When Ben Ross’s social experiment, The Wave, surges in popularity amongst the students of Gordon High, it becomes clear that part of The Wave’s appeal is the ways in which it equalizes the student body and breaks down the barriers between cliques. Even the most popular kids, like Laurie Saunders and David Collings, find themselves reassessing their school’s social organization and befriending outsiders like Robert Billings. As The Wave takes hold of the school in full force, however, it becomes clear to the few remaining non-members of The Wave that the price of total equality is the abandonment of independence and individuality. Strasser uses The Wave to suggest that while social equality is an admirable goal, the obliteration of independence is often a casualty of mandatory egalitarianism.
There is a delicate balance in any microcosm of society between the good of the collective and what’s best for that society’s individuals. As The Wave takes over Gordon High, the school’s students are entranced by how collectivism and community strengthen their student body—so entranced, in fact, that they don’t notice when the scales tip, and their community’s newfound equality and egalitarianism begin to erase all traces of individuality.
Soon after Ben Ross introduces the Wave experiment to his senior history class at Gordon High, its message of strength through discipline, strength through community, and strength through action spreads through the school like wildfire. When operating as a collective and assuming the identity of members of a larger group, the students of Gordon High notice that the boundaries between cliques and the animosity between popular jocks and “creepy” nerds all dissolve. As social equality changes the landscape of Gordon High, it’s not just outcasts like Robert who are grateful for the change—even more popular kids like David and Laurie find themselves grateful for the new social order and the chance to make new friends. The Wave makes everyone socially equal, which at first seems to be a good thing—but soon, it becomes clear that the simmering resentments between individual members of the student body will not be erased by The Wave’s egalitarian message, and nor will the dangers of absolute collectivism.
As the students of Gordon High begin seeing The Wave as a way of erasing social boundaries, strengthening school spirit, and uniting disparate groups of students together in pursuit of a common goal, many of them begin to value the collective over the individual—and shame one another for still pursuing individuality and personal glory. David Collins brings The Wave to his football team, and angrily urges his fellow players to see that “self-serving individuals don’t make a team.” As Amy Smith and Laurie Saunders fight over The Wave, Laurie tries to express how dangerous the movement really is—but Amy insists that Laurie just hates The Wave “because it means [she’s] not a princess anymore.” Laurie, long having possessed a reputation as the popular and brilliant golden girl of Gordon High, is stunned to hear such a criticism lobbed her way—and finds there’s a part of her that worries she does resent The Wave for demonizing individuality and thus making her less special.
As The Wave comes crashing to the ground and Ben Ross brings the ever-more dangerous experiment to a close, he chides his students at a mass rally for allowing The Wave to take over their lives and infringe on their freedoms. Ross accuses the students of using The Wave to further collectivism and community in name only—in reality, he suggests, they saw The Wave as an opportunity to feel “special” and “better than everyone” who was not affiliated with The Wave. Though The Wave was meant to bolster community and equality, equality soon become “superiority over non-Wave members,” and obscured not just individual will but any expression of individuality at all. In other words, Ross is asserting—and Strasser is, as well—that total egalitarianism only comes at the price of individual freedoms.
Over the course of The Wave, Todd Strasser shows how groupthink leads to cruelty and coercion—and goes even deeper as he asserts that collective equality often costs individuals their freedoms of speech, of self-expression, and of identity. A completely fair and equal society seems utopic at first glance—but Strasser ultimately suggests that there is a dark sacrifice at the heart of conformity.
Related Themes from Other Texts
Equality vs. Independence ThemeTracker
Equality vs. Independence Quotes in The Wave
“This will be our symbol. A wave is a pattern of change. It has movement, direction, and impact. From now on, our community, our movement will be known as The Wave.” He paused and looked at the class standing at stiff attention, accepting everything he told them. “And this will be our salute,” he said, cupping his right hand in the shape of a wave, then tapping it against his left shoulder and holding it upright. “Class, give the salute,” he ordered.
