The Westing Game Lesson Plan

When the heirs are gathered at Westing house for their final meeting, Mrs. Wexler repeatedly does not recognize Turtle. Why do you think this is?

The most obvious reason that Mrs. Wexler does not recognize Turtle is that she is drunk, and it is implied that she has been so for some time. She and her husband had a breakdown and breakthrough together in Chapter 22 and subsequently disappeared. We discover they have been "clinking wineglass... toasting good times," and healing their marriage. One could argue that Mrs. Wexler is so focused on her own problems that she cannot register her daughter with her new haircut; but, it is also possible that her drunkenness reveals how...