Leo Martínez
In The Westing Game, Sydelle Pulaski, a 50-year-old secretary, uses crutches to gain attention and sympathy by faking a mysterious illness. She paints her crutches with purple waves to match her outfits, even though she has no actual need for them. Sydelle's plot involves crutches, paint thinner, paint, and brushes, which she uses to make sure she is noticed.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Sydelle Pulaski |
| Age | 50 years old |
| Book | The Westing Game |
| Crutches | 2 pairs |
| Illness | Imagined |
| Reason for using crutches | To gain attention |
| Crutches colour | Purple waves |
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What You'll Learn
Sydelle Pulaski's character in The Westing Game
In Ellen Raskin's "The Westing Game," Sydelle Pulaski is a lonely, aging woman who has worked for decades as the secretary to the owner of a local sausage company. She lives with her mother and two older aunts and feels overlooked and ignored.
To gain attention, Sydelle pretends to have an illness that requires her to use crutches. She brings two pairs of crutches into her apartment, along with six cans of enamel, paint thinner, and brushes. She plans to paint the crutches to match her outfits, even considering painting a crutch white with little pink nosegays. This is evident in the book when she is described as avoiding an Oriental rug that might "cushion the thump of her purple-striped crutch."
Sydelle's imaginary illness and use of crutches are her ways of ensuring she is noticed and pitied. She feels that moving into an exclusive building would provide her with invitations from her classy neighbors, but when she is still ignored, she resorts to faking an illness. However, through her partnership with Angela in the Westing Game, she learns that this kind of attention is not as rewarding as she thought.
Sydelle also plays a crucial role in the plot of "The Westing Game." Because of her secretarial training, she has the presence of mind to take notes on the will during the first reading, which becomes significant later in the story. Additionally, the private investigator hired to investigate the building's tenants confuses Sydelle with Sybil Pulaski, the person they actually wanted, which turns out to be a fortunate mistake.
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Her imagined illness
In The Westing Game, Sydelle Pulaski is a 50-year-old woman who walks with two painted crutches. She has no actual need for crutches, as her illness is entirely imagined. She uses her fake illness and crutches to gain attention and sympathy, feeling that she has always been overlooked. Sydelle plans to paint her crutches to match her outfits, even bringing six cans of enamel, paint thinner, and brushes to her apartment. She is described as enjoying the attention she receives from her illness, which she claims will kill her slowly.
Sydelle's imagined illness is a central part of her character in the story, as it drives her motivation for attention and sympathy. She feels ignored and seeks a way to ensure she is noticed, even if it is through shock or pity. Her crutches become a key prop in this performance, with their colourful paint matching her outfits.
The specific timing of when Sydelle paints her crutches with purple waves is not explicitly stated in the sources. However, it appears that she does this early in the story, as she is described as having purple-striped crutches in one of the earliest scenes depicted. As the story progresses, she continues to use her crutches and illness as a way to gain attention.
Sydelle's partnership with Angela in the Westing Game complicates her motivations. She learns that the attention she initially sought is not as rewarding as she thought. Despite this realisation, Sydelle continues to use her crutches and play on her illness throughout the story.
Overall, Sydelle's imagined illness and her use of crutches are central to her character and motivations in The Westing Game. She seeks attention and sympathy through her fake illness, painting her crutches with purple waves, and other colourful designs to match her outfits.
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Painting her crutches to match her outfits
In The Westing Game, Sydelle Pulaski is a 50-year-old woman who walks with two painted crutches. She lived with her aunt and mother before moving into apartment 3C in Sunset Towers. Sydelle has worked for many years as a secretary and feels that she is always overlooked. She hopes that moving into an exclusive building would provide her with many invitations from her classy neighbours. However, she is still ignored, so she seeks attention and sympathy by faking a mysterious illness that causes her to use crutches. She has many pairs of crutches that she paints to match her outfits.
Sydelle brings a package into her apartment containing two pairs of crutches, six cans of enamel, paint thinner, and brushes. Although she has no actual need for crutches, she plans to paint them to match her outfits to gain attention. Her imaginary illness and use of crutches are ways for her to ensure she is noticed. She wants people to ""notice" her, even if that is because of shock or pity.
Sydelle's crutches are always painted to match her outfits. Early in the story, she is described as keeping "to the side of the room, avoiding the Oriental rug that might cushion the thump of her purple-striped crutch." This matches the description of her dress, which features purple waves.
Sydelle's use of crutches is not due to any sinister intent, but rather a desire to fool people into thinking she is more ill than she actually is. Her crutches are a plea for attention, and through her partnership with Angela in the Westing Game, she learns that this kind of attention is not as rewarding as she had thought.
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Her partnership with Angela Wexler
In "The Westing Game", Sydelle Pulaski is a 50-year-old secretary who walks with two painted crutches. She feels that she is always overlooked and seeks attention and sympathy by faking a mysterious illness that causes her to use crutches. She has many pairs of crutches that she paints to match her various outfits.
Her partner in the Westing Game is Angela Wexler. Together, they receive the clues "GOOD GRACE FROM HOOD SPACIOUS". In the Wexler apartment, Angela and Sydelle look at their own clues and add the words they deduced from other pairs: "KING QUEEN PURPLE WAVES ON (NO), GRAINS, MOUNTAIN (EMPTY)". They interpret the clues to mean checking under the hood of each car in the parking lot.
Through her partnership with Angela, Sydelle learns that the attention she sought by faking an illness and using crutches is not as rewarding as she had thought. She also discovers at the end of Chapter 16 that Angela was the bomber.
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The clues she and Angela received
In "The Westing Game", Sydelle Pulaski is a lonely, aging woman who has worked for decades as the secretary to the president of a local sausage company. She lives with her mother and two older aunts and feels that she is always overlooked. To gain attention, she fakes a mysterious illness and uses crutches, which she paints to match her outfits.
Sydelle's partner in the Westing Game is Angela Wexler, and together they receive several clues to help them solve the mystery. One of the clues they receive is "GOOD GRACE FROM HOOD SPACIOUS". They also deduce other words from other pairs, including "KING", "QUEEN", "PURPLE WAVES ON (NO)", "GRAINS", and "MOUNTAIN (EMPTY)".
Another clue that Sydelle and Angela receive is the fact that Angela was the bomber behind the three sets of fireworks that went off in different locations throughout Sunset Towers. They realize that the key to the Westing Game lies in the lyrics to the song "America the Beautiful".
Additionally, Sydelle and Angela are the only heirs who know that Angela was the real bomber. They also realize that Sydelle was the "mistake" among Sam Westing's 16 potential heirs. It is her sister, Sybil Pulaski, who has a connection to Sam Westing, not Sydelle.
Through her involvement in the Westing Game, Sydelle eventually realizes that the attention she sought by faking her illness and using crutches is not fulfilling, and she no longer seeks it by the end of the story.
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Frequently asked questions
Sydelle Pulaski painted her crutches with purple waves to match her clothing. She wanted attention and sympathy by faking a mysterious illness.
No, she did not need the crutches. Pulaski had faked her limp and illness to gain attention.
Sydelle Pulaski carried two pairs of crutches, six cans of enamel, paint thinner, and brushes.
Sydelle Pulaski set out the six cans of enamel, paint thinner, and brushes on her dining table. She then unwrapped the package and leaned four wooden crutches against the wall.
The Westing Game is a two-part, murder-mystery game. The characters have something to gain from the death of Sam Westing, who rewards the person who solves the mystery of his murder.
