Are there any other examples of pathetic fallacy in "Lord of the Flies" other than the storm just as Simon is murdered by the rest of the group?
1 Answer
yes - heat
Explanation:
Heat is part of the pathetic fallacy used in LOTF. Though the storm just as Simon is murdered is an important foreshadowing, the heat is also useful to show the atmosphere, especially as it becomes more oppressive.
Part of Chapter 1 is used to set the island apart from what would be a perfect haven for the boys, following literary conventions of the sandy beach, palm trees, etc. that were prevalent in other books of British boys on islands, e.g. Coral Island. Instead, it is 'a bath of heat', and Ralph's shirt ends up sticking to him. This is the same case for Jack and his choir when they appear from their 'sweaty march along the beach'.
The start of Chapter 3 describes Jack as a hunter in the undergrowth, 'nose only a few inches from the humid earth'. There are frequent mentions of 'warm air' which he uses to try to find information, but here 'the silence of the forest (is) still more oppressive than the heat'. But this changes after he has tried to hunt the pig. He is then 'streaming with sweat' from the effort, and this foreshadows that with Jack's power comes oppression, as that with Jack's ability to hunt comes oppressive heat.
The start of Chapter 7 starts with everyone following Jack. 'Ralph (is) aware of the heat for the first time that day', which is 'an unusual heat, even for this island'. Though it takes some time for the boys to go through the pig-run due to their fear, it is in the next chapter that Roger kills the pig, a gruesome scene of violation that continues to haunt other characters in the novel, notably Simon in the end of Chapter 8. Indeed, the pig is the Lord of the Flies, the novel's title and a translation of Beelzebub/the Devil.
