How does Turtle's character evolve throughout The Westing Game?

Turtle is a great character in this story. She pushes other characters to act, she sniffs out the Sam Westing mystery, and she herself changes a fair amount throughout the story. This makes her both a dynamic character as well as a round character.

When readers are first introduced to Turtle Wexler, she is a shin-kicking young brat. She cares about herself more than anybody else, which is fairly evident from her willingness to sneak into Sam Westing's house and stay there in order to earn herself some money. Once the game begins, Turtle is set on winning for the sake of winning. It's a competition and she is a competitor, so that makes sense. She sees the other groups as opponents to be out maneuvered; however, as the game continues, Turtle starts to see her opponents as people to be empathized with. Nothing shows this better than when Turtle takes the blame for being the bomber in order to protect her sister, Angela, from everybody's wrath.

Further evidence for how Turtle essentially grows up and becomes less selfish can be found in the fact that she wins Westing's game, yet Turtle keeps her victory a secret. She doesn't announce it to everybody, nor does she reveal that Sam Westing was actually four different people. She takes on the Westing mantle in order to help make sure the lives of other people flourish rather than only focusing on herself.

How does Turtle Wexler evolve throughout The Westing Game?

To help you write this essay, it will be useful to examine the character of Turtle Wexler at various points throughout The Westing Game.

From the very start, Turtle comes off as an intelligent and eager girl. We see her curiosity and daring nature as early as the second chapter when she rides her bike over to the Westing estate to investigate the cause of the smoke. Once the Westing game gets underway, she is the keenest to play it. She also has a short temper and can be prone to impulsive acts, such as kicking anyone who dares to touch her cherished braid.

Despite these qualities, Turtle is rather insecure on the inside. This largely has to do with her mother's clear preference for Angela, her sister. Turtle often compensates for this with reckless action or by being overly modest. However, Turtle still loves her family and is ready to go the extra mile for them. Throughout the process of playing the Westing game, Turtle comes more into her own and realizes that it is up to her to define herself, not her family.

The process of solving the Westing game is a huge boost to Turtle's confidence. By believing more in herself, she learns how to connect better with others, particularly Flora Baumbach and Sam Westing. She also becomes less defensive about real and imagined insults.

By the end of the book, we can see how Turtle has matured from an impulsive and insecure teen into a mature and confident woman. She is better at relating to other people and is secure enough in herself to run her own business and be a mentor to her niece.