The Waveby Todd Strasser

The Wave

NOVEL: First Published 1981

Inspired by real-life events written about by Ron Jones

RON JONES – 1969 history teacher at Cubberley High School Paolo Alto, California conducted an experiment to teach students about the Holocaust

1972 Ron Jones published article ‘The Third Wave’ about this experiment

1981 ABC TV made a tele-movie: The Wave

The Wave by Todd Strasser published the same year

The Waveby Todd Strasser

http://www.toddstrasser.com/html/thewave.htm

‘THE WAVE is loosely based on an essay by Ron Jones that appeared in a WHOLE EARTH CATALOGUE some time in the early 1970s. I have never met Mr. Jones. I've been told that he is the teacher who did the experiment upon which the book and TV movie are based.  

To be honest, I have always wondered if the 'real life' experiment conducted by Mr. Jones actually went as far as his essay alleges.

At the same time I firmly believe that whether it did or not is entirely besides the point.  

The point is the message of the story, which serves both as a reminder of what has passed and a warning regarding the future.’   -Strasser

The Waveby Todd Strasser

http://www.toddstrasser.com/html/thewave.htm

‘The murder of 6 million Jews (plus thousands of other "undesirables") may seem like a distant event from your life. But it isn't.

Are you aware that similar massacres of innocent people continue to this day? In your lifetime it has happened in Eastern Europe and Africa.

To me, one of the most rewarding aspects of THE WAVE is knowing that it is required reading not only in your class, but in most of Germany as well.’ - Strasser

The Wave film adaptations:

http://www.lessonplanmovie.com/ (Preview of 2010 film 2.58min)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVRXXbU-z7U PART 1http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXi71XBdh1o PART 2

(ABC version of The Wave from 1981)

NOVEL: The Wave

Sits within a significant body of Holocaust literature:

The Diary of Anne Frank,

Elie Weisel's Night,

Primo Levi's Survival in Auschwitz

Art Speigelman's Maus

Don DeLillo's Running Dog

Key literary elements

SETTING

Fictional Gordon High School:

A small suburban community Some scenes also take place in the

Homes of Ben Ross and Laurie Sanders

Real life event took place in a high school in Palo Alto, California.

Key literary elements

MAIN CHARACTERS

Laurie Saunders

Ben Ross

David Collins

Robert Billings

Key literary elements

MINOR CHARACTERS

Mr. Gabondi Midge Saunders Eric Brad

Amy Smith Brian Ammon Deutsch

Norm Schiller Principal Owens Betty Lewis

Carl Block Alex Cooper Mr. Saunders

Christy Ross George Snyder Elaine Billings

Unnamed Jewish Boy Unnamed Rabbi

Angry parents Adolf Hitler Jeff Billings

Key literary elements

CONFLICT

Protagonist - Laurie Saunders - voice of reason /protest

Antagonist - The Wave “acting” on its own as its power grows – Robert Billings best represents the group mentality of The Wave.

Climax - After a Jewish boy is harassed for refusing to join The Wave, Laurie as editor-in-chief of The Grapevine publishes an issue exposing the troubles caused by the organization. In defending The Wave, David attacks Laurie and sees the error in his ways

Key literary elements

CONFLICT cont…

Climax – A Jewish boy is harassed for refusing to join The Wave, Laurie publishes an exposé in The Grapevine, in defending The Wave, David attacks Laurie and sees the error in his ways

Outcome - Ben Ross gathers a rally to introduce their “real” leader, Adolf Hitler. At the very end, he tries to salvage Robert Billings' new-found self-respect.

“the banality of evil”

Underlying theme in The Wave: ‘the banality of evil’

Literary idea that enriches an understanding of The Wave

Accredited to Hannah Arendt, Jewish writer and philosopher

Author: Eichmann in Jerusalem (1963) where quote originates from

Observation: that evil is allowed to occur by everyday people who accept what they are told by those leaders and believe that what the state does is justifiable.

The masses have a responsibility to speak up against power when it encourages immoral behaviour

failure to do so is what allows the great atrocities of history, such as the Holocaust, to occur http://thebestnotes.com/booknotes/Wave_Strasser/The_Wave_Study_Guide04.html

THEMES - Major

The Appeal of fascism: what makes individuals want to become a part of a community that places an authoritarian state above all other concerns? In what ways are compromises and excuses made, what advantages are gained and what freedoms are lost?

