The Wave by Todd Strasser Book Analysis

Excitement then fear swept through Gordon High faster than ever after the Wave was born. A classroom experiment taken too far left this 60’s Palo Alto high school in shambles. The Wave by Todd Strasser is a novel that demonstrates how anyone with influence and authority can create an environment like Nazi Germany. Ben Ross is a figure of authority at Gordon high, his actions inevitably led to the birth of The Wave. It started as a fun classroom experiment but quickly emerged into chaos. With every villain, there is a hero which is Laurie Saunders. She is one of the many characters in The Wave and her actions throughout the book influenced the result of The Wave. Laurie Sanders's bravery, determination, and resourcefulness impacted the story in an inspiring way. 

Lauries displays bravery throughout the book many times. One of her most courageous acts was standing up for the minority group of people who opposed the wave. Laurie was informed that her classmates were being targeted, moreover hurt for not joining the Wave. Physical harm was being brought upon Laurie's peers and her response to this information revealed her true courage. “‘We're going to put out a special issue of the Grapevine. Were going to expose this whole thing’” (Strasser 99). The quote displays that even despite the risk of being injured like those around her Laurie still was going to do what she could to eradicate the Wave. Her actions show her bravery.  Another instance of bravery that Laurie displayed was when her own significant other was trying to force her into the Wave. `David had grabbed onto Laurie but she continued to fight “But Laurie kept resisting”(119). Laurie had fought off her loved one whom she would never hurt but that wasn’t true for him seeing as he was consequently devoted to the Wave. Laurie didn’t surrender her morals to peer pressure, this reveals her bravery. Laurie's bravery came from within but it wouldn't be displayed without her determination. 

Laurie would not have been able to get rid of the Wave without her determination. Laurie exemplified her devotion many times throughout the book, but one of the more notable ones was when she ended her relationship with her best friend Amy to continue to fight against the Wave. Laurie was more than excited to share her writing that would end the Wave once and for all with her best friend, but she did not expect the reaction she got out of Amy. “‘You can't say these things about the Wave.’  ‘Well, why not? They're true. Amy, the Wave has become an obsession with everyone. No one's thinking for themselves anymore.’‘Come on, you're just upset, you're letting your argument with David get to you.’‘But the Wave is hurting people. Everyone's going along with it like a flock of sheep.’‘Laurie, please don't submit this.’‘I already have. I know what I have to do.’” (106) During the conversation it may not be physically shown but their friendship was over because Laurie chose independence. Amys and Laurie's friendship ending demonstrates how dedicated Laurie was to ending the Wave. Another instance where Laurie showed her determination was when she used her house and gathered fellow non-wave members to come up with a persuasive paper as to why the Wave is nothing but bad. “On Sunday at two o'clock well have an emergency meeting at my house. And try to make sure only non-wave members are there.” She demonstrates her determination by setting up an entire meeting outside of school to write a paper that is surely going to change the minds of others. Laurie took the time out of her day and the underlying risk of conspiring against the Wave showed how determined she was about getting rid of the Wave. Her determination was consistent throughout the book because Laurie is dedicated to her core values while having the drive to achieve her goals, the resourcefulness she has is used to complete those goals. 

Many characters in the novel portray the characteristic of being resourceful but none compare to Laurie. She shows her resourcefulness by doing everything in her power to get rid of the Wave.  Laurie starts to realize how grim the Wave is, during the recognition of how dreadful the Wave could be she begins to know her purpose nevertheless how she is going to stop the Wave. “She had to do something, The Grapevine had to do something.”(95). Her thoughts in the quote show that her position of being an editor and chief gives her an advantage and a great position to make an impact on the Wave like no other. Her understanding of this knowledge shows her resourcefulness. She uses her position of authority over the Grapevine to write a persuasive paper to change the minds of her peers. From this point on her focus is to end The Wave once and for all. Another example of Laurie showing her resourcefulness is when she went to Mr.Ross’s house and explained to him her deep concerns about the Wave in addition to how much of a negative effect it is having. “‘... but it's just gone too far.”’. 

Laurie recognized that if her paper didn’t stop the Wave going to the source would only push for the Wave to be gone. Her clever decisions of talking to Mr.Ross and having a heart-to-heart conversation with him show how resourceful Laurie is. Laurie being able to recognize when things are going south was the impact that stopped the Wave. Her actions demonstrated a person who cared more than others and obtained the knowledge to know how and when enough was enough. 

Laurie Saunders was proven to be her own individual by not going along with something she knew deep in her heart was wrong. She stood independent and prevailed through the trials and tribulations that were thrown her way. Through Laurie's actions, readers of The Wave are shown what a hero looks like and how anyone can be a hero. Even when her actions were viewed as unfavorable by members of the wave she still persevered and continued to fight against what was wrong. Jennifer Grant once said, “It's better to walk alone than with a crowd going in the wrong direction. Do what you feel is right ''. Any individual that makes decisions that are true to them is someone to be inspired by. Laurie's traits of being courageous, resilient, and knowledgeable were the reason the Wave came to an end.