Question: At the finale of The Wicker Man Howie/Edward Woodward is placed in a wooden cage high above the ground. The cage is set alight. When the cage began to burn and disintegrate, wouldn't he have fallen out of it onto the ground? As the cage burns, the wood must become brittle, so why can't he just force his way out? (Yes, he is surrounded by the islanders, but if anybody was being burnt alive, and they could get out of the flames, wouldn't the self-preservation instinct kick in?).
BaconIsMyBFF
12th May 2023
The Wicker Man (1973)
29th Feb 2016
The Wicker Man (1973)
Question: Why doesn't Howie try to escape when being carried up to the wicker man?
Answer: What's the use? He's surrounded, he can't fight everyone and there's nowhere for him to run.
He is also a fundamentally religious man and he believes that he is going to die and go to heaven.
Answer: He would likely die from the heat or smoke inhalation long before the wood would deteriorate enough for him to fall out. The film also makes a point to show that Howie has given up trying to fight the villagers and has accepted his fate, so even if he could have forced his way out he no longer had the will to do so.
BaconIsMyBFF