Whale talk and whales are primarily associated with John Paul and the values he espouses. In one scene in the novel, T.J. discovers a depressed John Paul watching and listening to a video of the songs whales sing to each other as they cross the ocean. When T.J. asks John Paul to explain his fascination with the whales, John Paul explains that whales’ songs allow them to authentically and completely express who they are to each other and to share important memories and experiences without the obstacle of the kind of communication humans use:“Whale talk is the truth, and in a very short period of time, if you’re a whale, you know exactly what it is to be you” (179).

Whale talk is therefore an idealized form of communication that humans like John Paul and T.J. can only approximate by being empathetic, authentic, and reflective in their attempts to understand themselves and others, even people such as Rich Marshall. Examples of human whale talk include John Paul’s advice to T.J. that people like Rich and Mike will cease to appear in his life if he stops giving them so much power and John Paul’s deathbed conversation with T.J., in which he counsels T.