Quote 4
"I am what I am. I don't need a crutch to get attention." (12.35)
When Turtle says this to Sydelle, she means it literally – Sydelle relies on literal crutches and the assumption of a limp to get people to feel sorry for her and pay attention to her. Turtle has a bad attitude about it because she thinks it's like cheating about your identity; as Turtle says, she is what she is. But as Angela will note, the idea of the crutch can also stand as a metaphor, and in that case, Turtle does rely on one. For more on this, see our section on "Symbols, Images, Allegory."
Quote 5
"The estate is at the crossroads. The heir who wins the windfall will be the one who finds the
FOURTH."
That's it, that has to be it: The heir who wins the windfall will be the one who finds the fourth! (26.93-95)
While we read this text along with the heirs when Ed Plum discusses the terms of the will in Chapter Six, it's not until we reread them along with Turtle in Chapter Twenty-Six that we all realize what's been missing all along. There never was any word at the end of the sentence; it's a trick hiding the real question that the heirs have to solve in order to win. And it's Turtle who figures it out.
Quote 6
"That's a lie, that's a disgusting lie," Turtle shouted. "The only person I kicked today was Barney Northrup and he deserved it. I didn't even see Sandy until tonight at the Westing house. Right, Baba?" (25.14)
Turtle's right – Dr. Deere's accusation is a lie. She didn't kick Sandy. But Dr. Deere is also right – Sandy's body had the scar of one of Turtle's infamous kicks. If Sandy hadn't been silly enough to show up as Barney, he wouldn't have gotten kicked. Turtle's realization that they can't both be lying helps motivate her to figure out what else was going on in the will, and put the process, as well as Sandy's character, on trial.