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James Shin Hoo
Madame Sun Lin Hoo is the 28-year-old second wife of James Shin Hoo and stepmother of Doug Hoo. She’s one of Sam Westing’s 16 potential heirs. A recent immigrant from Hong Kong, she is isolated by the language barrier that keeps her from communicating in English. None of her neighbors will even try conversing with her or helping her to learn English, and some—like Grace Wexler—even go so far as to stereotype her “doll-like” appearance and quiet nature. Madame Hoo turns to burglary in order to get to know her neighbors, stealing objects beloved by them in order learn more about them, feel more connected to them, and understand their lives. Jake Wexler, Madame Hoo’s partner in the Westing game, is the only person who treats her as an individual rather than a stereotype. As Jake helps Madame Hoo learn English, she comes out of her shell a bit and begins feeling more connected to her new neighbors. Fiercely protective and proud of Doug, Madame Hoo is a young but devoted stepmother and, ultimately, a beloved member of her new community. When the other heirs learn that Madame Hoo is the burglar, they forgive her immediately—they have come to understand just how complicated and trying her journey has been.
Madame Sun Lin Hoo Quotes in The Westing Game
The The Westing Game quotes below are all either spoken by Madame Sun Lin Hoo or refer to Madame Sun Lin Hoo. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 1 Quotes
Who were these people, these specially selected tenants? They were mothers and fathers and children. A dressmaker, a secretary, an inventor, a doctor, a judge. And, oh yes, one was a bookie, one was a burglar, one was a bomber, and one was a mistake.
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At the end of Chapter 1, Ellen Raskin’s narrator describes the people who have been “specially selected” to live in the Sunset Towers apartment building (ironically name, since the building faces east) on Lake Michigan. Recruited by a realtor named Barney Northrup—a man who the narrator almost immediately reveals does not actually exist—the new tenants are a group of people who seem to be defined by simple titles. The ordinary is pressed up against the extraordinary in this passage as Raskin reduces her characters to their basest categorizations: “mother” and “secretary” are prescriptive roles, just as “burglar” and “bomber” and Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit
Chapter 2 Quotes
Jake turned to Madame Hoo. "Hi there, partner."
"She doesn't speak English, Dad," Angela said flatly.
'And she never will, Angela, if no one talks to her."
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In this passage, during a party at Judge Ford’s apartment, Jake Wexler approaches his partner in the Westing game, Madame Hoo. Both of them missed the reading of Westing’s will and thus forfeited their $10,000 check—they are both behind in the game, yet they are still partners and participants. As Jake attempts to get to know Madame Hoo, his daughter Angela attempts to dissuade him from talking to her, explaining that Madame Hoo doesn’t speak English. However, Jake declares that Madame Hoo will remain isolated for exactly as long as those around her isolate her, making clear that Jake is Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non invento
Chapter 15 Quotes
The coffee shop was full of diners.
Shin Hoo's restaurant had reopened. too, but no one came.
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In this passage, set after the first two bombings, the Theodorakis family’s coffee shop reopens to bustling crowds while the Hoo family struggles to regain their footing. Both restaurants were victims of “bombs,” fizzy fireworks that were deployed in the kitchen of each. Only the Hoos, however, struggle to repair their public image and attract more business in the wake of the accident. This passage shows how bigotry and prejudice weaken the American value of solidarity and neighborliness—thus more largely eroding American society as a whole. Though the Theodorakis family is Greek, they still benefit from a degree of white Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molest
Chapter 16 Quotes
Madame Hoo served in a tight-fitting silk gown slit high up her thigh, a costume as old-fashioned and impractical as bound feet. Women in China wore blouses and pants and jackets. That's what she would wear when she got home.
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In this passage, Madame Hoo—hired by Grace Wexler to cater Angela Wexler’s bridal shower while dressed in a stereotypical Chinese dress—expresses her discomfort and humiliation over having to wear the “impractical” garment, something she herself would never choose to wear. Madame Hoo describes the dress as being as harmful as “bound feet,” the ancient Chinese practice popular from the 10th century on and responsible for the lifelong disabilities of countless women. Madame Hoo feels that she is being put on display as an oddity or an exotic item—she is demoralized and out of her element, and she hates being typecast Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus
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Madame Sun Lin Hoo Character Timeline in The Westing Game
The timeline below shows where the character Madame Sun Lin Hoo appears in The Westing Game. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 3
...has only two reservations for tonight. Mr. Hoo looks over at his young new wife, Sun Lin Hoo , who is gazing out the window longingly. Mr. Hoo wonders if she misses China—she...
(full context)
Chapter 7
...up to the other players to discover who you really are,” the will states cryptically. Madame Sun Lin Hoo , Mr. Hoo’s wife and the cook at Shin Hoo’s, is paired with Jake Wexler—but...
(full context)
Chapter 8
...at five dollars each. Jake, disappointed at having forfeited his $10,000, retreats to his office; Madame Hoo , who has no clue about the game, stands alone in the restaurant. Sandy is...
(full context)
Upstairs at the restaurant, Grace and Mr. Hoo puzzle over their clues. Grace compliments Madame Hoo ’s “doll-like” demeanor and asks why she cannot speak English. Mr. Hoo defensively states that...
(full context)
Chapter 10
...have no way of finding out who might be a twin. Jake starts talking to Madame Hoo , who is standing nearby. Angela points out that the woman does not speak English....
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...and tells her she’s arranged for Mr. Hoo to cater her upcoming bridal shower—and for Madame Hoo , in a “slinky Chinese gown,” to serve the food. Angela rushes away, fearing she’s...
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Chapter 16
At Angela’s bridal shower, Madame Hoo serves food, embarrassed by her ridiculous and uncomfortable “traditional” Chinese gown. She cannot wait to...
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Chapter 17
...continues bouncing up and down. Jake visits Hoo’s to eat lunch and to converse with Madame Hoo , who is learning English quickly. Grace and Hoo show their clues to Jake, who...
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Chapter 19
As Jake Wexler enjoys lunch, Crow shows up to Hoo’s restaurant. Grace seats her; Madame Hoo is serving a special tea lunch. As Madame Hoo serves Jake, Grace feels jealous and...
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Chapter 22
...apologizes for being “dumb”—but she insists she is not a thief or a murderer. As Madame Hoo and Mr. Hoo get into the elevator on their way to Doug’s track meet, Hoo...
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...the beaming Doug, Doug insists he owes everything to his father. After the reporters dissipate, Madame Hoo uses a combination of Chinese and English to insist that Doug wear his medals to...
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Chapter 23
Plum goes around to each pair and collects their answers. Jake and Madame Hoo offer “boom” as their answer. Turtle and Flora, having won over a thousand dollars in...
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Chapter 26
Madame Hoo , who slipped from the room earlier in all the confusion, returns with a scarf-tied...
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Chapter 29
...Doug’s Olympic success, as Doug has set a new record for the 1500-meter run. Sunny—as Madame Hoo now likes to be called—welcomes Jake, the chairman of the State Gambling Commission, to her...
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