Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Wave, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Groupthink and Coercion
History and the Past
Equality vs. Independence
Education
Summary
Analysis
The next morning, it is Ben Ross, not his students, who is late to class. When he arrives in the classroom, he finds his students all sitting straight up in their seats, silently waiting for him. Ross is pleased and impressed, and “tempted” to push the experiment from yesterday even further. Ross writes the words “STRENGTH THROUGH COMMUNITY” on the board, and tells his students that there’s more going on in the classroom than just discipline—they are building a community, and “struggl[ing] together for a common goal.” David Collins perks up, realizing that what Mr. Ross is talking about is exactly what the football team needs.
Ross fell asleep the night before uncertain as to whether or not he’d even give his little experiment another day—but as he arrives at class and sees that his students remain transformed, he decides to push things further and see if he can get them to continue on this new path.
Themes
Ross urges his students to repeat the words “Strength Through Discipline, Strength Through Community” aloud. All but a few—including Laurie and Brad—repeat the motto. Ross says that what the class needs now is a symbol for their new community—he turns to the board and draws a wave enclosed by a circle. He explains that a wave represents change—but also “movement, direction, and impact.” Their community, he says, will be henceforth known as The Wave—and they will even use a “salute.” Ross cups his hand in the shape of a wave, taps it against his left shoulder, and then holds it upright. The class automatically repeats the salute. As Mr. Ross encourages the class to repeat the salute alongside the motto again and again, he is amazed how “like a regiment” they have become.
Ross names his experiment “The Wave”—a name that has deep symbolic meaning. Ross perhaps doesn’t realize just how violent of a wave his experiment will be as it sucks students in as if to a riptide, and then breaks with chaos and finality alike. By giving the class experiment not just a slogan, but a salute, Ross is drawing a direct parallel between The Wave and the Nazi Party—though his students, so troubled by the Nazi’s actions just a few days ago, don’t seem to realize what they’re doing.
Themes
After school, as David and Eric get ready for football, David suggests bringing The Wave to the football team, and making them all “members” too. Eric is skeptical of bringing the idea to Coach Schiller, but David assures him that The Wave is what the team needs. Brian chimes in and says he’ll try anything to unite the team against their imposing rivals from Clarkstown. A player named Deutsch teases Brian for being so intimidated by the opposing team, and soon the two boys are brawling. David pulls them apart and chides them for not supporting each other as teammates should. Deutsch says the team could win if only he could take Brian’s place, but David retorts that “a bunch of self-serving individuals don’t make a team.”
David has long been disappointed by his team’s inability to rally together and win, and believes that the galvanizing force of The Wave will change all that. David already is beginning to believe in the collective over the individual, and seems to be willingly muting his independence in pursuit of what he sees as the greater good.
Themes
As David’s teammates gather around him, they all chime in about how desperate they are to pull together and win. They ask David what they can do, and Eric encourages David to tell them all about The Wave. David begins instructing them all in The Wave’s mottos—and its salute.
The Wave could be a positive force for the football team—but David’s emphasis on the salute and mottos rather than the core values of the movement seem to suggest that The Wave is more about control and unthinking fealty than real change.
Themes
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