The Wasp Factory: Chapter 10 Summary & Analysis

Frank is annoyed that Eric lost his mind. He sees it as a “weakness, a fundamental flaw that a real man should not have had.” To fall apart in the face of trauma seems, to Frank, to be a feminine characteristic. However, he admits there must be “a few strong women” who could endure hardship, and, on the flipside, a few weaker men who could not. Frank believes that Eric’s childhood sensitivity and delicacy are indications that he had “just a little too much…woman” in him.

Frank resents Agnes for having Eric sent away during his early years. He also blames his father for dressing Eric in both dresses and pants as a child. He hopes his father blames himself as well.

That night Frank goes to bed early. The next day, restless, Frank patrols the island. The day is hot but he walks all over, crossing to the mainland, exploring the town dump, and eventually resting by a cabin, where he hears what he thinks is the wail of a dog being tortured. He takes out his binoculars in time to see a dog on fire, running down a nearby hill. Frank runs towards where the dog had been. He follows patches of burning grass down to a stream, where the dog has laid down. Frank kills the dog, shooting it through the eye with his slingshot and a steel ball. He whispers, “Frank’ll get you.” Frank buries the dog and returns home. He and Angus have dinner, but do not discuss Eric. Frank notices a headline in the paper saying a cottage in nearby Inverness mysterious caught fire.

That night the phone rings. It’s Eric, acting manic, joking and playing word games. Frank isn’t interested in playing along. He tells Eric he saw the burning dog. He asked Eric to stop torturing animals and children, threatening him. Eric either doesn’t understand, or pretends not to understand what Frank means.  Frank hangs up the phone, pretending it was Jamie when his father asks. That night he sleeps fitfully.