Chris Crutcher's Whale Talk

In Chris Crutcher’s Whale Talk there are many obstacles characters have to overcome to succeed such as bullying and racism, these themes are expressed in many ways. The author expresses this topics in lifelike scenarios and instances. He also uses special diction to express these themes more in many cases. Often times he uses symbols to express the many themes. One of the things Crutcher emphasises is his choice of language , which shows the level of seriousness these topics have. For instance, Heidi says “GET THESE GOD D--- F--- N----- KIDS OUT OF THE HOUSE”. Crutcher uses these harsh words to show exactly how racist and vulgar the words are Rich uses against Heidi. This part of the book wouldn't have had a lasting memory if it didn't use …show more content…
Unfortunately, a lot of these connections still exist almost sixteen years after the initial release of the book. One symbol brought up frequently in the book is the letter jacket that Chris has to earn to wear. In the story, Chris has a mental disability and isn't allowed to wear his brothers letter jacket, who had passed away. The letter jacket story is similar to what happened to a special needs student in Wichita, Kansas. The student named Michael Kelley has down syndrome and showed up to school wearing a letter jacket his mother bought him. “School principal Ken Thiessen confirmed that teachers and administrators decided that a varsity letter jacket ‘is not appropriate’ for Kelley”. This is very close to Whale Talk since neither Chris or Michael can wear their letter jackets. Chris Crutcher shows many ways characters overcome different injustices. He shows how Heidi is taught from Rich that her skin should be washed away, but the Jones rehabilitate and protect her. Crutcher uses symbols to represent abuse such as whale communication to today's world through symbols. In Whale Talk characters have to overcome obstacles to succeed, and they do so through symbols and realistic