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, Ben Ross sits through an uncomfortable, contentious meeting with Principal Owens. Owens states that teachers and parents alike are complaining to him nonstop about The Wave, and he wants it stopped immediately. Ross admits that The Wave has gone too far because of his own mistakes, and apologizes for “experiment[ing] with human beings.” Ross urges Owens to give him the rest of the day to make sure that the two-hundred-plus Wave members learn the lesson that Ross set out to teach them in the first place. Ross outlines his plan for Owens, and Owens agrees to give Ross until the end of the day—but warns Ross that if his plan doesn’t work, he'll have to resign.
Ross is fully aware of the gravity of what he’s done, and he regrets his own role in allowing the experiment to get out of hand. At the same time, he understands how serious things are now, and sees that he cannot leave the resolution of the project to chance—he needs to steer the ship once again and make sure his students learn the right lesson from The Wave. They must understand how destructive it is for themselves—not have a system that’s given them “strength” and solidarity stripped away at the height of its power.
Themes
That day in history class, Ross announces to his students that there is a “special announcement” concerning The Wave. At five o’clock, he says, there will be a members-only Wave rally—he tells his students that The Wave has actually been a national experiment, and the leader of The Wave is going to talk to them via television to commend them on what they’ve accomplished in just a few short days and announce a “National Wave Youth Movement.” As David and Laurie listen to Mr. Ross’s speech, they believe he has gone back on his promise to end The Wave, and try to warn the other students about what’s happening.
David and Laurie trusted Mr. Ross for a time—but they have had their worlds so destabilized by The Wave and have watched so many of their classmates betray one another that they no longer believe anything Mr. Ross says.
Themes
Mr. Ross orders Robert to take over class while he escorts Laurie and David to the principal’s office for disrupting class. Once Ross has Laurie and David alone in the hall, he reminds them of the promise they made to trust him. Laurie says they have no reason to trust him—he is the one who started The Wave in the first place. Ross is forced to admit that Laurie is right.
When Ross is confronted by his saddened, irate students, he is brought face-to-face with his own selfishness and pride—and with his role in making The Wave as violent, regimented, and dangerous as it currently is.
Themes
David and Laurie wait to see Principal Owens, sure that they’ve been hoodwinked by Mr. Ross. When they meet with Owens, though, and beg him to stop The Wave himself, he promises that everything will turn out all right. After meeting with Owens, Laurie and David commiserate over how the entire school has fallen prey to The Wave. The two of them decide to leave for the day. While sitting in a park and relaxing, Laurie’s thoughts turn to the “leader” of The Wave, and what horrible things he might instruct the Gordon High Wave members to do. Laurie tells David that they need to return to school for the rally—history is repeating itself, and she wants to look into the face of the “leader” who’s making it happen. David reluctantly agrees to follow Laurie back to school.
David and Laurie no longer trust the authority figures at their high school—because of The Wave, they see everyone as a potential enemy or threat to their individuality. Laurie and David are the only two who have truly learned The Wave’s lesson—and believing that things are about to get worse, they become determined to stop it from completely overtaking everything they know.
Themes
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