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Peer Pressure In The Wave By Todd Strasser

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It's amazing how problems can be created and solved as a result of peer pressure. The novel, The Wave by Todd Strasser deals with many conflicts that often involve Ben Ross and Laurie Saunders. Mr. Ben Ross is a school teacher that deals with the peer pressure that comes along with ending what he started throughout the book. Laurie Saunders is a student attending Gordon High, she deals with problems created from peer pressure to stay in The Wave. Mr. Ross started an experiment at Gordon High School to show kids the effect of Hitler and how the Nazi group was created, however the experiment magnified way too far. Both Mr. Ross and Laurie were left with a choice of either giving into the peer pressure or fighting against it, either solution can …show more content…

Ross was quickly faced with the task of finding solutions to the problems and pressures that The Wave had created. When Mr. Ross got into a fight with his wife over other teachers complaining about The Wave, he eventually gave into his wife. Mrs. Ross said to Mr. Ross “did it ever occur to you that you have put not only yourself in jeopardy but me as well?”, [113] Mr. Ross then decided to let go of The Wave and give into his wife. Mr. Ross made the choice to go against his own argument instead of standing his ground. Mr. Ross could have stuck with The Wave, and not listened to his wife and chose The Wave happiness over his wife’s. Mr. Ross had many reasons to keep The Wave going He told his wife “I can’t stop now” Mrs. Ross replied “Then when? After one of these kids do something you’ll all regret” Mr. Ross then replied “If I stop now they’ll all be left hanging”[113]. Mr. Ross had a lot of backing to make a case for keeping The Wave around he could have easily decided to keep The Wave but he made a decision to please his wife instead. Mr. Ross was at risk of losing his job as a result of The Wave he could have kept The Wave and lost his job, or ended The Wave and kept his job. Mr. Ross made the decision after talking with Principal Owens to end The Wave movement in a timely fashion by calling an emergency Wave meeting. Mr. Ross told the school “ At five O’clock today there will be a rally in the auditorium for Wave members only” [129]. Mr. Ross told the students at …show more content…

When Laurie Saunders brought home the idea of The Wave to her parents they immediately had varying opinions about it, she disagreed with th her parents at first however. After a lot of thinking and debating Laurie finally decided that her Mom was right and The Wave was not a good thing to be involved in and, Laurie's Dad soon realized the same thing. Laurie made her first move to leave the Wave when she decided that she was not going to The Wave rally, she told her boyfriend David “I’m not going”[93]. Laurie made a very tough decision that did not please any of her friends at the time, it would have been a lot easier for Laurie to stay in The Wave with her friends. There was a lot of peer pressure from Laurie's friends to stay loyal to The Wave but she fought against it to do what she felt was right. Studies say that under ten percent of students in highschool do not give into peer pressure, Laurie would be one in a small group that do not give in. As Well as all her friends being upset with her perhaps her closest friend David, her boyfriend even broke up with her for leaving The Wave. Laurie told David that he was wrong and that The Wave is an awful thing, David disagreed and ended their relationship for a short while. David was so mad that Laurie was fighting against The Wave he finally snapped and pushed Laurie to the ground. It took this crazy out of character

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