A few of our narrators have strong opinions about authority, and The Waves offers up some interesting examples of authority figures. Dr. Crane, the boys' headmaster at boarding school, is one example that springs to mind; thumping around with his crucifix dangling from his belt and booming from his pulpit, he's a total blowhard.
Aside from Dr. Crane, we have Miss Lambert, whom Rhoda adores, and Percival, who all of our narrators seem to agree was shaping up to be a strong and just authority figure in India…until he croaked. As this overview of the novel's authority figures might have already suggested to you, there is a good amount of ambivalence regarding powerful and authoritarian figures in the book.
Questions About Power/Authority
- Why exactly do Bernard and Neville feel so negatively toward Dr. Crane? What is it about his brand of authority that turns them off?
- Our narrators often celebrate Percival's ability to command respect/obedience and exercise authority. This is true even among people like Neville who typically despise authoritarianism. Why?
- Rhoda and Louis both seem to revere the authority figures they come across in school (Miss Lambert and Dr. Crane, respectively). What does this fact do for our understanding of their characters and their relationship to each other?
Chew on This
Rhoda and Louis's reverence for authority is the reason they can never achieve true artistry.
The novel's presentation of Percival as a "good" authority figure is symptomatic of the novel's reverence for post-industrial imperial England.