The Wave

Study Guide

Characters

Laurie Saunders

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Characters Laurie Saunders

Laurie Saunders is pretty and popular, but beyond the superficial, she’s also bright, brave, and unafraid to think for herself, even as she loses her standing among the “in-crowd.” As The Wave swells through Mr. Ross’s classroom and later, all of Gordon High, Laurie rises as a moral compass and a staunch proponent of individuality, all amid mounting threats of violence in the school. She questions her peers’ blind devotion to Mr. Ross, stands up to Brad when he demands she give The Wave salute at the school’s football game, and even publishes an exposé about all the harm the movement has caused in The Grapevine, an act that ultimately breaks The Wave’s momentum. Laurie’s acts of courage, defiance, and dissent show how critical it is for citizens to exercise their rights, question dangerous authority, defend democratic institutions, and speak out against rising fascistic movements before it’s too late. The hero of The Wave, Laurie is the first to learn the lessons Mr. Ross intended to teach, and her heroic acts recall the principle, espoused by the founding fathers of the United States, that dissent can be the highest form of patriotism.