The first significant event in The Westing Game is the filling of the apartment house, Sunset Towers. The residents have all been personally invited.
The next important development is the discovery of a body, presumed to be that of Samuel Westing, in his isolated mansion. Turtle, a girl who lives in Sunset Towers, makes the discovery.
The third most important event is when the game begins. At the reading of Sam Westing’s will, his heirs learn the conditions of the competition and their partners’ identities.
Events four and five are two bombings. The first explosion is in the coffee shop, and the second is in the Chinese restaurant. The second one injures Sydelle.
The sixth event is during the wedding shower of Angela (Turtle's sister) when a third bomb goes off and injures her face.
For event seven, Turtle sets another bomb to protect her sister, whom she has identified as the bomber.
An eighth important event is the arrest of Bertha Crow (actually Westing’s ex-wife) for murdering Westing. This occurs during a meeting of the heirs at the his home.
The ninth important event is the trial. Despite yielding answers to many questions, it does not lead to solving the game’s puzzles.
The tenth event is when Turtle determines that Samuel Westing is still alive and that Alexander McSouthers, Barney Northup, and Julian Eastman are alternate personas that he has used to disguise this fact. Figuring this out, she becomes the game’s winner.
Further Reading
Though there are many other significant events in "The Westing Game," these are perhaps the most important:
1. All of the heirs move in to Sunset Towers.
2. Turtle, dressed as a witch, while fulfilling the bet she made to sleep at the Westing House on Halloween, sees a dead body.
3. The will is read to the heirs and they are paired up to play the game. Turtle is paired with Flora.
4. Everyone attends an heir's meeting at a coffee shop where a bomb explodes.
5. A second bomb explodes at a Chinese restaurant while Turtle is listening to the stock market.
6. A third bomb goes off at the bridal shower and Turtle figures out that Angela is the bomber.
7. Turtle sets off a fourth bomb in the elevator to cover up for Angela.
8. The heirs attend a second reading and everyone answers the question wrong.
9. Turtle holds a trial and reviews the will. She questions the other players. She is able to figure out the missing word, but keeps it a secret.
10. Turtle wins the game but doesn't tell anyone. As a reward, her college is paid for by Sandy and she becomes the attorney for the company. She will eventually take over for Sandy as the chairman upon his death.
Creating a list of the 10 most important events in this story is going to vary a little bit from reader to reader. I think most readers would include many of the same events, but some readers might personally find certain events more...
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crucial to the story than other events. The following is a list of 10 important events fromThe Westing Game.
- The tenants all move into Sunset Towers in September.
- In October, Turtle Wexler is dared to go into the Westing mansion. She plans to spend the night there, but she discovers a dead body. It is supposedly Sam Westing.
- Most of the tenants are named heirs and are called to a special meeting for the reading of the will.
- The will reveals that Westing was murdered by one of the heirs to the Westing fortune.
- Everybody is divided up into teams of two. The winner will inherit the Westing fortune.
- Sydelle makes a shorthand copy of the will. It is "lost" shortly after.
- Bombs go off on several different occasions.
- Turtle figures out that Angela is the bomber.
- Turtle figures out that Westing isn't dead, and she realizes that he is four different people. He is also Sandy McSouthers, Barney Northup, and Julian R. Eastman.
- Turtle goes to Eastman's house and announces that she's the real winner. Eastman/Westing/Northup/McSouthers dies years later.
Since it is a mystery, this book has many important events. Here are the ten key events.
- Otis Amber delivers invitations to the “heirs” of the Westing Fortune (and Sydelle, the mistake) that lead them to take apartments in Sunset Towers.
They were mothers and fathers and children. A dressmaker, a secretary, an inventor, a doctor, a judge. And, oh yes, one was a bookie, one was a buglar, one was a bomber, and one was a mistake. (ch 1, p. 5)
2. The tenants are summoned to the Westing House and paired up for the Westing Game, where the will is read and they are given $10,000 each as seed money.
3. Turtle sneaks into the Westing House and thinks she sees the body.
4. Several items go missing and several bombs go off. This suspicious behavior is a result of some unstable residents (Mrs. Hoo and Angela), and not the person who murdered Sam Westing.
5. The tenants begin to suspect each other, and this keeps them from working together or sharing their clues. One of them, J.J. Ford, even hires a private investigator.
6. Most of the pairs begin to realize that they actually are a good fit for each other, and each fills the others need, even though they seemed like odd couples at first.
7. Angela reveals that she set off the bombs when she is injured and hospitalized. She felt trapped in her “good daughter” role and did not want to marry Denton Deere. Turtle confesses to protect her.
I, Turtle Wexler, confess to those four bombs. I’m sorry, it was a dumb thing to do and I won’t do it again. But! I am not the burglar and I never murdered anybody, ever. (ch 22, p. 132)
8. A trial is held inside Sunset Towers to determine who the bomber is.
9. Turtle announces that she has won the game because she realized that no one killed Sam Westing. He is Sandy MacSouthers, Barney Northup, and Julian R. Eastman.
