Essay Questions

Would you consider Frank Cauldhame an unreliable narrator? Support your answer

The story is narrated in first person through a character named Frank, a supposedly 16-year-old possessing a very vivid imagination and raised in some very strange circumstances. Frank is nurtured in near total isolation and is obsessed with death. He passes the time by mutilating small animals, offering them up to the titular “Factory”--a clockwork trap of his own making--where he receives his answers from like some kind of divination device. Clearly, these are not the actions of one possessing a sound mind but beyond that Frank is an unreliable narrator because he--or rather she--was manipulated and conditioned for a number of years by a morally questionable, very clearly deranged father. His/her entire outlook on life and reason for being later on revealed to be an elaborate farce fabricated by his/her father.

What does the Wasp Factory symbolize?

Frank’s father manipulates him into thinking that he had been castrated as a child. This produces in him a deep sense of shame so he isolates himself from other kids. During the progress of the novel more tragic events happen like the institutionalization of his brother that cause him to socially withdraw even more into isolation. In response to this isolation, anger, and loneliness he turns to rituals he has created--enacted primarily through the “Wasp Factory”, a clockwork horror he created himself--to give him a sense of power, higher purpose, and the illusion of guidance. These rituals however are twisted acts of violence, and although helpful for him to make sense of his situation, these rituals eventually culminate into murder. Despite these rituals, Frank effectively no moral compass or any awareness of social norms. The Wasp Factory, in this regard, symbolizes Frank’s poor attempts to make sense of his deep loneliness and personal anguish.

What does Frank Cauldhame symbolize?

Frank is largely a victim and product of his/her father’s manipulation. Having been fooled into thinking that he was a male when the truth was he was actually female, Frank effectively becomes a murderous monster. Using this train of thought it can be said that Frank may symbolize the author’s fear and mistrust of established rule--whether political or religious--especially if left unchallenged.