The Wasp Factory

For reasons that are not clear, Frank now considers birds to be his allies. Previously, he tormented them with games. He often tied two birds of different sizes and species together and watched them fight. He thought the game was “symbolic somehow, and with a nice blend of callousness and irony” (110). On the way to town, a bird defecates on Gravel. Frank meets Jamie at Cauldhame Arms to talk about why Eric hasn’t been caught. Frank thinks Eric’s behavior with the dogs and maggots was his way of feigning mental instability. He thinks that he and his father are merely eccentric.

Frank notices that Jamie is going bald at 23 as he finishes a game of Space Invaders. They discuss political leaders and decide that politicians have the most mentally erratic behavior, although Frank questions if they actually might be the only sane people. The fact that politicians get people to do what they say might mean they have more clarity about human nature. Jamie compares humans to the Space Invaders and Frank laughs.

At home, Frank watches his father sleep. He enjoys the sensation of seeing someone who can’t see him. Then he goes to the loft to check on the Factory.