The Wave Walls

Not All Classrooms Have Four Walls

High school is a time for learning things that will change you perspective on life, and mature your thinking, and “The Wave” by Todd Strasser is the perfect outlet. After reading this book, many valuable messages can be extracted; specifically about loyalty, identity, and power, which are all vital concepts to fathom while developing oneself into a mature adult. High school students should read “The Wave,” because it demonstrates powerful life lessons that teenagers can bring along with them into their adult years.

The Wave looks at the dark side of loyalty – how hard it can be to balance personal loyalty with loyalty to a group. The members of The Wave give up their individuality in order to participate

Wiser words have never been spoken when discussing identity. The students at Gordon High (and Ben himself) undergo drastic changes in identity – all in a few short days. Take a look at Robert Billings: he goes from total outcast and loser status to leader of the pack. Robert’s character is a perfect correlation to German Nazis. Like Robert, the Germans that conformed to the Nazi movement were those who lacked self worth. They finally had the chance to be a part of something popular, so they grasped it. While some characters’ changes may have come as a shock, others were predictable. Amy Smith, Laurie Saunders’ best friend showed a shortfall of self control when she was unable to refrain from smoking during a free period (3), while Laurie had overcome that urge(1). As a result of this self control deficiency, Amy impulsively joined The Wave movement. On the other hand, Laurie and the two pranksters Carl and Alex are each confident in themselves. Laurie has a strong sense of self identity. She thinks for herself and goes with her intuition. When writing the school paper, she stays true to her identity as a journalist. She remained unbiased, and just tries to find out the truth about The Wave before publishing how she really feels (9). Carl and Alex, though, are totally different. They simply do not care to join The Wave because

In fact, the background of the story involves one of the most well-known examples of corrupt power in history: Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. However, it gets personal too. In teaching his students about this historical event, Ben Ross unwittingly abuses his power as a teacher by exposing the kids to a dangerous experiment; and of course, this abuse of power trickles down to the students. For instance, Robert approaches Mr. Ross and asks if he can be his bodyguard “You’re the leader, Mr. Ross,” he explains, “ I can’t let anything happen to you.” (83). Even after he recovers from his initial surprise, Mr. Ross is uncomfortable with Robert’s request to act as his bodyguard. However, he also worries about what will happen if he rejects Robert’s request. Although this is far from outright intimidation, it also shows that the balance of power has shifted from teacher to student. The abuse of power can lead to disastrous results (as we can clearly see from this novel), But, power isn't always negative in The Wave. Laurie Saunders, as editor of the school paper, actually uses her power as a journalist to bring the truth of The Wave to light. Bottom line: not all power corrupts – you just have to be careful. Throughout The Wave, teens can see how easily one can abuse his power once it’s in his reach. They can distinguish how power can make one feel inadequate, while simultaneously bringing another into the