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Chapter 13
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
On Monday morning, Laurie is determined to track down Amy and talk to her about The Wave. She wants to change her best friend’s mind, and warn her about how dangerous The Wave is becoming. When she finds Amy in the library and gives her an advance copy of the Grapevine issue, however, Amy accuses Laurie of retaliating against The Wave because of her fight with David. Laurie begs Amy to see that The Wave is hurting people, even as they go along with it “like a flock of sheep.”
As Laurie at last confronts Amy about how quickly she’s succumbed to The Wave’s doctrine, she begins to see that her friend has calculated reasons for joining the movement. Amy can see what’s wrong—she just doesn’t care.
Themes
Amy confesses that she likes The Wave “because it means that nobody is better than anyone else for once,” and admits how competitive she’s always felt towards Laurie. Amy accuses Laurie of resisting The Wave because it means Laurie isn’t the “princess” of Gordon High anymore, then gathers her things and hurriedly walks away.
The new issue of The Grapevine sets Gordon High abuzz, and many rumors begin circulating throughout the day. Stories of people abusing The Wave’s power begin to come out, and students gossip about the stream of parents who have been coming and going from Principal Owens’s office all morning.
The Wave is not the only thing with power over the school—the written word and the truth are still, this passage shows, able to hold sway against the tide of The Wave.
Themes
As Ben Ross reads his copy of the paper, he gets a terrible headache—he feels things are spinning out of control. He is disturbed by the assault on the Jewish boy, and by the football team’s staggering loss over the weekend—in spite of their reliance on The Wave. When Ross overhears Norm Schiller and another teacher talking about how Ross has “brainwashed” the whole school, he becomes panicky and worried that he has “accidentally slipped into the role of a dictator.”
Ben Ross has had his own reservations about The Wave’s power before now—but as he sees just how serious the allegations against Wave members are and how threatened many students feel, as well as how his colleagues look down on him, he understands that things have gotten way out of hand and must be reigned back in.
Themes
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David, Robert, and several other students read the new issue of The Grapevine together. David is concerned by the allegations contained in the paper—but Robert staunchly claims that Laurie “can’t be allowed to say [such] things.” Eric worries that the articles in the paper will undermine The Wave, and Robert reiterates that Laurie is a “threat” that “must be stopped.” Brian tells Robert that he and David will talk some sense into Laurie, and then leads David away from the rest of the group. David tells Brian he’s worried by Robert’s language, but Brian suggests that Robert has a point. He tells David that the two of them should wait for Laurie after school and talk to her. David reluctantly agrees to the plan.
Even though David seems to have some reservations about confronting Laurie, he allows himself to be pressured into action by the fanatical adherents of The Wave’s doctrine. This passage shows how fascistic movements single out—and attempt to root out—any individuals who speak against them.
Themes
