A one-dimensional model explaining the mechanism of excitation of electrostatic fields by linearly polarized radio-frequency waves in a plasma layer is presented. It is shown that the ponderomotive and driving forces influence this process strongly; however, these forces act at different times when a wave front passes through the plasma. We consider a semi-infinite plasma, and a plasma layer with and without current. It is observed that near to the plasma boundaries, where the electric field is large, there arise amplitude field oscillations, which are slowly exponentially damped in space. It is shown that the physical processes arising near the boundary x = L are similar to those at the boundary x = 0. It is seen that the current in the plasma block excitation at the boundary x = L.