The Final Gambit

Vincent is the villain of The Final Gambit. His character showcases The Tricky Nature of Inheritance and The Dangers of Wealth and Power. Vincent uses his money to manipulate the people around him, even his own family. He uses the promise of inheritance to control them. This is epitomized in the Blake family seals, which represent Vincent’s fortune and favor and which he freely grants or strips away as he wishes. Vincent uses his fortune to manipulate others in the book, notably Eve, who he sends to Hawthorne House in search of answers about the fate of his son, William Blake. Vincent also tries to lure Toby with the promise of fortune, but since Toby doesn’t care about wealth, Vincent manipulates others around Toby—namely Eve, who is Toby’s daughter, and Avery. By the end of the book, he successfully manipulates Toby into staying with him, forcibly turning him into “Toby Blake.”

Although Vincent is undoubtedly a “bad guy,” capable of acts like abduction and violence, he still maintains an honor code. In a recording, Tobias tells Avery to use this against him. Nan, Tobias’s mother-in-law, confirms Vincent’s warped sense of honor when she explains why Vincent never sued Tobias over the patent that Tobias stole from him: “Vincent Blake appreciated someone who could play the game” (222). It’s an ironic and ludicrous juxtaposition that raises questions about honor, morals, and the interplay between the two—a conversation reiterated by Tobias’s character.

Though Avery technically bests him—she wins their chess match—Vincent emerges more-or-less unscathed, even successful. He got what he was after: information about his son’s fate, and revenge on Tobias in the form of Toby. Toby cannot flee from Vincent without risking Vincent considering his agreement with Avery null and void. This is yet another example of how the powerful and corrupt are nigh untouchable, which makes them dangerous.

The true nature of Tobias Hawthorne’s character is finally revealed in the third part of the Inheritance Games trilogy. Avery met Tobias only once, as a child; thus, in the first book, she is extremely perplexed to learn he has named her heiress to his fortune. As Tobias is dead, his personality and character can only be conveyed through stories from other characters, and through the clues and puzzles he leaves for Avery. Tobias had a public image as a philanthropist; thus, the reveal of his underhanded actions heavily impacts his family, especially his grandsons.

When Avery and the Hawthorne grandsons read Tobias’s file of enemies, they learn just how ruthless of a businessman he was. Nan summarizes it in this way: “No man has ever built an empire without doing a thing or two they aren’t proud of” (148). Tobias tricked and cheated people, downsized companies with no regard for the employees, and was even complicit in the murder of a man (albeit a violent one). By any standard of morality, Tobias was a bad, immoral man. He was also power-hungry and manipulative, epitomized by the way he manipulates Avery’s life by leaving her the inheritance and then having her run after clues for a year. Tobias is the prime example of The Dangers of Wealth and Power.

However, Tobias—like Vincent—is bound by certain moral codes. According to Nan, Tobias would never be violent toward a woman or child. This is seen when Tobias intervenes when William physically assaults Mallory Laughlin, a teenager with whom he had sexual relations. Tobias thus demonstrates the murkiness of a person’s character. In most cases, people aren’t wholly bad or good. There are gray areas; “bad” people can do good things, and vice versa.

Nonetheless, Tobias’s character is painted as overwhelmingly evil, and the book offers a satisfying conclusion when Avery sullies his reputation, announcing his hand in William Blake’s death. Given that Tobias was known as philanthropist when he died, the fact that Avery sells him out as a murderer is especially jarring to the public. This is Avery’s own small revenge; Tobias dragged her into his games and manipulated her from beyond the grave for a year, and now she is finally free of his influence.

Eve’s character helps demonstrate The Dangers of Wealth and Power and The Tricky Nature of Inheritance. Toby’s daughter and Mallory Laughlin’s granddaughter, Eve bears a striking resemblance to Emily Laughlin, her half-aunt. Since Toby did not want her to fall victim to the corruption within Hawthorne House, Toby kept Eve far away from the family, but as a result, Eve grew up feeling unwelcome and unwanted.

Eve is a pawn in Vincent’s scheming, as he promises one of his Blake family seals in exchange for her infiltrating the Hawthorne Estate (and helping to abduct Toby). Eve is clearly intrigued and enchanted by wealth, as she marvels at the riches she encounters in Hawthorne House, like Avery’s clothes: “She reached for a pale green shirt but froze when she felt the fabric. I wasn’t a fashion person, but the incredible softness of expensive clothes, the feel of them—that was what still got me, too” (84). Avery empathizes with Eve, as she was not born into wealth and fame either; however, unlike Eve, Avery does not participate in immoral activities to acquire them. Eve’s greed will ultimately leave her stuck by Vincent’s side in an unhappy home—but with the prospect of an inheritance.

Eve’s character also represents the desire for belonging. It’s sometimes suggested that, more than money, Eve wants a sense of place, a family. This is first hinted at when Eve reveals she was the product of her mother’s affair; her entire family knew it and treated her less-than as a result. She wasn’t invited to family reunions and didn’t get presents at Christmas like her half-siblings. Vincent offers her the prospect of a home and a sense of belonging—as a Blake, which comes with strings attached, but strings that Eve is willing to endure. Eve’s desire for a sense of place is seen when she tells Avery, “Blake wants me by his side. I just have to prove myself first” (273). It’s a heartbreaking sentiment: While Eve simply wants to belong, she’s fallen into Vincent’s manipulative trap—she has to prove herself in order to stand by his side. By the end of the book, she does get what she wants, and a Blake family seal to prove it; however, there is no guarantee that she will keep her place.