Frank Cauldhame is the novel’s narrator. When the story begins, he is 16 years old, and the reader’s first encounter with Frank is on his check of the Sacrifice Poles, which is the first of many moments featuring animal cruelty. His casual remarks about animal cruelty quickly characterize him as someone who is willing to kill, who believes he possesses magical powers that others do not, and who casts himself as the protector of the isle. Frank has an inflated sense of his own power and destiny: “My power is so strong that when it goes wrong, which is seldom but not never, even those things I have invested with great protective power become vulnerable” (64). He correlates his power to the lengthy series of rituals and obsessive rites he performs on the island. For example, Frank always shaves in a specific way, cuts his nails in an identical manner, and saves his bodily excretions—like toe jam—in order to use at the altar with the Skull of Old Saul.

Frank is both isolated and narcissistic. He lacks empathy and demonstrates no desire for companionship, which makes sense in light of his

Don't Miss Out!

Access Study Guide Now