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Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text’s major themes.

The Experiment

In Chapter 4, after struggling to answer students’ questions about how the Holocaust was allowed to happen, Mr. Ross conceives an “experiment” to simulate life in Nazi Germany. However, experiments, particularly ones involving human beings, can be dangerous and their outcomes uncertain. It quickly becomes apparent that Mr. Ross is playing with fire. Before long, his experiment morphs into a full-fledged movement called The Wave, which quickly assumes a life of its own throughout the school and even brings harm. Along with his students, Mr. Ross undergoes a significant transformation and is seduced by his newfound power, prompting his wife, Christy, to ask him in Chapter 7 if he’s falling victim to his own experiment. Later, in Chapter 10, Mr. Ross tells the school’s principal, Mr. Owens, that as The Wave’s leader, the experiment won’t last any longer than he chooses it to last, even though it’s clear to him The Wave already has taken on a life of its own. 

Monsters

After Mr. Ross begins his experiment, Christy asks him in Chapter 5 if he’s “created a monster.”  In Chapter 7, Christy then calls him “Dr. Frankenstein” and asks if his “monsters” have turned on him yet. Christy’s references to Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel, Frankenstein, about a scientist who gives life to a monster who ultimately brings violence and destruction, may initially sound dramatic. However, readers later learn that Christy’s references and word choices are apt and that her warnings are warranted. As The Wave swells through Gordon High, students swap individual freedoms for false promises of equality, spy on one another, threaten dissenters and non-joiners, and even cause physical harm to their fellow students.  

Comparisons to Cults

Mrs. Saunders, Laurie’s mother, instantly sees how similar The Wave is to a cult with its demands of conformity and fears of dissent. She’s aware that, just like the Nazis, dangerous cults and their charismatic leaders can easily manipulate and brainwash their members, strip them of any self-identity, and even convince them to commit unspeakable crimes. In Chapter 9, Mrs. Saunders explains to Laurie that Robert’s rapid transformation isn’t based on anything real and that cults typically prey on unhappy, disenfranchised people like him who view joining the movement as a path to reinventing themselves. Mrs. Saunders’ fears eerily recall Robert’s words in Chapter 8, when he stood in history class and proudly revealed to Mr. Ross that being in The Wave was “like being born again.” 

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