Individualism and the role of the minority (Laurie)

Equality and egalitarianism

The desire for power and success

The proper role of education – fascism and educational authority http://thebestnotes.com/booknotes/Wave_Strasser/The_Wave_Study_Guide04.html

THEMES - Minor

Mass media and its ability to mould opinions is an important minor theme of the story, providing many of the contemporary nuances in the novel

The nature of social hierarchies in high school: how some students form an elite while others are outcasts

nu·ance (n äns , ny -, n -äns , ny -). n. 1. A subtle or slight degree of difference, as in meaning, feeling, or tone; a gradation. Nuance is a small or subtle distinction.

http://thebestnotes.com/booknotes/Wave_Strasser/The_Wave_Study_Guide04.html

MOOD, TONE, ATMOSPHERE

Mood = feeling / emotion conveyed

Tone = imagine the words spoken; describe the tone of voice

The novel is serious in tone

Carries a sense of journalistic reportage - like a docudrama; somber, journalistic

This ‘docudrama’ mood/atmosphere is achieved by the sparse, straightforward style of writing and the novel's basis in real life events.

http://thebestnotes.com/booknotes/Wave_Strasser/The_Wave_Study_Guide04.html

SYMBOLISM & METAPHORMotif & Imagery

THE WAVE IMAGERY

Building momentum, enveloping, drowning

Unstoppable force of nature that sweeps up and over everything in its path

Strength and inevitability, yet lack of thoughtful discrimination and futility of resistance

MOTIF: a recurring subject, theme, idea, especially in a literary, artistic, or musical work.

http://thebestnotes.com/booknotes/Wave_Strasser/The_Wave_Study_Guide04.html

SYMBOLISM & METAPHORMotif & Imagery

A key motif tied to this image of The Wave are its three slogans, all emphasizing strength but rhetorically empty in meaning

Hence: water is fluid and can slip through one's fingers, impossible to grasp. Similarly, the empowering slogans and rhetoric of The Wave is as elusive as water, impossible to contain and clearly define.

RHETORIC: (in writing or speech) is the undue use of exaggeration or display; bombast. The study of effective speaking and writing: the art of persuasion. The ancient art of argumentation and discourse

http://thebestnotes.com/booknotes/Wave_Strasser/The_Wave_Study_Guide04.html

SYMBOLISM & METAPHORKey Motifs

Mass Media – national publications (Spiderman/Time; voice of dissidence from Gordon Grapevine)

The Gordon Grapevine Staff – anarchic, fun-loving, challenging

The football team – dysfunctional & disparate

The Rallys – mirroring history

The dinner table – community discussion of pros and cons

The role of film – creator and destroyer http://thebestnotes.com/booknotes/Wave_Strasser/The_Wave_Study_Guide04.html

IMPORTANT / KEY FACTS SUMMARY

Title: The WaveAuthor: Todd StrasserPublished: 1981Title Meaning : The group created by Ben Ross as an experiment in fascism.Setting: Gordon High School.Genre: Drama.Protagonist: Laurie Sanders.Antagonist: The Wave.

IMPORTANT / KEY FACTS SUMMARY

•Mood: Somber, journalistic.•Point of View: Third person omniscient.•Tense: Simple past tense. •Major Themes: The appeal of fascism, the individual versus the community, the desire for power and success, the role of education and its authority.•Minor Themes: Mass media and its ability to mold opinions, social hierarchies in school.

The Wave PLOT & CONFLICT

Exposition: The Wave is created by Ben Ross in an attempt to show his history class how Nazism took root among the German people.

Rising Action: The Wave grows in popularity, as members seek out to recruit others to their organization.

Climax: The harassment of non-Wave members is exposed by the school newspaper, as a Jewish boy is bullied in the name of The Wave.

Outcome: Ben Ross shows The Wave members footage of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi youth movement, shocking them out of The Wave's hold and apologizing for his own role in creating this experiment.

Intertextual Links - Film

Starship Troopers – satiric film that borrows from WWII history

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

Shindler’s List

Inglorious Basterds – Controversial satiric film that twists history into a preferred version of events

Valkyrie