44 pages • 1 hour read
Todd StrasserThe Wave
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1981A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
One of The Wave’s themes is humanity’s inability—and sometimes unwillingness—to learn from its mistakes. After the experiment’s climax in the auditorium, the students are horrified to discover that they were willing participants in fascism. Ultimately, is the novel optimistic or pessimistic? Is there reason to believe that the students learn from this lesson, or will they treat it as another isolated, unrepeatable incident? Discuss the reasons for your opinions, citing evidence from the text and/or other sources.
What are the most distinct similarities between the Nazis and The Wave? What are the clearest differences? Support your answer with evidence from the text.
During the final assembly, is Ben correct when he tells the students that they could have made good Nazis? Can he actually know such a thing? Does he draw the correct conclusion from the experiment? Discuss the reasons for your opinions, citing evidence from the text.
Different characters embrace The Wave for different reasons. Describe the differing benefits of The Wave for David, Robert, Amy, and Ben Ross, using evidence from the text.
The author reinforces the point that dictators are typically charismatic. Examine this statement, using the text and other sources for examples to form an argument either supporting or rebutting the power of charisma to effectively persuade people to act against their own good. Why might people accept obviously irrational claims because a charismatic person delivers them?
Why does Amy claim that The Wave threatens Laurie because it makes her equal to everyone else? The novel never gives any indication that Laurie is guilty of Amy’s accusations, so why does Amy use The Wave as evidence against her? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.
Why does Robert offer himself as Ben’s bodyguard? Why does Ben accept? Support your observations with evidence from the text.
Why does Ben tell himself that the experiment was, in effect, too successful? Was it realistic that the experiment succeeded at all? Why or why not? Reference the text and any other sources you use to support your response.
Does the author portray Ben as a pessimist, an optimist, or a realist? Give evidence for each category and then develop an argument supporting one.
Ultimately, Ben’s experiment sought to answer the question of why the German people allowed the Nazis to gain control of the country’s direction. Did it succeed? Is the answer to this question as elusive as he thinks it is? Do historians really believe that the answer is unknowable? Why or why not?
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By Todd Strasser
