The Wave: Chapter 15 Summary & Analysis

Christy Ross hurries home from school to see Ben, having heard rumors about the events of the school day. She finds him at the kitchen table reading a book, insisting that he is too busy to talk and needs to prepare for tomorrow. Christy says she needs to talk to Ben about what’s happening at school—and how The Wave is disrupting the entire student body. Ben says no one understands what he’s trying to do, and that most people just think he’s on some “ego trip.” Christy suggests that Ben’s critics might be right, but Ben retorts that he has created this beast, and he must be the one to stop it in his own time.

Ben is clearly upset with himself—he knows that as the children’s teacher, he has a responsibility to them, and has pushed them too far. At the same time, he tells Christy, he has to push them a little further still—until they get the true point of the experiment and learn “the most important lesson of their lives.” Christy tells Ben that Principal Owens wants to see him first thing in the morning, and warns him to be prepared for what might come.

The whole Grapevine staff stays late to celebrate their issue’s success, and Laurie is the last one to leave—she cleans up her slacker classmates’ mess before heading out of the office. By the time Laurie leaves, it is dark outside, and as she walks through the abandoned halls of school, she gets a creepy feeling. As she heads to her locker to drop off some books, she is stopped in her tracks by the sight of the word “ENEMY” painted across her locker in red letters. Laurie turns around and hurries for the exit, rushing out the door into the evening air.

David and Brian are parked outside the school, waiting for Laurie to emerge. As they catch sight of her coming outside, Brian urges David to go talk to her, and David gets out of Brian’s van. He approaches Laurie and asks for a word with her. She coldly asks him where his “troops” are, and asks him to leave her alone. David pursues Laurie, however, telling her that she needs to stop writing about The Wave. He insists that The Wave could still “work” and transform the school into a better place, but when she refuses to listen to her, David grabs her arm.

Laurie struggles against David, shouting that she’ll write whatever she wants. David is “overcome with anger,” and vows that he and the rest of The Wave will “stop” Laurie. Laurie cries out that she hates David, and everyone in The Wave. David throws Laurie down onto the ground, then instantly recoils at what he has done. He crouches down, wraps Laurie in his arms, and apologizes profusely. David can’t believe what he’s done to Laurie, and feels himself come out of his “trance.”

Meanwhile, at Ben Ross’s house, Christy approaches him and begs him to end The Wave tomorrow. She tells him that if he doesn’t end it, Owens will—and the experiment will have been a failure. Ben tells Christy that he can’t possibly come up with a way to end it tomorrow, but at the same time he admits to himself that The Wave is quickly headed for “disaster.” As its leader, he has resisted admitting The Wave’s danger because he has enjoyed the “fleeting moments of power” it has given him.

Ben realizes that Christy is right: he must do something “abrupt and final,” and hope that his students will follow him as their leader. Struck by a sudden surge of inspiration, Ben tells Christy he has an idea. Christy heads to bed while Ben stays up planning. It is late when Ben decides to head to bed, but he’s stopped by a knock at the front door. He is shocked to find Laurie and David standing outside, begging to talk to him.

Laurie and David tell Mr. Ross that they believe The Wave must be stopped. Laurie tells Ross how scared the non-members at school are, and Ross realizes that the experiment has perhaps actually been “too much of a success.” Ben’s students, he realizes, have done the very thing they believed no “rational person” could do: they have gone along with “fascist” ideology and behavior.

Laurie and David beg Mr. Ross to stop The Wave. He assures them that he will, but he doesn’t reveal his plan for doing so to them. Ross believes that The Wave members must choose to stop themselves—after he presents them with a key piece of “evidence.” Ross commends David and Laurie for having learned the lesson their classmates have not. He asks them to trust him to end the experiment in his own way, and they reluctantly do so.