The Influence Of Laurie In The Wave By Todd Strasser

Laurie played an important role in the book “The Wave” by Todd Strasser because of her differences. In the book, most of the students in Mr.Ross’ class joined the wave blindly, Laurie was the only person who didn't join which was interesting because her perspective wasn’t the same as David’s or Robert’s. As more people joined the wave, being part of the group became normal as they had the same perspective as their peers. As the wave progressed, if you didn’t join, you would be seen as an outcast or strange. This is one of the biggest differences between Laurie and the other characters in the book because Laurie did not share the same perspective as the members of the wave. Lauries’ unpopular opinion brought a different perspective to the book. …show more content…
In the book “The Wave” By Todd Strasser, Robert was given power over others through a red stamp on his membership card which affected how he acted towards his classmates. Once Robert received power he felt accepted by his peers and his attitude changed in a positive way; whereas before he received power he was shy and was laughed at by his classmates. This shows how when we are given power, we start to think more of ourselves and start to change our attitude which affects how we interact with others. Likewise, the character Amy was very proactive in the wave movement which changed how she acted toward her peers. In the book, Amy said Laurie was against the wave because she was no longer “the school’s princess.” Amy felt she had power over Laurie because more students supported Amy than Laurie. Also, Amy felt she was more successful than Laurie in school which changed her attitude towards Laurie. This example shows how when we come to power our attitudes change because we think we are successful and other people aren't. Overall, when we inherit power our attitudes towards other people change greatly in a negative