Whale Talk

John Paul Jones is the white adoptive father of T.J. and the husband of Abby.

John Paul is a gentle giant with the intimidating body of a biker who rides and repairs Harleys but who also regularly volunteers his time to help abused children heal. The defining moment of John Paul’s life prior to the main events of the novel is his accidental killing of an eighteen-month-old son of a one-night stand, Stacy Couples, whom he encountered thirty years before the events of the narrative.

John Paul’s moral code and his realistic perspective on human life as being full of risk permeates the novel. He is a mentor figure who attempts to moderate T.J.’s more idealistic perspective on morality and to prepare T.J. to function in a world in which human nature undercuts straightforward judgments about who is good and who is evil.

John Paul makes the ultimate sacrifice by giving his life up for Heidi, a foster child living in his home. His insistence that T.J. not take revenge is a crucial intervention that shapes T.J.’s perspective in the present moment of the novel.

Rich Marshall

Chris is a classmate of T.J.’s and one of the earliest recruits to the Mermen. Chris has some mental deficits because of oxygen deprivation he experienced when one of his mother’s boyfriends nearly suffocated him with plastic wrap during his childhood. Chris is the frequent target of bullying and violence by both adults and students like Mike Barbour. His insistence on wearing the letter jacket of Brian, his deceased brother, incites the earliest direct confrontation between T.J. and the athletes at Cutter High. While Chris is presented as a naïve character because of his developmental disability, he is a capable swimmer who manages to outswim Mike near the end of the novel and is one of the characters whose sense of right and wrong is unimpeded by hypocrisy.

Abby is T.J.’s adoptive mother and the wife of John Paul. An attorney who tries cases that bring her into daily contact with abused children and their families, Abby serves as the voice of experience as T.J. attempts to find the most effective means of intervening in abusive situations. Abby is a passionate advocate for T.J. and fights for his right to protest Rich’s killing of the fawn. As a strong woman who defies gender stereotypes and has a loving relationship with her husband, Abby plays a crucial role in shaping T.J.’s respectful attitude toward women and his acceptance of Carly, his girlfriend, as an equal partner in his own relationship.

A current student at Cutter High and a football player, Mike is Rich Marshall’s partner in enforcing the dominance of athletes. He is a frequent bully of Chris Coughlin and is one of the main people who insists that Chris should not be allowed to wear his brother’s letter jacket. Like Rich, Mike engages in violence against his partners, including Kristen Sweetwater, and uses racist and ableist language towards T.J. and Chris, respectively.At the end of the novel, Mike begs T.J.’s forgiveness for Rich’s murder of his father, an action that T.J. sees as heroic given his past actions. Mike is the quintessential entitled athlete.

A play therapist who has a close relationship with the Jones family, Georgia is the only person of color T.J. knows in Cutter. She plays a significant role in T.J.’s life by helping him to come to grips with the aftermath of his abuse. A dispenser of sage advice, she attempts to steer T.J. on the right course in his relationships with girls and his approach to handling the bullies he confronts.

Heidi is the biracial daughter of Alicia, Rich’s wife, and Willis, a promising African-American football player whose potential was destroyed when he was paralyzed in a freak accident. Heidi has been the butt of Rich Marshall’s racist abuse since her mother married Rich. She has internalized his negative beliefs about African-Americans to the extent that she scrapes off her black skin with a Brillo pad at the instigation of Rich. Her vulnerability to this abuse shows the damaging impact of racism on children.

Simet enters T.J.’s life when he rescues him after Rich and his friends kill the fawn. Simet is a former swimmer and has a rapport with his students that makes him sympathetic to the social challenges misfits like T.J. and the Mermen face, as evidenced by the snappy interchanges he has with T.J. and his willingness to go the distance to make sure his swimmers receive their letters. 

Coach Benson, the football coach and leader of the Athletic Council, represents institutional forces that perpetuate the dominance of athletes at Cutter High. His commitment to the status quo and his belief in the importance of respecting tradition and authority blind him to the problem of bullying at the school.

Alicia is the working-class wife of Rich Marshall and the mother of Heidi. Her low self-esteem and lack of options convince her to stay in a relationship with Rich despite his abuse of her children, especially Heidi. Her inability to separate from her abuser despite the impact on her children is a prime example of the cycle of abuse and violence in intimate relationships.

Oliver, christened “Icko” (Interim Coach Oliver), is the bus driver and informal coach for the Mermen before Simet takes over. He is an inspirational figure who is homeless because he uses his wages to support his son’s college education. He motivates the members of the swim team and defends Chris from bullying. His commitment to the team makes him one of the few trusted adults in the lives of the swimmers.

Stacy is a widow, and the mother of Tyler, the little boy John Paul accidentally kills.She falls apart in the wake of the loss of her son and being a single mother to Kyle, the product of the sexual encounter with John Paul.

Tyler is an eighteen-month-old boy who is crushed to death after he crawls into the wheel well of John Paul’s truck while John Paul visits with his mother. His death is the impetus for John Paul’s giving, gentle nature.

Kyle is John Paul and Stacy’s son. John Paul had no further direct contact with the widow after Tyler’s death and did not know he had a son, so Kyle grew up without a father. He offers T.J. a place in the summer after John Paul’s death.

With his menacing air and sharp tongue, Andy is one of the more intimidating members of the Mermen. Like most of his teammates, Andy is survivor of violent abuse. His abuse at the hands of one of his mother’s boyfriends leaves him with a prosthetic leg.

The quietest member of the Mermen, Jackie articulates out loud for the team the significance of the sense of the belonging he experiences for the first time as a member of the team.

Simon is a committed swimmer who is self-conscious of his body because of his weight. He is likely a victim of abuse at the hands of his mother.

Known for his sculpted muscles, Tay-Roy is a member of the Mermen and the eventual boyfriend of Kristen Sweetwater after she breaks up with Mike.