The Final Gambit

The Inheritance Games’ primary thematic argument centers on the dangers of excessive wealth and power and the corrupting nature of both. Multiple characters exemplify this theme through their immoral actions; they stand in direct contrast to those who reject wealth and the corruption that that accompanies such power.

This theme is epitomized by Tobias Hawthorne and Vincent Blake. As Nan puts it, “No man has ever built an empire without doing a thing or two they aren’t proud of” (148). When Avery goes through the file folders of Tobias’s potential enemies, it becomes clear that Tobias has done many horrible things to attain his immense influence and riches—cheating, lying, and trampling over other people. One heartbreaking example is that of Tyler Seaton. Tyler lost his health insurance when Tobias fired him; his young daughter died of cancer shortly after. This implies that if Tyler had still had insurance, he could have afforded the doctor visits and treatments that could have saved, or at least extended, the girl’s life. Tobias is apathetic to such incidents; he merely writes a donation to a hospital, as if he can balance out the loss of life with money (in an act that improves his public image, to boot). Tobias even lets a man die and hides his body, in part to keep his reputation unstained.

Tobias’s wealth and power gives him the arrogant perspective that the world is his game board; he manipulates others, especially Avery, because he feels entitled to do so. Vincent is the same way; he moves people like Avery, Eve, and Toby around like game pieces, abducting and threatening them because he does not see them as equals. Vincent is extremely wealthy, just like Tobias; thus, it is implied that corruption and power go hand in hand.

This corruption is also seen in Eve. She does Vincent’s dirty work in hopes of gaining access to his inheritance, since Eve has been kept away from the Hawthorne riches her entire life. Eve is one of many characters throughout the trilogy who have fallen into the trap of doing evil things in pursuit of money. In the first book, Skye Hawthorne orchestrated a murder plot to try and keep Avery from inheriting the family fortune. In this novel, Eve helps Vincent kidnap Toby Hawthorne and infiltrates Hawthorne House, all on the promise of a sliver of his fortune—even with all the strings attached to it.

Other characters recognize the dangers of wealth. Toby is one example, as he consciously kept his daughter away from the Hawthorne family fortune. Eve tells Avery, “Toby didn’t want me to be a part of this. […] The mansion. The food. The clothes. […] He hated this place. Hated it” (85). It is revealed late in the story that Toby knows Tobias was complicit in the death of Toby’s biological father; thus, Toby clearly wanted to keep Eve far away from a man who would willingly aid and cover up a murder. Similarly, Grayson—who was Tobias’s heir before Avery—is disturbed to learn of his grandfather’s wrongdoings. He worries that, had they not learned the truth about Tobias, he would have followed in his grandfather’s footsteps and become just as corrupt. At the end of the novel, he searches for charities to which he can donate part of the Hawthorne fortune, showing an active rejection of wealth, power, and corruption.

Avery is another character who proves incorruptible. She ends up giving away the bulk of the Hawthorne fortune, recognizing how dangerous such a consolidation of mass influence and riches is: “All that money. All that power. Dispersed, where no one person would ever control it again” (360). This concludes the book’s argument that allowing great amounts of wealth and power to sit with one person is inherently dangerous. As Avery points out to the reporter in the epilogue, nobody needs that much money; the concept of a billionaire is ludicrous, as no person, not even a large family, could possibly spend such a sum. Through Avery, the Hawthornes, and the Blakes, The Final Gambit states that no one can amass a fortune without stepping on others, and that the only acceptable use for great amounts of money is the improvement of others’ lives.