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The Westing Game

by Ellen Raskin

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Setting

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The story begins with a curious sixty-two-year-old delivery man distributing six letters from "Barney Northrup" to chosen recipients. This is part of a scheme to entice them into a new luxury apartment complex situated on the shores of Lake Michigan. Exploiting human desires for a prestigious address at a bargain price and the allure of mingling with the wealthy, Northrup persuades his targets to rent the apartments. The building stands isolated by the lake at the town's edge, with its only neighbor being the Old Westing House, a vacant mansion that once belonged to the renowned founder of Westing Paper Products. On Halloween night, Turtle Wexler, a notorious shin-kicker and future financier, is drawn into the mansion due to a bet. While alone in the dark, Turtle stumbles upon a mysterious corpse. The next day, Sam Westing's death is announced, and sixteen residents of the apartment building discover they have been selected as potential heirs to the Westing fortune. According to an eccentric will, their challenge is to identify Sam Westing's murderer and solve the Westing game to claim the inheritance.

Expert Q&A

In The Westing Game, how is the game room in the Westing house described?

The game room in the Westing house is spacious, accommodating eight card tables with two chairs each. Its walls are adorned with various sporting equipment, including ping pong paddles and bows and arrows. A full rack of billiard cues is present, and a chess board with finely carved pieces is set up, indicating an ongoing game with an unknown opponent. The room, like the rest of the house, is likely ornately decorated and large, contributing to its chilly atmosphere.

Why was smoke from the Westing house's chimney surprising in The Westing Game?

Smoke from the Westing house's chimney was surprising because the house was believed to be uninhabited, as Sam Westing was presumed dead or living elsewhere. The residents of Sunset Towers, who all have connections to Westing, are shocked by the smoke, which spurs rumors and curiosity. The mysterious smoke initiates events leading to a game among Westing's heirs to claim his fortune, adding to the house's eerie reputation and intrigue.

The enigmatic characteristics, resident details, and peculiar tenant selection process of Sunset Towers in The Westing Game

Sunset Towers is an enigmatic, luxurious apartment building with a lake view and modern amenities. It has five floors with tailored apartments and offices. Its tenant selection process is peculiar because it seems random, yet each chosen resident has a specific connection to the Westing estate, hinting at a larger, mysterious plan orchestrated by the late Samuel Westing.

Literary Qualities

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Raskin is consistently original, tough, and witty. Her honesty compels her to demonstrate that humor and imagination are vital defenses in a world that, despite its liveliness and beauty, has the power to wound and crush. Each Raskin novel offers a humorous and imaginative outlook on the world, consistently conveying the message that individuals must create their own happiness.

Raskin drew inspiration from the works of Joseph Conrad (1857-1924), particularly his approach to character development. In Conrad's Lord Jim (1900), a young officer makes a grave error by abandoning innocent passengers on a ship he believes is sinking. The novel illustrates that whether someone is a hero or a coward is partly determined by environment and chance. Before his death, Jim evolves into a heroic figure, revealing that he had the potential to be either a hero or a coward.

Raskin develops characters in her novels similarly to how Conrad handles the character of Lord Jim. In her last three novels, Raskin's heroines initially perceive other characters in a certain way. However, as Raskin further develops these characters throughout the books, it becomes evident that the heroine’s initial perceptions are incomplete. This is especially true regarding family members, who often serve as the antagonists in Raskin's novels. One of the heroine's tasks is to see beyond her first impressions.

In The Westing Game, Raskin goes to greater lengths than in her other novels to empathize with a truly detestable character, Gracie Wexler, who is a failed parent. Although Gracie is one of Raskin's most repellent characters—a social climber, conventional thinker, racist, and terrible wife and mother—she transforms into a happy, successful businesswoman and wife, excelling at managing unique Chinese restaurants. Through this characterization, Raskin emphasizes the redeeming power of love. More than any other theme in the novel, the promise of second chances makes this an exceptionally optimistic Raskin work.

Combining the intrigue of a mystery with the complexity of the characters' lives, The Westing Game offers a challenging read. Raskin breaks the text into brief sections, allowing readers to pause, piece together the clues, and contemplate the characters' circumstances.

Social Sensitivity

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During her childhood in Milwaukee, Raskin faced the dual challenges of sudden poverty brought on by the Great Depression and the sting of discrimination due to her Jewish heritage. Like many creative individuals, she retained a particularly sensitive memory of her early years. Additionally, she could empathize with the struggles of the disabled, though she kept her own serious connective tissue disorder a secret from most people.

The experiences of Judge Ford and the Theodorakis family touch on some of the most delicate social issues in the novel. While Jake Wexler's Jewish background and Gracie's racist comments about Mrs. Hoo are also addressed, Mrs. Hoo's character sheds light on the plight of recent immigrants. Coming from China, Mrs. Hoo is exploited by her unsympathetic husband and struggles to make friends due to her limited English. Raskin highlights Mrs. Hoo's loneliness and her desire to be a good stepmother, though her simple English makes her appear limited and childlike, reflecting the awkward social position of new immigrants.

The Theodorakis family faces challenges due to their beloved disabled son, Chris, as they cannot afford the necessary medical care. Despite Chris's gentle nature and academic interests, his condition demands significant time and effort from the family, depriving them of leisure and outside pursuits. Theo experiences a complex mix of love, empathy, resentment, and guilt regarding his brother. The reactions of other characters to Chris offer a nuanced introduction to this difficult subject.

Raskin addresses a variety of social issues in the novel, but she focuses particularly on J. J. Ford's sensitivity about her black heritage. She portrays the judge's insecurities with directness. J. J. Ford is a strong character, whose generous loyalties and joy in becoming a giver rather than a taker are compelling. Her emotional reserve and reluctance to form personal relationships mirror aspects of Raskin's own personality.

Amid the many flaws and desires of the novel's characters, physical differences emerge as variations on the human experience. The diverse solutions and compromises of the characters serve as gifts from a generous author in the final work of her career.

For Further Reference

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Back, Alice. "Ellen Raskin: Some Clues about Her Life." Horn Book 61 (April 1985): 162-167. A tribute to Raskin by a friend and fellow writer.

Flanagan, Dennis. "The Raskin Conglomerate." Horn Book 55 (August 1979): 392-395. A humorous essay on Raskin by her husband, the long-time editor of Scientific American, written to celebrate Raskin's Newbery Medal win for The Westing Game.

Raskin, Ellen. "Characters and Other Clues." Horn Book 54 (December 1978): 620-625. Raskin discusses the inspiration behind the characters in The Westing Game and her other novels.

"Newbery Medal Acceptance." Horn Book 55 (August 1979): 385-391. Raskin provides an overview of her career and the influences that shaped her work.

Roginski, Jim. Behind the Covers: Interviews with Authors & Illustrators of Books for Children and Young Adults. Littleton, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1985. Features an insightful interview with Raskin.

Wisconsin Education Television Network. "The Creative Process of Ellen Raskin." This is a 30-minute video available for order from the Children's Book Center at the University of Wisconsin.

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