David Collins Character Analysis

“Hey,” David said defensively. “I didn’t say I wasn’t bothered by it. I just said it’s over now. Forget about it. It happened once and the world learned its lesson. It’ll never happen again.”

“I hope not,” Laurie said, picking up her tray.

After viewing the film about the Holocaust in Mr. Ross’s history class, Laurie Saunders is confused and emotional—but her jock boyfriend David Collins barely feels anything at all. When Laurie calls him out on his flat, glib reaction to the film, David insists he’s not unbothered, but simply unconvinced that the dangers of World War II-era Germany are things he needs to worry about in his day-to-day life. This apathy towards the lessons of history is one of The Wave’s central themes and biggest concerns. David—and many of his peers—see history as a fixed, unchangeable thing, and regard the lessons of the past as lessons learned. However, as The Wave will soon show, it’s frighteningly easy to forget the important lessons the past has to offer—and David and his peers will soon fall prey to a small-scale repetition of one of history’s most dangerous moments.

“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.”

“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.”

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!

[Ross] recalled those students in his own history classes who had condemned the Jews for not taking the Nazi threat seriously, for not fleeing […] when rumors of the concentration camps and gas chambers first filtered back to them. Of course, Ross thought, how could any rational person believe such a thing? And who could have believed that a nice bunch of high school students […] could have become a fascist group called 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.”

“Hey,” David said defensively. “I didn’t say I wasn’t bothered by it. I just said it’s over now. Forget about it. It happened once and the world learned its lesson. It’ll never happen again.”

“I hope not,” Laurie said, picking up her tray.

After viewing the film about the Holocaust in Mr. Ross’s history class, Laurie Saunders is confused and emotional—but her jock boyfriend David Collins barely feels anything at all. When Laurie calls him out on his flat, glib reaction to the film, David insists he’s not unbothered, but simply unconvinced that the dangers of World War II-era Germany are things he needs to worry about in his day-to-day life. This apathy towards the lessons of history is one of The Wave’s central themes and biggest concerns. David—and many of his peers—see history as a fixed, unchangeable thing, and regard the lessons of the past as lessons learned. However, as The Wave will soon show, it’s frighteningly easy to forget the important lessons the past has to offer—and David and his peers will soon fall prey to a small-scale repetition of one of history’s most dangerous moments.

“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.”

“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.”

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!

[Ross] recalled those students in his own history classes who had condemned the Jews for not taking the Nazi threat seriously, for not fleeing […] when rumors of the concentration camps and gas chambers first filtered back to them. Of course, Ross thought, how could any rational person believe such a thing? And who could have believed that a nice bunch of high school students […] could have become a fascist group called 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.”