The Wasp Factory: Chapter 4 Summary & Analysis

Frank thinks of himself as “a state; a country or, at the very least, a city.” His moods frequently change, as though different mental political parties are coming into power. Because sometimes Frank has contradicting thoughts and feelings, it is easier for him to conceptualize his emotions as “lots of different people inside my brain.” Frank feels a little guilty about having killed Blyth, Paul and Esmerelda. Similarly, a part of him feels guilty for massacring the rabbits.

Frank admits that there was no need to murder the rabbits. “Like the death penalty, you want it because it makes you feel better, not because it’s a deterrent or any nonsense like that.” Frank admits to himself that killing and violence are for the sake of his own pride and pleasure.

Frank conducts a naming ceremony for his catapult, smearing it with “earwax, snot, blood, urine, belly-button fluff and toenail cheese.” He also crumples an old photograph of Paul around a ball bearing, and fires it into the ocean. He admits, “parts of me thought this was nonsense, but they were in a tiny minority. The rest of me knew this sort of thing worked. It gave me power.”

Frank goes for a run. He jogs, then springs to the Bomb Circle, where he collapses in the sand. As he rests, he considers how the Bomb Circle, Angus’s injured leg, and Frank’s many dead pets are all the fault of Agnes, his mother, who disliked children, sent Eric away to Belfast when he was a toddler, and only came to the island twice, once to give birth to Frank and once to give birth to Paul. 

Frank reflects on Paul’s death. Frank was eight when he killed Paul, who was only five. Frank held no grudge against Paul, but knew he’d “never be free of the dog [Old Saul] until” Paul was gone. Frank notes that Eric, who doesn’t know Frank killed Paul, believes that Frank is still not free of Old Saul.

Frank always treated Paul well (perhaps, Frank thinks in hindsight, because he knew he would kill Paul young). One day, the two of them were at the beach, and Frank spotted an old bomb, half submerged in the sand. Although he had no plans to kill Paul that day, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Frank convinced Paul it was an old bell, and told him to hit it with a piece of wood to ring it. Frank walked far away, and gave Paul the signal. Paul hit the bomb with a piece of wood until it exploded, killing him.

Frank pretended to be distraught over Paul’s death. He didn’t mind play-acting, but did feel guilty about deceiving Eric, who he is sure wouldn’t have understood. Frank thinks Diggs suspected him, but was unable to prove anything.

That night, Frank goes into to town. He meets his only friend, Jamie, at the Cauldhame Arms, a hotel and music venue. He lets Jamie sit on his shoulders so he can see the stage more clearly.

Frank tells Jamie about Eric’s escape. Jamie is surprised that Frank isn’t more panicked. Frank explains that he hopes Eric isn’t captured and makes it home. He wants to see his brother.

Once the music has started, Frank and Jamie dance. Jamie is still on Frank’s shoulders, and although Frank doesn’t like girls, he’ll dance with them if Jamie wants to.

Frank is unhappy at the end of the night when Jamie finds a girl to talk to. Frank is also very drunk, and worries that he’ll vomit. Jamie asks to get down from Frank’s shoulders, and together with the girl the pair of them help support Frank out of the pub. Although the girl is genuinely being kind to Frank, he thinks unkind thoughts about her. He thinks, “I expected she would just let me crack my skull on the pavement because women like to see men helpless.”

The girl asks if Jamie always sits on Frank’s shoulders. Jamie says yes, and jokes that in the bathroom he pees into the tank on the back of the toilet, while Frank pees into the bowl. Frank is upset by this, as he can only pee on the toilet sitting down because of his accident, and he is insecure about this. 

Frank, in addition to being nauseated, also needs to pee. He doesn’t want to pee in front of the girl, but is too drunk to explain what he needs. Instead, he bolts down a side street, running until Jamie and the girl are out of sight. Jamie runs after him, and catches Frank as he squats to pee in front of a garage.

Frank starts to vomit, and Jamie helps support him, holding him in his arms when it’s over, and wiping Frank’s mouth with paper towels. Jamie then takes Frank to his house, where Jamie’s mother makes the pair tea. Frank doesn’t mind her so much, even though she is a woman.

Frank sobers up at Jamie’s house, and then walks home around one in the morning. As he walks he remembers walking home another night a few years ago. Out on the ocean that night he saw strange lights flickering in the air. He realized that they must be “gas-flares of oil-rigs maybe hundreds of kilometres away, out in the North Sea.” He was happy to have come to this conclusion, as he suspects “somebody less logical and less imaginative would have jumped to the conclusion that what they had seen were UFOs.”