The Inheritance Games

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2020

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-10

Chapters 11-20

Chapters 21-30

Chapters 31-40

Chapters 41-50

Chapters 51-60

Chapters 61-70

Chapters 71-80

Chapter 81-Epilogue

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Themes

The Manmade Construct of Class Differences

The Inheritance Games makes a strong argument against the dangers of classicism, suggesting that social classes are a construct that ignores a person’s core essence. Avery is the ultimate argument for this. Although she proves herself just as smart as the Hawthorne boys on multiple occasions, she wasn’t raised with the advantages their wealth confers. The narrative repeatedly emphasizes Avery’s poor upbringing and juxtaposes it with the Hawthornes’ opportunities. For example, while Avery and the Hawthorns were both raised on games and riddles, Avery’s boardgames came from garage sales. She realizes the contrast when she sees Hawthorne House’s game room: “I was in awe. How many afternoons had my mom and I spent playing garage-sale board games? Our rainy-day tradition had involved setting up three to four and turning them all into one massive game. But this? There were games from all over the world” (268).

Avery’s “otherness,” her lack of belonging in the world of the elite 1% is constantly emphasized. Even with a new wardrobe, style, and media training, she doesn’t understand the language of the elite—like when Xander educates her about “prep school language,” telling her “refectory” is “prep school for cafeteria” (104) and “archive” is “prep school for library” (105). Avery’s otherness is also glaring at the gala ball. Although she looks like she fits in after a “Cinderella” makeover, she is the one who knocks over a wine glass:

As the wine stained the white tablecloth red, I realized what should have been obvious right from the beginning, from the moment the will had been read. I didn’t belong here in this world—not at a party like this, not sitting beside Grayson Hawthorne. And I never would (304).

The problem with the constant emphasis on Avery’s otherness is that it’s usually used to undermine her and make her feel “les than” the more fortunate Hawthornes. This is epitomized when Nash tells her she isn’t a player in the game—someone with active agency—but a mere clue. Avery recognizes the disadvantage this puts her at, thinking “I didn’t want to be the glass ballerina or the knife” (328). This idea of “otherness,” of not belonging, is weaponized, used to put someone down. The same is seen in Xander’s character: “If I were white, people wouldn’t look at me like I’m half a Hawthorne” (143).

The problem with social class differences and “otherness” is that these are manmade constructs. People like the Hawthornes cling to these constructs and weaponize them, using them to maintain their own power while keeping others down. The villainous character of Drake demonstrates this; while he goes to jail, Skye is free. Avery reflects, “They let a felon do the dirty work—and take the fall” (296). The book makes a strong counterargument against class differences and highlights their manmade, constructed nature with the final revelation that Harry is Toby. The book’s poorest character, a homeless man, and one of its richest, a Hawthorne heir, are one and the same.

The Dangers of Secrecy

Many of the characters throughout The Inheritance Games keep secrets from one another. These secrets are often damaging, creating an argument for the risky nature of keeping secrets. Avery’s character introduces this thematic argument in the book’s first chapter. Speaking about her deceased mother, she says: “Our longest-lasting game was called I Have A Secret. Some days she guessed mine. Some days she didn’t. We played every week, right up until I was fifteen and one of her secrets landed her in the hospital” (1). The fact that secrets can land someone in the hospital and can lead to their death speaks to their destructive ability.

This is just one of the many instances in which secrecy creates problems for the characters. Thea and Rebecca’s relationship is kept a secret, which—when revealed—sends Emily into a rage. To soothe Emily, Thea agrees to cover for Emily when Emily goes cliff jumping, which ultimately leads to her death. Despite Tobias’s urging, Jameson never tells Grayson that he saw Emily die, keeping it a secret and leaving Grayson to shoulder the emotional burden. Then, there are the secrets Tobias kept from his family—the fact he had disinherited them and the fact that Toby was alive.

Even small secrets have a destructive tendency. After she’s shot at, Avery doesn’t tell Libby—Libby finds out via Skye. At the same time, Libby doesn’t tell Avery that Drake is still texting her—Avery finds out when she sees Libby’s phone. When the half-sisters discover one another’s secrecy, they react with distrust, momentarily souring their relationship. Finally, there is a secret that is never solved, another one from Avery’s mother, who tells her, “I have a secret… about the day you were born” (275). The fact that this secret is unresolved at the book’s conclusion suggests it may play a role in the sequel to The Inheritance Games. By repeatedly providing scenarios where secrets cause problems (hospitalizations, deaths, guilt, distrust), the text illuminates the risks of secrecy.

The Power of the Absent Character/the Ghost Character

The action of The Inheritance Games is largely driven by characters who are fully absent or deceased, making a compelling argument for the power of the absent character. Tobias Hawthorne is the ultimate example of this. Although he’s dead, he’s controlling the living characters, sending them on a path of discovery as they try to solve his final riddle. He’s even controlling their movements from the grave, as his clues send Jameson and Avery to the law firm (to read the Red Will), to the library (to look for the book), to the Dark Wood, and so on. Although she is the narrative’s protagonist, Avery herself rarely drives the action. Rather, she is guided by the intricate string of clues left by Tobias. She even notes his ghostly presence: “I felt the ghost of Tobias Hawthorne all around me” (266). At one point, Avery speaks Tobias: “Was it you? I asked out loud, addressing the words to Tobias Hawthorne” (128). Although Tobias is dead, Avery recognizes the power he wields over her and the Hawthorne House inhabitants.

Emily’s character is another example of the power of the ghost or absent character. While Emily’s “ghost” lacks Tobias’s powerful agency, the deceased girl’s figure still impacts the characters’ actions. When Thea manipulates Avery into unwittingly wearing Emily’s braids at the gala ball, she says, “It’s what Emily would have wanted” (300). When Rebecca realizes Skye is the person trying to kill Avery, she doesn’t tell anyone. She later tells Avery, “Emily wouldn’t have wanted me to” (343). Toby is another absent character who is a driving force in the narrative—namely in Tobias’s disinheriting his family 20 years ago. Then, there is Avery’s dead mother, who Avery has long suspected serves as the link between her and Tobias. All these characters are absent—yet they shape and drive the plot, creating a strong argument for the power of the “ghost” character.