The Roles of Women

                The first theme in Ellen Raskin’s novel The Westing Game that was obvious to me was the role of women and how it changed throughout the novel.   In some cases the female characters stepped out of the stereotypical role of women in a male dominated society and in others women conformed more into what society expects from women.  During the novel, many of the women find themselves whereas others finally are at peace with themselves.

                The strongest women personality in the book is that of Turtle, the business savvy teenagers whom has a habit of kicking people in the shin, which is definitely not lady like.  From the start she is not described in typical female terms, as she was described to look like a turtle at birth so that is what her nickname became.  A turtle itself is not a good looking animal, so by having the name Turtle one can assume that she was not a very attractive person.   When the book ends, Turtle grew up beautiful successful business a woman who no longer uses the ugly nickname but rather T.R. Wexler.

                Turtle’s sister Angela, throughout the book is described as the opposite of her sister.  She is described constantly as beautiful and fragile, which suits her name quite well.  While Angela appears to have things easier, as her mother waits on her, it’s apparent that Angela is lost as she is lacking self-confidence.  When it is revealed that Angela was the bomber and indeed wanted to injure herself, it becomes evident that Angela is not content in following her mother’s footsteps, as simply a doctor’s wife.  Going against what was planned for her; Angela ends her engagement to Denton Deere and decides to go back to college.  Eventually it is revealed that Angela and Denton marry and she continues her friendship with Sydelle and volunteered at the Good Salvation Soup Kitchen.

                Grace Wexler plays the part of a bored housewife extremely well.  She dotes over her beautiful daughter Angela, wanting her to marry as if it would bring her the happiness that Grace was lacking.  Grace lacks self-esteem, which is the reason why they moved into the Sunset Towers in the first place, as she wanted others to be envious of her.  It should be noted that Grace does favor Angela over Turtle, however that is because she is intimidated by Turtle’s independence and intelligence.  As the novel progresses, Grace finds herself growing as a person, from a not-so aspiring interior decorator to eventually a restaurateur.  As Grace finds herself as a person, she is able to reconnect with her husband and family.

Flora Baumbach is a secretly broken hearted divorcee, who always appears to be content.  Unlike the other female characters, Flora does not change during the story.  Despite losing her daughter, whom had Downs Syndrome at the age of 19, Flora remained a kind hearted nurturing woman whom followed orders rather than question the logical behind it.  With open warms she accepts Turtle as a replacement daughter, braiding her hair and giving her both emotional support and encouragement.   It’s made clear that Flora gives Turtle the much needed mothering that in turn allows her to flourish.

Madame Sun Lin Hoo, later called Sunny, is described as mysterious, quiet woman, which was assumed due to language barriers.  It is later revealed that Madame Hoo kept to herself as she felt she was a bad person, as she was stealing items in hopes of being able to return to China.  Once Madame Hoo befriends Jakes Wexler and the rest of the Sunset Tower residents, she began to learn English, embraced her role as a stepmother and herself as a person.  Madame Hoo went from being a simple cook who wore tight dresses to her husband’s business partner.

Judge Josie-Jo Ford was the most accomplished character when the novel began.  Although her mother was a servant in the Westing house, she received an excellent education because of Sam Westing.  Judge Ford appears to have some guilt for being better off than others, as she gives large tips to Sandy the doorman and even her portion of the money as she feels he needs it more than she does.  As the novel ends, Judge Ford decided to repay her debt to Sam Westing by doing what he had done for her, paid for the education for someone (Chris) who was obviously intelligent however lacked to financial resources to achieve greatness.

Bertha Crowe, Sam Westing’s ex-wife, was the least developed female character in this novel.   She is a religious woman, who started the Good Salvation Soup Kitchen on Skid Row.  She also works as a cleaning lady in Sunset Towers.   It is discovered that after the death of her daughter Violet, Crowe developed a drinking problem until she took up religion.  Although it has been many years since her daughter’s suicide, Crowe still has guilt as she continues to wear black. 

                Sydelle Pulaski, the mistake, was a secretary who wanted nothing more than to be noticed.  She faked injuries to not only start conversation but to also receive sympathy from others.  Her loud dresses also were a cry for attention that was ignored until Sam Westing’s game began.  Although she was a mistake, Sydelle became a confidant through her friendships which allowed her to move forward in her life.  Her new outlook on life ultimately ends with her getting the attention of her boss Conrad Schultz, president of Schultz Sausage which leads to their marriage.

                The transformation these women have during such a short period of time is quite extraordinary.  A simple example of this can be seen in how they signed their names from the beginning, to the end.  Turtle called herself a witch in the beginning of the novel and by the end of it she saw herself as an intelligent financier.  Her sister Angela went from having no identity to finally seeing herself as a person, which is what she signed her occupation as.  From the beginning Grace Wexler struggled with where she fit in, not sure if she was a housewife, decorator or heiress, however when the novel ended she owned ten restaurants.  Madame Hoo, Judge Ford and Sydelle’s changes were a direct result of friendship, as all of these women were lacking companionship, which in turn caused them to be unhappy. 

Lastly, the change which seems the most dramatic was that of Crowe.  She was a described as a dead cleaning woman who wore black, however as more information about her life is uncovered the reader is able to see that this game was not only for the sake of finding an heir but also to allow Crowe to move on with her life.  Westing paired Crowe up with Otis Amber, which allowed their feelings to grow and ended with the two marrying.  It also allowed Crowe to deal with her daughter’s suicide, as in the end Crowe signed her occupation as mother.