Examples of Pathetic Fallacy in Frankenstein, Macbeth, Movies & Literature

 Pathetic Fallacy Definition

What is Pathetic Fallacy?

Pathetic Fallacy is the name given to a literary device that makes readers feel pity for a character or situation. It is a literary device that conveys the sense of pity and sorrow for an inanimate object or animal, typically by attributing human feelings to it.

Pathetic Fallacy uses the emotions of pity and fear to create sympathy for a character or event. This can be achieved by making the character seem powerless, vulnerable, and/or innocent.

Examples of this are seen in books like “The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupery.

Examples of Pathetic Fallacy in Literature

Examples of Pathetic Fallacy in Frankenstein & Gothic Literature

The Fallacy of Pathetic Fallacy is when the narrator’s tone or attitude towards a character influences how readers feel about that character.

For example, in “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe, the narrator has a very negative opinion of the raven, and so readers are likely to have a negative opinion as well.

In contrast, in “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley, the narrative voice takes pity on Frankenstein’s monster, and so readers will also feel sorry for him.

Examples of Pathetic Fallacy in Macbeth

Pathetic Fallacy is a literary device in which the author uses pathetic or emotional language to represent an event or character.

In Macbeth, Shakespeare employs this technique when Lady Macduff is killed and Duncan’s “bloody” men murder her children.

The tone of the passage suggests that she was a good person who deserved better treatment than what she received.

Examples of Pathetic Fallacy in A Christmas Carol

The protagonist of the story, Ebenezer Scrooge, is portrayed as a miserly and arrogant man who cares about no one but himself.

He is shown to be cruel and uncaring towards his employees during Christmas time.

His transformation from a cold-hearted businessman to a caring human being can be seen through the use of pathetic fallacy.

Examples of Pathetic Fallacy in The Woman in Black

The use of pathetic fallacy in the short story “The Woman in Black” by Susan Hill is evident through the heavy usage of weather and time.

Weather is often used to represent moods or emotions such as anger or sadness.

In this case, it is used to represent a sense of gloominess and fear

Examples of Pathetic Fallacy in Children’s Books

The story is told from the perspective of a child who cannot get anything right.  The protagonist’s actions are consistently thwarted by bad luck or other people, and he always blames himself for his failures.

There is an atmosphere of gloom, doom, and impending disaster throughout the story that can be quite depressing to read about as a child or adult alike.

Examples of Pathetic Fallacy in Harry Potter

The protagonist of the story is Harry Potter, a young boy who has been living under the stairs in his family’s home for 10 years.

In this example, it can be seen that Harry is an orphan and has been abused by his aunt and uncle throughout the time he was living with them.

This event could be classified as a pathetic fallacy because it portrays how sad or pitiful someone or something is

Examples of Pathetic Fallacy in Movies

The protagonist is a victim of circumstance, and the antagonist is an evil entity that causes all their problems. The protagonist has no control over their own life, and they are always in danger.

When there’s a happy ending for the protagonist, it’s because someone else fixed everything.

Examples of Pathetic Fallacy in Lord of The Flies

Pathetic Fallacy is the use of pathetic or emotionally persuasive language to sway the audience’s opinion.

The most common form of this fallacy is when an author uses a character that some outside force has victimized as a way to make their argument more convincing.

A good example from Lord of the Flies would be Piggy, who was always picked on and bullied by other characters in the novel.

Examples of Pathetic Fallacy in Jane Eyre

Pathetic fallacy is a literary device that makes the environment and weather reflect the mood of the character.

In Jane Eyre, when Mr. Rochester’s wife dies, it starts to rain heavily. When Jane leaves Thornfield Hall, she sees a rainbow in the sky.

Examples of Pathetic Fallacy in Poetry

• The speaker’s tone is one of sadness and regret.
• The poem refers to the speaker’s past, which has been full of misery.
• The poet uses words that evoke a feeling of sorrow or pity in the reader.

Examples of Pathetic Fallacy in The Things They Carried

The Pathetic Fallacy is a literary device that uses pathos, or emotional appeal, to create an effect.

A common example of this fallacy is when the author has one character express their thoughts and feelings in a way that readers can empathize with.

In Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried,” the reader feels sympathy for Lieutenant Jimmy Cross because he carries his mother’s picture everywhere he goes.

Pathetic Fallacy Vs. Personification

Pathetic Fallacy is a literary device that conveys the sense of pity and sorrow for an inanimate object or animal, typically by attributing human feelings to it. In contrast, Personification is a literary device that gives non-human things human characteristics.

Pathetic Fallacy is a literary technique that uses an object’s or animal’s weakness to create pity for the character, while Personification is when an inanimate object is given human qualities.

Pathetic Fallacy is a literary device in which the author creates an emotional response to something by using pathetic language. At the same time, personification is a literary device in which the author gives human qualities and characteristics to non-human entities, objects, or animals.

Related Resources:

• 9 Fallacy of Causation Examples

• 12 Accent Fallacy Example