International Journal of Language & Linguistics

Beyond Marginality: Frank’s Transgression in The Wasp Factory
Xinyao Yu

Abstract
Iain Banks’s debut novel The Wasp Factory is wealthy of transgression and rebellion. However, it seems at odds that the main protagonist Frank’s transgressive act has thus far escaped due attention from critics. By analyzing “his” double marginalization and failed transgression, this paper explores that Frank’s tragedy unveils the inferior position and the miserable fate of women in the male-dominated society. It is worth noting that the wasp factory in the novel is not merely the isolated island, but also the patriarchal system that shackles Frank. Even though Frank leaves the island in the end of story, the inescapable patriarchal authority still leaves “him” trapped. The Wasp Factory seems to be a shocking and supernatural gothic story, but it displays the most common and the cruelest power relations in the real life: male and female, the oppressor and the oppressed.

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