The Wave Study Guide

The Wave

The Wave by Todd Strasser

The Wave is a 1981 novel based on the "Third Wave" experiment in which school students willingly partook in a simulated fascist regime. After failing to explain how Germans could have allowed the Nazi Party to rise to power, Mr. Ross organizes his classroom around slogans extolling discipline, strength and power. Although David and Laurie question the movement and the animosity it causes, most students accept it blindly until Mr. Ross finally exposes the experiment, claiming that their leader could just as well have been Hitler.

The Wave Characters

Table of Contents
  • Laurie Saunders : Main protagonist of the novel, straight A student and head of her high school newspaper, The Gordon Grapevine . Initially supports the Wave but as the novel progresses she begins to see it for what it really is, a mini revival of the Third Reich. It is because of the fact that Laurie sees the Wave for what it is that she chooses to distance herself from it and all those who are involved; subsequently being branded as an "enemy".
  • Amy Smith : Laurie's long time friend, in constant competition with Laurie, which puts a strain on their friendship; a strain which finally comes to a boil when the Wave is in full swing and Laurie is no longer "special."
  • Robert Billings : Class loser who is more often than not the butt of many jokes. Described as creepy and weird, "he was a heavy boy with shirttails perpetually hanging out and his hair always a mess". Robert Billings's sloppy appearance and lack of interest towards his studies stems from the fact that he lives in the shadow of his older brother, Jeff Billings, who was the quintessential model student. It is through the Wave that Robert is able to step out of his brother's shadow and establish his own personality (even though the Wave is all about unity), hence why Robert is really the only one who actually stands to lose something after the downfall of the Wave.
  • David Collins Laurie's boyfriend, described as "a tall, good-looking boy who was a running back on the football team." He winds up getting in too deep with the Wave and carries it out from the classroom and onto the football field in an attempt to unite their losing team.
  • Ben Ross : High school history teacher who tends to get engrossed in his work "to the point where he tended to forget that the rest of the world existed." Some of the many things in which Ben Ross would devote his attention to were: American Indians, bridge, and even the Third Reich. His personality is best described as obsessive to the point of insanity, mainly due to the incredible time and effort he puts into a particular field of interest. He's described as a young, good looking and charismatic new teacher, his excitement being 'contagious' so his students can't help but go along with him. He also has a hard time getting the entire class interested in the lessons, and also has trouble getting them to come in on time and hand in neat assignments. Devises The Wave to show what life in Nazi Germany was like, but he gets caught up in it as well. Initially it is met with great success, but soon goes too far.
  • Carl Block : Investigative reporter for The Gordon Grapevine , he is a perpetually funny "tall, thin guy with blond hair."
  • Alex Cooper : Music reviewer for The Gordon Grapevine and friend to Carl Block. Is "stocky and dark."

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