Themes

The main themes of the novel The Wave by Morton Rhue offer an insight into the meaning of the text and why it is relevant even today. Our section will have a look at some of these themes and how they can be viewed in the context of the text. 

The interpretation of the text examines the events at Gordon High School as well as during the experiment, thus facilitating the reader's understanding. Among other things, it answers the questions of who has power over whom, how power changes The Wave members, and how community, discipline, and actions affect the power of the movement.

The section sheds light on the experiment itself, as well as the ideology of The Wave, and how this causes changes in those who follow the movement. We then have a look at the themes of power and recognition especially in the context of a seemingly fascist organization. We highlight the freedom of expression as one of the leitmotifs of the novel that repeatedly leads to conflicts within the plot.

Freedom of expression

The introduction of the novel The Wave by Morton Rhue (Chapter 1) begins in the Publication office of the school newspaper The Gordon Grapevine, whose editor-in-chief is Laurie Saunders. In this place it is possible for the students, or at least for the team working on the newspaper, to express their opinions freely. So, we can say that right at the beginning the central theme of the novel is revealed

Freedom of expression is important to the characters of the novel and often leads to conflicts between the Wave supporters and the critical voices against the movement: “Robert, beside him, was getting really upset over Laurie’s story. ‘These are all lies,’ he said angrily. ‘She can’t be allowed to say these things.’(Chapter 14, 86%). Consequently, freedom of expression is of tremendous significance to the novel as a whole. Morton Rhue skillfully elaborates the incompatibility between freedom of opinion and peer pressure.

The return to the publication office of The Gordon Grapevine whenever freedom of expression is in danger, or a conflict threatens to escalate can be considered a leitmotif of the story. This place is contrasted with the history lessons in Ben Ross's class. Ben Ross is the one who severely endangers freedom of expression by appointing the community as the most important guideline of all. The Wave definitely restricts the fundamental right of freedom of speech.

At the point when The Wave becomes more and more radical and members act aggressively against non-members, the school newspaper The Gordon Grapevine comes into the picture once again. Laurie, the critical voice against The Wave, is using the editorial offices as a retreat to escape the movement:

 From what Laurie could hear, The Wave rally was a giant success. She was spending the period in the publications office down the hall. It was the only place she could think of going where she would be safe from the questioning looks of kids wondering why she wasn’t at the rally. Laurie did not want to admit that she was hiding, but it was true. (Chapter 12, 44%)

In this place she also finds the anonymous letter in which a younger student describes his negative experiences with Wave members. Because he decided not to become a part of the movement, he had to endure severe threats from older students. However, he concealed his name out of fear of the aggressive characters of The Wave supporters (Chapter 11, 0%-40%). Again, there is a clear opposition between the right to freedom of expression and the authoritarianism of The Wave.

The Gordon Grapevine has taken it upon itself to educate the students about the experiment. Laurie prints both the anonymous letter and a report about the student who was beaten-up, as well as critical opinions from parents and teachers (Chapter 13, 80%). The main part, however, is her cover story, in which Laurie bluntly writes what she actually thinks. She considers The Wave to be a senseless but incredibly dangerous movement, sharply criticizing its suppression of free expression and its totalitarian character. 

The appearance of the special edition of the school newspaper marks a turning point within the plot. The reader can literally feel that the course of The Wave could soon end in disaster: 

Copies of The Grapevine had never been scooped up faster than they were that day. The school was abuzz with the news. Very few kids had heard about the sophomore who was beaten up, and of course no one had heard the story by the anonymous junior before. But as soon as those stories appeared in the paper, other stories began to circulate. Stories of threats and abuse directed at kids who, for one reason or another, had resisted The Wave. (Chapter 14, 29%)

Freedom of expression proves to be clearly superior to the totalitarian movement. The Wave members'...

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