Wasp Factory
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Esmerelda |
'I killed little Esmerelda because I felt I owed it to myself and to the world in general. . . I ought to redress the ballance'. (6) |
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Frank felt that he should kill
a female (having killed two males) and she was the easiest and 'most obvious
target.' Frank is now nine years old. Esmerelda is younger.
Since the book is narrated by Frank we have only 'his' version of the events, however this does change over the course of the narrative. In the initial descriptions of the murders he considers his acts to be skilful and in some way justified, almost noble.
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| The third episode, the death of Esmerelda, entailed more planning and premeditation, and also was followed with feigned grief. Frank says that he had decided to murder Esmerelda even before she and her parents arrived for their holidays. | He constructs a huge kite and allows it to carry her off out over the sea. She is never seen again. The kite tail is made from pages of 'Guns and Ammo' which he regularly received. This suggests that his father must have condoned violent and macho behaviour. |
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Frank knows that this third death must look suspicious so he decided to 'psyche myself up into something that might look like a terrible state for a poor wee boy to be in'. (6) He waits to be found. |
| The narrator is now adolescent. These events are related as recollections therefore can only be read as passed events seen through near adult eyes. The nature of memory is that events can be kept alive by constant retelling, reorganising. These are not told by the child Frank. A child would probably not be so objective about his acts. |
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