The Wasp Factory

“Of course I was out killing things. How the hell am I supposed to get heads and bodies for the Poles and the Bunker if I don’t kill things? There just aren’t enough natural deaths. You can’t explain that sort of thing to people, though.”

Frank is exasperated by his father’s suggestion that he might have been able to avoid killing animals. Frank believes the Poles are necessary, and that it would be a dereliction of duty not to provide them with a fresh supply of animals. Part of what makes Frank’s character so unnerving is that he treats what most people would consider aberrant behaviors to be necessary and self-evident.

“Looking at me, you’d never guess I’d killed three people. It isn’t fair.”

Frank is unhappy with his self-image, even before he learns the truth about his identity. This quote foreshadows the reveal that Frank was assigned female at birth, and he killed because he thought it was a masculine thing to do. However, he also wants to look like someone who is capable of killing, which, from his perspective, means looking physically intimidating and formidable.

“From the smaller to the greater, the patterns always hold true, and the Factory has taught me to watch out for them and respect them.”

Frank is committed to taking the Factory’s warnings seriously. He is either unwilling or unable to imagine a situation where the Factory and its influence are merely a mistake, a distortion of his perspective. Not only does Frank believe that he sees patterns in everything, but he also thinks that it is dangerous to ignore them. Therefore, acknowledging and respecting the patterns is a duty.