Rebellion In Chris Crutcher's Whale Talk

In every society there is a norm which is an expectation or ideal features for the individual.In Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher Andy Mott and Carly are rebels against society and its norms.
Rebellion comes in many forms for some it’s how they style their hair or their clothes, but for Andy it's with his “could-care-less” attitude. In addition to his attitude he is ruthless. For
Instance, he does not care about what people think about him or what they say about him. During the rally “he hears someone snicker at his name and gives the entire crowd middle fingers” (Crutcher 124). In other words Mott voices his opinion by telling society he could care less about their opinion. This is important because instead of getting embarrassed by society, he embarrasses society. Furthermore, at the letter jacket ceremony “ Mott pulls up his pant leg, unhooked his leg and thrusts it high in the air”(Crutcher 277). At this point he owns his

Carly however is the opposite of that stereotype. Carly is tough and is her own person. In addition to Carly being tough she is independent. For example, she tells T.J at the dance “If we're friend we’re friends, if we have sex we have sex. I don't sleep with more than one person at a time and won't go with anyone who does” (Crutcher 75). This clearly shows Carly doesn't need a guy to define her. It also tells the readers she expects to be treated right and won't settle for anything less. Furthermore, Carly knows how to defend herself. On the night of the basketball game Carly “got a beer opener from the kitchen and a ball peen hammer and redecorated his brand new Lexus” (Crutcher 74). In this situation Carly doesn't cower to her father like expected of her. This tells us without a doubt Carly isn't the weak little girl society wants her to be. Instead, Carly rebels against society by setting her own rules when it comes to her relationships and not backing down against her