Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Who are the bookie, the bomber, the burglar, and the mistake in The Westing Game?

The bookie (short for "bookmaker", the name for a person who takes illegal bets) is, shockingly, none other than the respected podiatrist, Dr. Wexler.  The bomber, perhaps even more surprisingly, is his shy, quiet, "perfect" daughter Angela.  The mistake is the secretary Sydelle Pulaski, whose name was mistaken by Otis Amber for the intended heir, a woman named Sybil Pulaski.  The burglar is Madame Hoo, who in her non-English-speaking isolation is misguidedly stealing trinkets to sell in order to get enough money to go back to China.  Each of these people (even Ms Pulaski) is struggling with various issues which are eventually resolved through the personal interactions made possible by Sam Westing's game.  Dr. Wexler is far more interested in gambling (legal or otherwise) than he is in medicine.  He goes onto a different career after the game.  Angela, a quiet girl who has always wanted to go to college, would prefer studying to marrying the young up-and-coming Dr. Deere.  She sets the bombs in order to derail her mother's relentless plans for her early marriage.  Sydelle Pulaski craves attention, and through the game she gains money and confidence, which eventually leads to her marriage and the personal contact she wants.  Madame Hoo's depression becomes evident to her family during the game, and the discovery of her kleptomania leads to better understanding between her and her husband. 

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