10. Angela marries Denton Deere, and Turtle is rich since she inherited from Westing. For the most part everyone lives happily ever after.
What are the ten key events in the book The Westing Game?
Although there are more than ten key events in The Westing Game, the following ten events provide a good overview of the novel's plot.
1. Tenants who have been hand-picked by Barny Northrup move into their respective apartments in Sunset Towers.
2. On Halloween night, Turtle sneaks into the Westing mansion so she can make money from a dare and sees what she assumes is Sam Westing's dead body in the bed.
3. The heirs, who are all residents of Sunset Towers, attend the reading of the will where they are paired with partners and given clues, money, and a challenge to find the answer to the will's riddle.
4. A bomb explodes in the coffee shop without causing serious injury.
5. A second bomb goes off in the Chinese restaurant injuring Sydelle Pulaski.
6. A third bomb goes off at Angela's wedding shower, injuring her face and sending her to the hospital. Turtle discovers Angela is the bomber.
7. A fourth bomb—made from fireworks—goes off in the elevator, and Turtle confesses to being the bomber in order to protect Angela. Through clever questioning, Judge Ford sees through Turtle's ruse, but she keeps the secret.
8. The heirs receive another invitation to come to the Westing house and must provide the lawyer with their answer to the will's riddle. Although they figure out that their clues (by omission) spell the name Berthe Erica Crow, one of the heirs (who was Westing's former wife), no one provides the correct answer. The meeting is interrupted by the (apparent) death of Sandy McSouthers. Crow is arrested as the murderer.
9. Turtle stages a trial in which many other questions are resolved about the true identities of several characters; however, all heirs (except Turtle) leave without understanding the riddle.
10. Turtle rides her bike to visit the Chairman of the Board of Westing Paper Products, Mr. Eastman. She correctly identifies him as being the alter ego to Sam Westing, Barny Northrup, and Sandy McSouthers. She wins the prize, which is that Sandy/Mr. Eastman pays for her college education and hires her as attorney for the company. However, she never reveals to the other heirs or anyone else that she won. She will become the company's chairman when Sandy dies.
What are the ten key events in the book The Westing Game?
- Otis Amber delivers the letters to the future tenants of Sunset Towers.
- The tenants move in.
- Turtle Wexler is dared to go into the Westing house. She discovers a dead body.
- The majority of the tenants in Sunset Towers are named as heirs in Sam Westing's will. They are called together for a reading of the will.
- The will announces that Westing was murdered, and the heirs are each given clues to solve the murder.
- A bomb goes off, but nobody is hurt.
- The judge hires an investigator.
- A second bomb goes off while the heirs are eating in the Chinese restaurant. Sydelle is hurt. She is taken to the hospital.
- Another bomb goes off and Angela is injured.
- Angela is the bomber, but Turtle confesses to being the bomber; however, the judge figures out the truth.
- Sandy dies.
- Turtle figures out that Sandy McSouthers, Samuel Westing, Barney Northrup, and Mr. Eastman are the same person, and she wins because she found the "FOURTH."
What are the ten key events in the book The Westing Game?
The Westing Game is the story of both a murder mystery and treasure hunt.
The first most important event is the letters that are sent to the future tenants of Sunset Towers. They are delivered by “delivery boy” Otis Amber.
The "delivery boy" was sixty-two years old, and there was no such person as Barney Northrup. (p. 1)
The second key event is that the tenants move in. “Barney Northrup” did a good job selling the place, and the hand-picked tenants include a burglar, a bookie, a bomber, and a mistake.
Third, all the tenants wonder about the mysterious Westing House on the hill. There are many stories about it. Turtle makes her way into the house, where she sees the body of Sam Westing and a note on the nightstand.
Fourth, the tenants are given an invitation to the Westing House, where they are read the will of Samuel Westing. The will says that they are all heirs, and are paired into teams to determine who killed Samuel Westing. They each get $10,000 and the winner gets everything. They are given cryptic clues.
Fifth, the first bombing occurs in the coffee shop downstairs. There will be more bombings. Several items have also been stolen.
Sixth, Angela is engaged to Denton Deere, but does not want to marry yet or contradict her overbearing mother. At her shower, another bomb goes off. It puts Angela in the hospital.
Seventh, Turtle confesses to the bombings. A trial is held.
Eight, Sandy McSouthers, the elderly doorman, dies.
Ninth, the heirs return to the Westing House. Crow is accused, because it is determined that she is Sam Westing’s wife.
Ten, Turtle arrives at Mr. Eastman’s house and announces that Sandy McSouthers, Samuel Westing, Barney Northrup, and Mr. Eastman are the same person.
Again turtle was gripped by panic. He seemed so different, so important. She shouldn't have kicked him (the Barney Northrup him). (p. 173)
She wins. Westing is not dead.