Roles of Women

The Westing Game is a murder mystery, with underlying topics throughout the book. The book is written in the 1970's and is plotted in the same era. This is a great time of striving for gender equality, within jobs, and in gender roles. In the story we see a lot of old stereotypes of women taking place. Some of the women in the book conforming to the norms of women, while other break out of the stereotypical shell.

Also it show with the jobs the women have, if any, Grace is a house wife, until she works for a restaurant, Baba is a dressmaker, and other than J.J. Ford who is a judge, the women have very feminine jobs, like being a secretary. 

Turtle is the strong lead woman in the story, not conforming to gender roles, business savvy and not very lady like. She is said to be the exact opposite of her sister Angela. Angela wanted to go to medical school, she started then had to drop out because her mother Grace said medical school was to hard for women, that Angela should just find a doctor to marry. Grace tells Angela that they do not have the money to put a 'woman' through school. Angela conforms to the views of women, especially her crazy mother. Doing whatever pleases her. In the end Angela finally does stick up for herself, and go to school.

Madame Hoo, is Mr. Hoo's second wife from China. She is always the cook, and doesn't talk to everyone else much. She is a lot younger than Mr. Hoo. She was steeling everyone's stuff so she could sell it and go back to China. In the end she returns everyone's stuff and befriends them. Going from Mr. Hoo's cooking wife, to business partner.

This story had a lot to do with these women finding themselves. FInding friendship with the others of Sunset Towers. With companionship they find themselves, and their desires in life, and now can better achieve them.