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The Westing Game




  Author Ellen Raskin
  Country USA
  Language English
  Genre Children's mystery
  Publisher E P Dutton
  Release Date 1978
  Isbn ISBN 0525471375, ISBN 014240120X, ISBN 0140386645


''The Westing Game'' is a book by Ellen Raskin that was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1979 . It has been adapted into a movie, titled "Get a Clue".


THE PLOT


The story unfolds as a Whodunit , and is told in third-person omniscence. It is arguable on who is the main character in the whole story, but many say that the main character is Tabitha-Ruth "Turtle" Wexler . Eccentric millionaire Samuel Westing has died, and the 16 tenants of Sunset Towers (except Dr. D. Denton Deere) are called together for the reading of his Will . There, they are informed that Westing was actually " Murder ed". They are paired up to search for the murderer, and each pair receives clues to find the person. The first pair to unmask the killer's identity will receive Westing's 200-million-dollar fortune. As the different pairs of people enter the "Westing Game," they find clues that tell them about each others' secrets. Turtle uses not just the obvious clues but the hidden ones to solve the mystery in an unexpected but satisfying fashion.

The novel is typical of Raskin's style of mystery novels in which she plants clues for the reader throughout. In this one the names turn out to be especially important, as well as the connections between the various inhabitants of Sunset Towers. There are numerous red herrings, which Raskin enjoys peppering her novels with. It is possible for the reader to guess the truth by paying close attention to the details given in the book.


THEMES


The characters come from a wide variety of backgrounds, and confront the difficulties of cross boundary interaction. For example;

  • Class:

  • ---Sam Westing is Upper Class

  • ---Grace Wexler is from the idle upper- Middle Class

  • ---Judge Ford and Doctor Deere are working professionals

  • ---Crow works with the poor, running a Soup Kitchen

  • ---Jimmy Hoo and Mr. Theodorakis are entrepreneurs, and both of very different levels of success

  • ---Otis Amber and Sandy McSouthers are Working Class

  • ---Sydelle Pulaski has a Pink Collar job as a secretary

  • Race:

  • ---Judge Ford is Black

  • ---Mr. Hoo is Chinese American

  • ---Sun Lin Hoo is an immigrant from China , and speaks little English

  • ---Jake Wexler is Jewish

  • ---The Theodorakis family is Greek

  • ---Sydelle Pulaski is Polish

  • ---The remainder of the players are White , and seemingly without other Ethnic or national affiliation

  • Other:

  • ---Chris Theodorakis has a Disability and is Wheelchair -bound

  • ---Turtle Wexler is a child, Doug Hoo and Theo Theodorakis are teenagers, and Angela Wexler is a young woman, and they are all partnered with adults in the game.


As the game progresses, the characters interact and frequently befriend one another despite the superficial differences imposed by race, class, background, and disability.


CHARACTERS


Also:
  • Otis Amber

  • Flora Baumbach

  • Berthe Erica Crow

  • Dr. D. Denton Deere

  • Julian R. Eastman

  • Josie-Jo Ford

  • Sandy McSouthers

  • Barney Northrup

  • Edgar "E.J." Plum

  • Sydelle Pulaski

  • Dr. Sidney Sikes

  • Samuel Westing


At the end of the novel it is discovered by Turtle that Samuel Westing is not actually dead and that Sandy McSouthers, Baarnie Northrup and Julian Eastman, Westing's "successor" asch airman of his company, are aliases of Westing.


SEE ALSO