I’m really glad we opened up the discussion about what should be represented in The Inheritance Games series, because it’s impossible to ignore how much privilege surrounds the Hawthorne family and how little attention is given to the systemic injustices that exist outside their billionaire bubble. Tobias Hawthorne and his descendants occupy positions of unimaginable wealth, security, and influence, but that comes at the expense of others who are left disadvantaged, silenced, or excluded.
Jennifer Lynn Barnes created a world of games, billions of dollars, and power struggles,all set in Texas, a state with its own complicated history of social injustice. This context could have made the series a brilliant space to address issues like prejudice, classism, and racism. For example, Xander briefly points out that he faces racism because he’s not white, but the books never really expand on what that means,what it feels like to exist as a person of color in the Hawthorne family which is notoriously powerful and wealthy. His position in the infamous Hawthorne family should have been an entry point into a deeper conversation about racial prejudice and the weight of existing in spaces not designed to include you.
That’s why I appreciated when Lyra called out the idea of Hawthorne blood being “cerulean.” She refused to glorify their bloodline for what it represents: privilege, power, and exclusion. Grayson, for instance, is a rich, white, straight man,and with that comes extraordinary privilege in terms of rights, opportunities, and how the world perceives him. Lyra, by contrast, is not white, she’s a woman, and her family struggles financially. Their worlds are not equally matched, and while Lyra is one of the few characters unwilling to tolerate blind privilege, I wish the narrative had given her more space to hold the Hawthornes accountable.
The concept of white privilege runs through the story, even when it isn’t named. Take Jameson,the reckless, thrill-seeking “bad boy.” His actions, like getting banned from countries, are portrayed as charming, adventurous, and fun. But let’s be honest: if Jameson weren’t white, his behavior wouldn’t be romanticized. It would be criminalized. His ability to be immature and “hungry for risk” is enabled by privilege — and the fact that the narrative doesn’t interrogate this is frustrating.
Similarly, Rohan — a South Asian character — could have been an incredibly rich lens for exploring discrimination. He grew up in a white-centered underground association, and there’s no way he avoided prejudice there. Yet the books never really delve into what that means for him. He’s not wealthy like the Hawthornes, he’s not at the top one percent, and he faces struggles that some of the Hawthornes and other characters will never understand. Savannah’s perspective is important here, because the series does do a strong job of exploring sexism and gender inequality — and that shouldn’t be overlooked. But alongside that, there’s also intersectionality. Yes, Rohan benefits from being a man, but at the same time, he faces racism. The story should have acknowledged both truths instead of flattening his character into a single dimension.
What we ended up with, unfortunately, was diversity without depth. Characters of color were included, but their experiences of systemic injustice were left unexplored, which is a missed opportunity. Books don’t exist in a vacuum. They are political, whether or not the author intends them to be. And a series like The Inheritance Games — with its themes of money, power, and corruption,practically begs to wrestle with these issues instead of skating past them.
Even Avery, who begins the series as the “outsider,” eventually mirrors Jameson’s lawbreaking tendencies. And while it’s fine to show characters being wild and risky, the narrative fails to interrogate what it means to abuse privilege while others — like Lyra or Rohan — don’t have the luxury of being reckless. Playing dirty when you’re rich and powerful isn’t clever; it’s corrupt. “There’s no such thing as playing dirty if you win”well of course your privileges will allow you to win.And corruption is already the beating heart of this story,so why not examine it more deeply?
The series often glorifies behaviors that, when stripped of privilege, are neither admirable nor excusable. Getting banned from countries isn’t hot. Abusing power in a game designed to make others have the experience of a lifetime isn’t “okay” or “cool.” If we really want to talk about what The Inheritance Games represents, we need to acknowledge the corruption, the systemic inequalities, and the real-world prejudices mirrored in its characters. Fiction doesn’t get a free pass. Representation matters and stories that center power and wealth should never shy away from interrogating the darker realities that come with them.
