious aspects of the natural world, as well as giving rise to numerous myths and religious beliefs. Characterizing objects according to perceived qualities and attitudes may help in shaping human behaviors towards them; for example, qualifying wet rocks as "treacherous" clearly communicates that they are untrustworthy and one must exercise caution or avoid them in order to stay safe.
Because the boys lack protective adults or tools, we may think of them as resorting to a more primal nature, and accompanying this is a greater degree of pathetic fallacy, in order to understand their place in the world and their relationship to the various inanimate forces around them.
From a literary perspective, pathetic fallacy is a tool that helps to create other literary elements, such as mood and characterization. We not only learn about Golding's characters by the fact, and the type, of pathetic fallacy they perform, but also how they feel and how Golding wishes to depict their reality.
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