Personality and
‘The Wasp Factory’
GAINING A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF FRANK AS A CHARACTER
UNDERSTANDING HOW OUR PERSONALITIES ARE CREATED AND WHAT ELEMENTS
THEY CONSIST OF.
Personality

We are all unique.

We are an individual creation, influenced and shaped by countless factors.

Banks, through his novel, wants us to be aware of the corrupting nature of external
influences.

We may be disgusted at Frank’s actions and his revelry in violence, but, at times, we
cannot help but feel sympathy for him; in short, his actions are not completely his fault.

Banks wants to show us the mufti-faceted nature of personality and just how unique we all
are.

There is no such thing as an atypical person, just as there is no such thing as an atypical
man or woman. Frank has a steadfast belief in the fact that women and men must
behave in a certain way; however, the clear contradiction in his own self this creates,
shows that we are all unique. We cannot be pigeon-holed as one type of person. Angus
Cauldhame is another example; think about how his constant endeavour to retain power
over Frank, a typically male characteristic, conflicts with his overtly feminine appearance.
It is possible to gain an
understanding of personality from a
simple test…

Individually complete the ‘Big Five’ personality test and calculate
your scores. How do they fare against other people’s? What are you
most prominent areas?

Now complete one for Frank and Angus. How do they fare?

Who’s the most neurotic? Who’s the most extroverted?

Who is Frank in disguise?
So how are these traits created?

Sigmund Freud, psychoanalyst, 1856-1939.

Suggested that our minds are made up of 3 elements:
1.
Id: present from birth and is associated with the pleasure principle; it includes
instinctive and primitive behaviours. For example, if we are hungry, we have a
distinct desire to find food. This can present problems later in life if unregulated. If
we are hungry what stops us grabbing food from our neighbour’s hand?
2.
Ego: this deals with reality. It regulates the Id and ensures that a person can cope
with the real world.
3.
Superego: Aspect of personality that contains all internalised morality and ideals
that are gained from parents and society. It urges the ego to act in a morally
right way rather than a realistic way
Id continued…

Freud used the mythical figures of Eros and Thanatos to develop this
further.

The driving forces in our lives are two fold. Eros is based around
love/libido/creativity and Thanatos is to do with death and
destruction.
In Frank, which
areas have
been
developed
and which are
absent?
What are the
reasons
behind this?
Can he
change?
Ego
Superego
Id

What does Banks want to teach us through his protagonist?

What do you think are the key areas of the novel where Frank’s
faults in personality come through?

Why does he act this way?
Banks’ Allusion to Psychoanalysis in ‘The Wasp
Factory’

Banks want to show us that people are never at binary opposites. That is, they are never one
dimensional, never completely black or white.

Indeed, Frank is the very embodiment of this, being biologically female and mentally male at
the same time.

Frank is, by his own admission, a murderer, someone who should be condemned completely
by society. However, it is Banks’ technique of telling Frank’s tale from his perspective that
creates so much understanding for his situation.

It could be argued that one of the most unsettling things about the novel is that we begin to
sympathise, even like, Frank as a person.

His warped view of the world comes not from within, but from external factors.

If the theories of Freud, and his notions of the Id, Ego and Superego, are applied to Frank, we
see that no-one else is to blame but Angus Cauldhame.

Arguably the tragedy of the novel lies in the fact that all of Frank’s beliefs, his desire for
control, stem from the cruelty and hubris of one man.
Writing about this in an essay

Don’t need to go into huge levels of detail with regards to
psychoanalysis.

Use for essays about character.

Make reference to flaws in Frank’s psychological state that are
beyond his control.

If Freud’s theories are applied to this, we see Frank’s actions in a
more sympathetic light.

This duality of personality marks Frank out as a most Gothic
character.

A monster he may be, but not one of his own creation.
Quotes:

‘In the alcohol was a tiny, torn set of male genitalia…I forgot all
about Eric, about my father, about everything except me and my
loss.’

The false genitalia are symbolic of Angus Cauldhame’s deceit.

Frank’s life has been a lie. Everything he has ever done has been
based on a fabrication.

All his violence and his murders have been about gaining control
and asserting an extreme view of masculinity.

We pity Frank for his ‘loss’; it outweighs everything else in his life. His
‘loss’ has shaped him as a person, but tragically both are lies.
Id = eros and thanatos

Frank’s basic desires are unregulated. He has no moral code to live
by. There is an absence of the superego, a direct result of his father’s
manipulation and Frank’s total isolation. As such he cannot regulate
his desire for extreme violence. Perhaps the violence is so extreme
because the Eros element of his Id is completely absent: Frank will
never be able to compete sexually.

‘The petrol burst into flame as it flew over the wick in the tiny steel
cup, roared through the air and fell brightly on the two rabbits. They
took flame and blazed, running and stumbling and falling.’ P.39.

Elemental imagery: fire + destruction. Onomatopoeia

Relishes violence

See notes in text…
Planning out potential Questions

In your groups you will be allocated a questions that can be
answered by looking at character.

Plan out the paragraphs (T.S/context/quote/analysis x 3)

One person should type these up with full question at the top so we
have a class set of essay plans that can be shared out.

1. Choose a novel in which an incident reveals a flaw in a central character.
Explain how the incident reveals this flaw and go on to discuss the importance
of this flaw in your understanding of character.

2. Choose a novel in which one of the main characters is not in harmony with
his/her society. Describe the characters situation and go on to discuss how it
adds to your understanding of a central concern of the text.

3. Choose a novel which explores the cruelty of human nature. Show how the
writer explores this theme and discuss how its exploration enhances your
appreciation of the novel as a whole

4. Choose a novel in which a character experiences a moment of revelation.
Describe briefly what is revealed and discuss its significance to you
understanding of character or theme.

5. Choose a novel in which envy or malice or cruelty plays a significant part.
Explain how the writer makes you aware of this aspect of the text and discuss
how the writer’s exploration of it enhances your understanding of the text as a
whole.
Homework:

Look at Eric Erikson’s theory about psychosocial stages.

In what ways could these be applied to the characters of ‘The Wasp
Factory’?

Post your ideas on the blog – that means everyone!

Due in a week.