The class gave the salute.
“My mother says [The Wave] sounds like brainwashing to her,” Laurie said.
“What?”
“She says Mr. Ross is manipulating us.”
“She’s crazy,” David said. “How could she know? And besides, what do you care what your mother says? You know she worries about everything.”
“When we first began The Wave a few days ago I felt that some of you were actually competing to give the right answers and to be better members than others. From now on I want this to end. […] You must conceive of yourselves as a team, a team of which you are all members. Remember, in The Wave you are all equals. No one is more important or more popular than anyone else and no one is to be excluded from the group. Community means equality within the group.”
Today I found out that three of my friends joined after some other seniors talked to them. I saw that senior from Mr. Ross’s class in the hall and he asked if I had joined yet. I told him I didn’t intend to. He said if I didn’t join soon it would be too late.
All I want to know is: Too late for what?
“That guy’s a real detriment to the team. I wish Schiller would throw him off.”
“Because he isn’t in The Wave?” Laurie asked.
“Yeah,” David replied. “If he really wanted the best for the team he’d join The Wave instead of giving Brian such a hard time. He’s a one-man team, Laurie. He’s just on a big ego trip and he’s not helping anyone.”
“You mean I can’t go up into the stands unless I give The Wave salute?” Laurie asked.
[…] Brad shrugged. “I know. Look, what’s the big deal. Just give me the salute and you can go up.”
[…] “You mean everyone in the stands gave you the salute?”
“Well, yeah. In this part of the stands.”
“Well, I want to go up and I don’t want to give The Wave salute,” Laurie said angrily.
[…] Brad blushed. “Look, Laurie,” he said in a low voice. “Just do the stupid salute already.”
But Laurie was adamant. “No, this is ridiculous. Even you know it’s ridiculous.”
“Why do you want to be part of it?”
“Because it means that nobody is better than anyone else for once,” Amy said. “Because ever since we became friends all I’ve ever done is try to compete with you and keep up with you. But now I don’t feel like I have to have a boyfriend on the football team like you. And if I don’t want to, I don’t have to get the same grades you get, Laurie. For the first time in three years I feel like I don’t have to keep up with Laurie Saunders and people will still like me.”
David instantly recoiled in shock at what he had done. Laurie lay still on the ground and he was filled with fear as he dropped to his knees and put his arms around her. [...] David could not believe it. He felt almost as if he were coming out of a trance. What had possessed him these last days that could cause him to do something so stupid? There he’d been, denying that The Wave could hurt anyone, and at the same time he’d hurt Laurie, his own girlfriend, in the name of The Wave!
“You weren’t dumb, David. You were idealistic. I mean, there were good things about The Wave. It couldn’t be all bad, or no one would have joined in the first place. It’s just that they don’t see what’s bad about it. They think it makes everyone equal, but they don’t understand that it robs you of your right to be independent.”
Ben began to realize how much more serious this “little experiment” was than he’d ever imagined. It was frightening how easily they would put their faith in your hands, how easily they would let you decide for them. If people were destined to be led, Ben thought, this was something he must make sure they learned: to question thoroughly, never to put your faith in anyone’s hands blindly. Otherwise…
“You thought you were so special!” Ross told them. “Better than everyone else outside of this room. You traded your freedom for what you said was equality. But you turned your equality into superiority over non-Wave members. You accepted the group’s will over your own convictions, no matter who you had to hurt to do it. [..].] You all would have made good Nazis,” Ben told them. […] You say it could never happen again, but look how close you came.”
Ben moved closer to the front of the stage and spoke in a lower voice. “If history repeats itself, you will all want to deny what happened to you in The Wave. But, if our experiment has been successful, […] you will have learned that we are all responsible for our own actions, and that you must always question what you do rather than blindly follow a leader, and that for the rest of your lives, you will never, ever allow a group’s will to usurp your individual rights.”
