Book critique and analysis

¶ … Displacement in Whale Talk and Autobiography of My Dead Brother

One issue that many ESL (English as a Second Language) learners must grapple with is the sense that they are different -- from their peers, and also from the dominant culture of America. However, all adolescents, regardless of their cultural background and language feel a disconnect, quite often, between what society expects of them and what they feel on the inside regarding who they are and who they want to be. Author Chris Crutcher's Whale Talk, is set in a high school which is torn apart by social conflicts and offers a literary reflection of ESL student's own emotions while still introducing them to certain social conventions of America, such as the world of competitive high school sports and 'Varsity Letters.'

The premise of the novel is that all of the 'uncool' kids at Cutter High School who do not fit in are given the opportunity to join the swim team. What is so exciting about the novel is that the premise is put into action by one of their fellow students T.J. Jones, when asked to start a swim team, decides that the swim team will look like no other varsity team at Cutter before -- he signs up a student who is developmentally disabled who has been mocked for wearing his dead brother's varsity jacket, one student who is overweight, another of the few students of color, and a 'geek,' amongst others. Jones, who describes himself as half-black, half-white and half-Japanese has never fit in himself anywhere, was abandoned by his mother, but by creating a team of misfits he hopes to finally find a place where he does indeed fit in. Finding an identity is the critical developmental struggle, of this developmental stage for adolescents: "Up to this stage, according to Erikson, development mostly depends upon what is done to us. From here on out, development depends primarily upon what we do. And while adolescence is a stage at which we are neither a child nor an adult, life is definitely getting more complex as we attempt to find our own identity, struggle with social interactions, and grapple with moral issues" (Harder 2008). Jones must come to terms with his racial identity, his family situation, and his school and his decision to create a misfit swim team becomes an important part of his self-definition, as well as allows him to take a stance against moral injustice.

The book Autobiography of My Dead Brother also deals with the identity crises of youth. It begins with three teenagers attending a funeral of their friend who died in a drive-by shooting. The main characters, Jesse and Rise, are not actually blood brothers, but they consider themselves brothers because of their close friendship. However, over the course of the book, the two young men began to become estranged. Rise becomes more and more interested with making a living on the street, selling drugs and living the life of the sort of people who killed Bobby, the boy whose funeral both young men attend at the beginning of the book. Rise justifies this because Bobby played by the rules and still died -- but in contrast, Jesse finds himself growing apart from his brother and instead finding refuge in art rather than violence. Defining his own values in contrast to those of the rest of society is important for Jesse, even though he must aspects of his relationship with his friend Rise behind. The book provides, like Whale Talk, an inspiring example of how someone can still be an individual, even if society perceives him as different or pressures him to make immoral decisions. Jesse's experience resonates with the developmental psychologist Kohlberg, who asserts: "principles of justice require us to treat the claims of all parties in an impartial manner, respecting the basic dignity, of all people as individuals," like T.J. Jones does in Whale Rider (Crain 1985). Kohlberg believes that it is essential to have a broad sense of universal rights and what makes life worth living to become a fully moral individual (Crain 1985). Jesse's need to move on from old friendships and past values in Autobiography of My Dead Brother may be particularly resonant with the experiences of ESL students, who are likewise coming to terms with a new identity and future that may seem to conflict with the cultural values of their past.