Summaryy
Grace Windsor Wexler and her daughters arrive at the Westing house the next day at the appointed timeâJakehas refused to come. Grace always heard family gossip growing up about a rich uncle somewhere down the lineâshe believes that she is Sam Westingâs rightful heir. Crow, the religious Sunset Towers cleaning woman, opens the doorâshe is dressed in all black, as always. Grace, Angela, and Turtle take their seats in the library after handing Crow their coats. Turtle is shocked when she sees that Sam Westingâs waxy corpse is laid out in an open casket in the corner of the room. The silver cross Turtle stole from her mother and brought with her to the house to ward off evil spirits is clasped between the corpseâs hands. Turtle barely notices when Angelaâs fiancĂŠ, Dr. Denton Deere, arrives and takes his seat with them. Grace Windsor Wexler marches into the Westing manor with an attitude of entitlement, revealing her individualistic nature and her focus on obtaining an inheritance. Grace is a woman focused entirely on appearancesâher own and her daughtersâ most acutely. Turtle, on the other hand, is genuinely invested in figuring out what is going on. The nervous Angela seems to be pulled along by the tides. All three Wexler women are more complicated than they seem to be.  THEMES  Flora Baumbacharrives and sits with Turtle. Otis Amberarrives next, followed by Doug Hoo and Mr. Hoo. Sandy arrives, then the Theodorakis boys. Chris grows excited when he spots snow falling outside, and as he collapses into spasms, Flora attempts to comfort him using baby talk. Theo reprimands her for talking to his brother in such a condescending way. Denton Deerehaughtily whispers the boyâs diagnosis into Angelaâs ear. Angela hurries from the room. When Judge Fordenters, Grace makes a big show of shaking the womanâs handâshe wonders if the judgeâs mother was once a maid at the house. There is a lot at play in this passage as the heirs come together for the first time. Flora speaks to Chris in a way that Theo believes is demeaningâyet he doesnât stop to consider what Floraâs own experience with individuals with disabilities might be. Grace congratulates herself for treating Ford wellâyet at the same time harbors racist assumptions about the judgeâs past and the reasons sheâs here. Every heir judges the others and jumps to conclusions without getting to know the others first. THEMES RELATED QUOTESMr. Hoo asks if they can startâhe has to get back to his restaurant. Plumpoints out that many heirs have not yet arrived. Mr. Hoo says that his wife is not coming, and Gracesays her husband isnât either. She explains he was called away for emergency surgery, but Turtle whispers to Flora that her fatherâs absence has something to do with a football game. Judge J.J. Fordâwhose given name is Josie-Joâwonders why Plum, a young, inexperienced lawyer, is handling Westingâs estate. Angela returns to her seat. Crow comes into the room, followed by Sydelle Pulaski, who thumps in on ornately painted purple-and-white crutches. Everyone asks her what has befallen herâshe states she has been stricken ill with a terminal wasting disease. Deere tries to diagnose her as she struggles to her seat. As Sydelle sits down, the lawyer shuffles his papers.
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