We investigate the implications of initial 3α configurations in 12C corresponding to different decay modes of its Hoyle state on the penetrability ratios. Considering the second 2+ (10.03 MeV) state to be a collective excitation of the Hoyle state, the direct 3α decay width for the Hoyle state has been calculated using the ratio of the barrier penetration probability of the Hoyle state to the 2+ state. Semiclassical Wentzel–Kramers–Brillouin (WKB) approximation has been employed to determine the penetrability ratio, resulting in an upper limit on the branching ratio of the direct decay of the Hoyle state in "equal phase-space" (DDφ) mode as Γ3α/Γ < 3.1 × 10−6. However, this limit for "linear chain" (DDL) decay is Γ3α/Γ < 2.6 × 10−7, which is one order of magnitude smaller than the DDφ decay and the limit for “equal energy” (DDE) decay is Γ3α/Γ < 1.5 × 10−5, which is greater than both DDφ and DDL decays. It implies that the limit on direct decay probability is strongly dependent on the initial configuration of the 3α cluster. A further probe using a bent-arm-like 3α initial configuration shows that the direct decay probability is maximum when the angle of the bent arm is ≈ 120°, an important ingredient for understanding the Hoyle-state structure.