Control

Everybody on this earth likes to think that we have control of our own lives. When this control isn’t felt anymore people develop can develop diseases and sicknesses. One could develop depression, an eating disorder, anger management issues, or even OCD.

The Westing Game has many characters in it that are fighting for control of their own lives. Angela fights against marrying Denton Deere for the sole reason that it seems to feel like a snowball rolling down a hill, getting larger and larger until it rolled right over her. Turtle fights for control of who she is and how she is perceived. And J.J Ford fights for control over her career. She wants to know that she was the one that made her career get to where it was and not Sam Westing.

            Angela displays her lack of control by just being so indecisive. She wanted to be in medical school but because of gender roles enforced by her mother and lack of funding she dropped out. She also wants to wait on marrying Deere but she finds she can’t voice her want. “How about you, Angela, what do you want? He knew her unspoken answer was “I don’t know. (pg 109). Angela’s mother stole her control and pushed her into a marriage she didn’t ready for. Angela couldn’t find her voice to stand up to her mother. And because of it she was a ticking time bomb. Or rather fireworks set off by a striped candle. She became the Sunset Towers bomber.

            Turtle was another victim. Her mother was stealing her control from her. Turtle lost the ability to name herself. By her mother first naming her Tabitha-Rose, and then the rather degrading nickname “turtle” it stole Turtles ability to decide what she really wanted to be called. It would explain why she told Flora Baumbach  her name was Alice. And why she felt the need to nickname Baumbach “Baba”.  It was to feel like Baumbach belonged to her, and would also explain her jealousy in regarding Baumbach’s daughter. Another point of her need to control was with her hair. “No, Angela thought, hurrying her sister out of the door and back to their apartment, Turtle’s crutch is her braid” (70).  Turtle kicked anyone who tugged on her braid. As a matter of fact kicking was her aggression getting out. She kicked anything that made her the slightest bit angry.

            J.J. Ford was another character who was fighting for control. Control over her career as well as the game. She felt as though Sam Westing had taken her control. “Stupid child, you can’t have a brain in that frizzy head to make a move like that” (125).  By berating her daily while playing chess it had made the judge paranoid on whether or not she was able to do the things she had accomplished. I believe Westings intentions had been to motivate and strengthen her for her future goals. But because of his attacks on her she found herself second-guessing everything in her career and education, thinking things had been given to her when she had in fact earned them. J.J. Ford found herself obsessed with the last game Sam Westing had her play. She played as though she would earn her control back at the end. All she had to do was ruin Westings dastardly game.

            In the end all of the characters find control of their lives. Angela’s came from her going back to medical school and putting off her marriage to Denton Deere until she was ready. Turtle’s came from finally accepting herself (with help from her Baba) and naming herself T. R. Wexler was a form of her taking control back. And finally J.J. Ford’s control was given back to her when she finally saw that her debt to Sam Westing had been paid off.