Exploring symbolism: ‘When the Wasps Drowned’
Look at the pictures and think about the various connotations (what is implied beyond the obvious
meaning). What might each one symbolise in the story? Some examples have been given to help
you.
Danger – the wasps injure Therese. However,
they’re not the real threat to the children. Mr
Mordecai is. The wasps help to remind us of this.
When the wasps are killed,
their carcasses lie on the
lawn. They could be said to
symbolise death.
Wasps are seen as being
aggressive and predatory –
like Mr Mordecai.
Wasps
The wasps are a threatening presence and
help determine the tone of the story.
The dead body
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The diamond ring
Therese’s dream
2
The garden
Delving more deeply
Now that you’ve had a chance to brainstorm the symbolism in the story, see if you can answer the
following questions.
You can simply discuss these as a group, or allocate a scribe to jot down brief notes. At the end,
you’ll need to feed back to the rest of the class.
Wasps

Do you think the wasps are a positive or negative presence in the story?

Do you think the wasps’ nest itself has any significance? If so, what? (Have you heard of the
phrase ‘to stir up a hornets’ nest’? If not, have a guess at what it might mean. How might this
phrase apply to the story?)

Think about the title ‘When the Wasps Drowned’. Why might the writer have chosen this for her
story?

Do you think it’s a good or poor title? Why?
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The dead body

What gender and age is the dead body? Is this significant or incidental do you think?

Can you find any significance in the covering up of the body/the hiding of it? Why do you think the
narrator decides to keep the dead body a secret?

Can you think of a time when you kept a secret, despite knowing that you probably ought to let
somebody know? Can you remember why you kept the secret?

Do you condone (excuse/forgive) or condemn the children’s actions? Explain your answer.
The diamond ring

The ring is firstly stolen from the body by Therese, and then stolen from Therese by Eveline.
Therese doesn’t protest about this – why do you think this is?

Eveline only wears the ring when her mother is at work. Can you think of a reason for this?

When the police call round, we are told that Eveline talks to them with her right hand held behind
her back. Why?

After they have left, Eveline stands in the dark hallway while her fingers ‘fiddling unconsciously,
played with the ring for a moment’. Why might the writer have given us this detail?
Therese’s dream

Explain what happens in Therese’s dream.

Eveline can relate to Therese’s description. What happens when she closes her eyes?

What is Mum’s response to the dream? Do you think it is a reasonable or unreasonable response
and why?

Does the dream tell us anything about the children’s true feelings? If so, what?
The garden

We are told towards the beginning of the story, ‘It was the first time the garden walls seemed
confining …’ How can you explain this?

All of the significant action happens in the garden. Why do you think this is?

Even after the discovery of the body, the children continue to spend all of their time there. How
might you explain this?
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Exploring symbolism: ‘When the Wasps Drowned’
Look at the pictures and think about the connotations (what is implied beyond the obvious meaning)
and what each one symbolises in the story. Some ideas have been filled in to help you. Try to find
three more for each symbol.
Danger – the wasps injure Therese.
However, they’re not the real threat to
the children. Mr Mordecai is. The
wasps help to remind us of this.
When the wasps are killed,
their carcasses lie on the
lawn. They could be said to
symbolise…?
Wasps
Pain
Death – the body
represents death in an
obvious sense but could
also be seen as the death
of…?
Decay – the dead body is
decaying in a literal sense.
Time is moving on too, and
in terms of seasons it’s
nearly…
The dead body
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Growth
Green
things
The garden
Play
Choose from the statements below
In ‘When the Wasps Drowned’, the wasps themselves might symbolise:
a) pain and danger
b) sadness (because they have drowned)
c) something else altogether, such as…
In ‘When the Wasps Drowned’, the body might symbolise:
a) menace and threat
b) the end of innocence and childhood
c) something else altogether, such as …
In ‘When the Wasps Drowned’, the garden might symbolise:
a) change – a safe, secure place becomes filled with danger
b) hidden things, secrets
c) something else altogether, such as…
Be prepared to explain your choices.
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