The Westing Game Patriotism Quotes

This portion of text comes from the obituary printed about Westing in the paper, and for almost everyone – except a very select few – it stands as his permanent obituary. It reveals that patriotism was a huge part of Westing's character; it was important to him on both serious and fun levels. However, in retrospect this is also a huge clue about Westing and solving the mystery. See, the game itself is an "elaborately staged pageant" that "he wr[ites] and direct[s]," and the disguise he concocts is his best one yet.

While this almost seems like hyperbolic language – it's so excited and so full of praise – Westing's being serious. He loves America and is a true patriot. Plus, he's totally ready to give the country props for all the opportunities it bestowed on him. See, Westing had the ideal immigrant experience, the one the American dream is supposed to be like, but doesn't always turn out to be. Since the country's system worked for him, he sees the country as "generous" and bountiful.

It's interesting that Theo picks this part of the song to sing to Angela – more accurately, it's interesting that the quote from the will leads to this part of the song – because if it had been from the first verse of "America the Beautiful" instead of the third, the solution to the clues would have been found that much more quickly. This verse is less well known today than the first, which is usually all people can recite off the top of their heads.

Theo's both right and wrong here. The quotation from "America the Beautiful" is an important part of solving the clues that the will offers, but solving those clues isn't what leads to the answer, or the inheritance.

At first it seems like Sandy's misguidedly trying to honor Westing, although that doesn't really fit with the history we've heard they have together. But really, Sandy's hiding in plain sight, getting to put patriotic emblems on things – just as he would have done as Sam Westing – and then telling the judge it's just a tribute, when really this patriotic connection between them should've been a dead giveaway.

It's kind of unfair that Sydelle solves this part of the mystery and doesn't get any rewards from it. She's actually doing a great job of close reading the will, connecting the idea of singing to the other clues they already have. At first, it might seem as though she thinks "America" could be the answer, however. Unless you remember that "purple mountain majesties" is a phrase from "America the Beautiful," you might not realize that's the reference she's making here.

At first, it doesn't make a lot of sense that the will would tell everyone to have a "happy Fourth," when we know that all this action is taking place in November. But if you think about how Westing always had a big Independence Day disguise-fest, it starts to make a lot of sense. In hindsight, this is another clue that the game was full of disguises and tricks all along. The emphasis on the "Fourth" also reminds us of a very important clue, that doesn't get picked up on till the very end: "find the fourth."

Weirdly, the day the guy who was Sam Westing actually dies is the day referenced in his will. In his fourth identity, he stops living on the Fourth of July, which was always his favorite holiday. It seems fitting that the gamester and trickster would finally stop deceiving people and pretending to take on alternate identities on the day where, historically, he'd been known to play many parts as different people.