Summary
One day a history teacher is showing his class a video on the nazi party and how they rose to power. After the video the students question why so many people stood by and let one of the most horrific groups come together. Because Mr. Ross had no real answer to this question, he decided to come up with an experiment that would allow the children to experience this first hand. Using order and strict discipline in his classroom, he was able to create a dynamic of the children wanting to follow his every command which eventually led to the creation of their group, The Wave.
The novel follows a few characters including Ben Ross, David Collins, and most importantly, Laurie Saunders. The main idea behind The Wave was so that the students could see how easy it was to lose their individualism and to cease thinking on their own. However this was not the case with many of the students. While Laurie had began to question the system and see the underlining flaws in it, the rest of the student body continues to let the group grow until majority of the school was part of The Wave. This led to people being scared and harassed into joining the group by their peers. The school became an unsafe environment for anyone who was not actively participating in The Wave.
The novel follows a few characters including Ben Ross, David Collins, and most importantly, Laurie Saunders. The main idea behind The Wave was so that the students could see how easy it was to lose their individualism and to cease thinking on their own. However this was not the case with many of the students. While Laurie had began to question the system and see the underlining flaws in it, the rest of the student body continues to let the group grow until majority of the school was part of The Wave. This led to people being scared and harassed into joining the group by their peers. The school became an unsafe environment for anyone who was not actively participating in The Wave.
Themes
Corruption through power
When a person or groups original intentions are good yet the increase of their power leads them to wanting more. People are usually not willing to give up their positions of power and will do awful things to stay in it.
When a person or groups original intentions are good yet the increase of their power leads them to wanting more. People are usually not willing to give up their positions of power and will do awful things to stay in it.
Lessons of the past
It is important to learn about history so we do not make the same mistakes over and over. History does repeat itself but hopefully if the past in understood well enough, the mistakes will not be repeated.
It is important to learn about history so we do not make the same mistakes over and over. History does repeat itself but hopefully if the past in understood well enough, the mistakes will not be repeated.
The negatives of loyalty
While loyalty is usually seen as a positive thing, it does have its problems. When someone has to balance their loyalty to a group as well as themselves, it can lead to them losing their individuality.
While loyalty is usually seen as a positive thing, it does have its problems. When someone has to balance their loyalty to a group as well as themselves, it can lead to them losing their individuality.
"You had to hide if you weren't part of it"(94).
This describes the fear that was put into the other students that did not agree with the groups ideals. This can be seen in modern society. While it is easier to simply go along with what everyone else thinks, the world would not progress without people willing to question everything. If everyone went along with the masses then nothing would ever change. And change is needed in order for the world to move forward.
Argument
Discipline and order are important aspects of society. They have been used in many positive ways and are responsible for some of the worlds most important advancements. However they can also be detrimental to people if used in the wrong manner.