In the opening paragraphs of Ellen Raskin's The Westing
Game, we can already get a sense that there is something suspicious in the
story line. In the first few paragraphs, it's the narrator who provides
clues that there is a mystery afoot, such as the
suspicious fact that the delivery boy who delivered
invitations to the chosen future tenants of Sam Westing's building, called
Sunset Towers, was 62 years old. The other suspicious clue
concerns the fact that the invitations were signed by a non-existent
Barney Northrup. It's also extremely suspicious that Barney Northrup
works so hard to convince Sydelle Pulaski to take the apartment.
More clues are revealed by Chapter 6 when the characters are told at the reading of Sam Westing's will that they have been selected as potential heirs to the Westing estate and the winner of the Westing game will become the...
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
actual heir.One important clue prior the
start of the game is Westing's statement in his will, "I,
Samuel W. Westing, hereby swear that I did not die of natural causes. My life
was taken from me--by one of you!." Prior to this clue, we are also told in an
obituary read by Turtle that Sam Westing "was a dedicated
gamesman" and loved dressing up in costumes, especially dressing as Uncle Sam
on the Fourth of July. These two clues prove to be very important later on. The
first clue mentioned above is told by Attorney E. J. Plum as
he reads the will, but since the reader hears the will in Westing's voice, we
are also told the clue through Westing's voice. The second
clue mentioned above is told by an anonymous journalist, but
since Turtle is reading the article, we again hear the clue being
spoken through the voice of Turtle.
By chapters 25 and 26 Turtle is sad Sandy has died and
begins to piece together that Sandy, Barney Northrup, and Sam
Westing were all the same person. She is able to connect Sandy
with Barney because Dr. Denton Deere states he noticed that Sandy's shin was
bruised, but Turtle swears that the only person she recently kicked was Barney.
In Chapter 26, Turtle holds a mock trial in which she confirms from Dr. Denton
Deere that the body in Sam Westing's coffin the day the will was read could
have been a "wax dummy dressed in the costume of Uncle Sam." After that,
referring again to the sentence in the will, "My life was
taken from me--by one of you!(it)," Turtle is able to piece
together that Westing's life was indeed taken by Sandy when he took on
Sandy's identity, which shows that Westing was still alive when the will was
read but has since died.
As we continue to examine the chapters, we spot many more clues revealed and
their solutions discovered by many other characters, but Turtle discovers the
most and becomes the winner of the game.