The Wasp Factory

Frank places the responsibility for the dog attack on his mother, Agnes. Why does he blame her? Is this the most likely origin of his loathing for women? Discuss your reasons.

Frank kills three people. What are his motivations for each murder? What are the similarities, from Frank’s perspective, and what are the differences? What do these similarities and differences suggest about children or childhood?

Do you consider Frank’s revenge on the rabbits to be irrational, or is there a logic to his actions? What might his motivations suggest about logic, rationality, or mental health?

Frank employs several types of magic through various rituals, but the use of the Wasp Factory is his most potent tool. How did Frank conceive of the Factory’s design? How does the Wasp Factory, with its tantalizing-but-vague answers, compare to the famous oracles of Greek mythology, or even contemporary religious practices?

Early in the novel, Frank’s father says that sometimes he thinks Frank should be the one who went to the hospital, instead of Eric. What motivates Angus to make such remarks? What does he get out of subjecting Frank to constant quizzes and biting remarks?

Frank never gives clear reasons for why he believes that he has powers that others do not. He did not learn his rituals, or learn about his powers, from Eric or their father. Why does he think that he can receive visions and communicate with Eric through Saul’s skull? How might he have developed his ritual practices?

What does Frank mean when he tells Jamie that politicians and other world leaders might be the only sane people? Do you think he believes what he is saying, or is he simply amusing himself? Why or why not?

Speaking of Saul, the dog, why does Frank say that his enemy is twice dead, and that he still has him? What two deaths does Frank believe that Saul experienced and what does this suggest about revenge?