OVERALL ANALYSIS

CHARACTER ANALYSIS

The Wave

As The Wave is about a group, character analyses would benefit from considering both individuals and other groups in the story. While groups are made up of individuals, one of the important points of the novel is that groups often exhibit behavior different from what individuals within the group would otherwise do, and in turn imposes its own influence on those same individuals. It's important to stress that the novel often alludes to The Wave asserting a life of its own but never does anything to project such a view beyond simple metaphor. To do so would have taken.........

Robert Billings

The most striking transformation is that of Robert Billings. He begins as the school outcast, quickly embraces the empowering nature of The Wave, and is the most at risk of falling back to his old ways - and old status - when the truth of The Wave is revealed. He is given a reason for his lack of motivation at the beginning of the..........

David Collins

David Collins is a more moderate case, different in that he isn't as focused on belonging to a new group but to improve a group to which he already belongs. For him, The Wave is a tool to improve the football team and a way to foster a stronger sense of community and acceptance for people like Robert. As a result, his conflict comes from..........

Laurie Saunders

Laurie is also frustrated with how the group she leads, the staff of The Grapevine, are undisciplined and unable to...........

Ben Ross

The most conflicted character in the novel is that of Ben Ross, in part because his motivations blur into one another: the desire to teach blends into his own natural curiosity that borders on monomania; his charismatic teaching ability blends into the skill with which he creates a pseudo-fascistic group. He claims to be conducting an experiment, but is...........

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