TITLE: Wedge sum of spheres is the quotient $X^n/X^{n-1}$
QUESTION [9 upvotes]: As in the title, I want to prove that $\bigvee_jS_j^n=X^n/X^{n-1};\ X$ is a $CW$ complex and $X^n$ and $X^{n-1}$ are the $n-$ and $n-1$-skeleta. Below, I present a sketch of an attempt using pushouts, but it is not correct. I would like to know if my idea can be made to work, and  I would also like to see a proof that does not use category theory.
The wedge sum can be viewed as a adjunction space, via the map $f:\{x_j\}\mapsto \{*\}$ and then $\bigvee_jS_j^n$ is a pushout:
$\tag 1\require{AMScd} \begin{CD} \{x_j\} @>>> \{*\}\\ @V{i}VV @VV{q_1}V\\  \coprod_j S^n @>>{q_2}> \bigvee_jS_j^n\end{CD}$
where $q_{1,2}=p\circ i_{1,2}$ and $p$ is the canonical quotient map.
We also have the pushout 
$\tag2 \require{AMScd} \begin{CD} \coprod_jS^{n-1}_j @>{\Phi}>> X^{n-1}\\ @V{i}VV @VV{q_1}V\\  \coprod_jD^{n}_j @>>{q_2}> X^n\end{CD}$
$q_{1,2}=p\circ i_{1,2}$ and $p$ is the canonical quotient map and $\Phi$ is the characterstic map. 
so if we adjoin to this square, the square 
$\tag 3\require{AMScd} \begin{CD} X^{n-1} @>>> \{*\}\\ @V{i}VV @VV{q_1}V\\  X^{n} @>>{q_2}> X^n/X^{n-1}\end{CD}$,
we get another pushout
$\tag4\require{AMScd} \begin{CD} \coprod_jS^{n-1}_j @>>> \{*\}\\ @V{i}VV @VVV\\  \coprod_jD^{n}_j @>>> X^n/X^{n-1}\end{CD}$.
I want to compare $(1)$ and $(4)$ to get the isomporphism, but of course, it does not work.

REPLY [4 votes]: Note the standard diagram: 
$$\require{AMScd}\begin{CD}S^{n-1}@>>>\{*\}\\@VVV@VVV\\D^n@>>>S^n\end{CD}$$
Taking disjoint unions, we see that
$$\begin{CD}\coprod S^{n-1}_j@>>>\{x_j\}\\@VVV@VVV\\\coprod D^n_j@>>>\coprod S^n_j\end{CD}$$
is a pushout. Combining this with (1), we get
$$\begin{CD}\coprod S^{n-1}_j@>>>\{*\}\\@VVV@VVV\\\coprod D^n_j@>>>\bigvee S^n_j\end{CD}$$
is a pushout. Combining with (4), we get our desired conclusion.
A categoryless proof is the following:
Observe that $X^n\setminus X^{n-1}$ is a disjoint union of open disks. The boundary of each disk is contained in $X^{n-1}$, so we have an obvious map from $X^n$ to the wedge sum of spheres by sending each open disk in the complement of $X^{n-1}$ homeomorphically to the complement of the wedge point in one of the spheres and $X^{n-1}$ to the wedge point. This is clearly surjective. Moreover, if $U$ is open in the wedge sum, then if it doesn't contain the wedge point, its preimage is a disjoint union of open sets each contained in some open disk of $X^n\setminus X^{n-1}$, and hence is open. Otherwise if it contains the wedge point, its preimage contains $X^{n-1}$. However to be open in the wedge sum, that means that the intersection of $U$ with every sphere is open, so its preimage in $X^n$ has open intersection with every closed $n$-disk. Thus by the definition of the topology on $X^n$, the preimage of $U$ is open in this case as well. Thus our map is continuous. The map is also closed, since if $K$ is closed in $X^n$, then $K\cap D^n_j$ is closed for each $j$, so the image of $K$ in each sphere being wedged together is closed, since the standard quotient $D^n\to S^n$ is a closed map (since $D^n$ is compact). Thus the image of $K$ is closed in the wedge of spheres. Thus the map is a quotient map, giving the desired homeomorphism. $X^n/X^{n-1} \cong \bigvee S^n$.