What Pov Is The Inheritance Games

What POV is The Inheritance Games?

Okay, let’s talk about how we experience the world of The Inheritance Games! When we read a book, we’re not just watching a movie; we’re getting into the characters’ heads. This is all thanks to the “point of view,” or POV. It’s like the camera angle in a movie, but for words. It tells us whose thoughts and feelings we’re privy to. In The Inheritance Games, the story mostly hangs out with one person, which is called first-person limited POV, but that is not the complete answer. Let’s get in deeper to see what exactly it is.

Understanding Point of View

Before we dive deep into The Inheritance Games, it’s important to understand a few basic things about POV. Think of it as the narrator’s perspective. It’s like they’re holding up a special camera lens that lets us see the story in a particular way. There are different types of camera lenses (or POVs!), each offering a unique experience to the reader.

First-Person Perspective

This is where the narrator is a character in the story, using “I,” “me,” and “we” to tell what’s going on. It is like you are experiencing the story through their eyes and brain, and is sometimes called “limited first-person.” What that means, is that we are only privy to this character’s own thoughts, feelings, and what they can see and hear. We don’t know what other characters are thinking or what’s happening in other places unless our main character knows those things. It is similar to standing in one place and being unable to see anything beyond that spot.

Second-Person Perspective

This is the least common point of view and is where the narrator uses “you.” It pulls the reader right into the story like they are a character. It’s like getting a choose-your-own-adventure book! Although not common, you can sometimes find it in short stories or certain interactive stories.

Third-Person Perspective

This point of view uses pronouns like “he,” “she,” “it,” and “they.” There are two main types of third-person perspective: third-person limited and third-person omniscient.

• Third-Person Limited: The narrator focuses on one character’s thoughts and feelings, kind of like first-person limited, but using “he” or “she” instead of “I.” We are still only privy to one character’s internal life in this POV.
• Third-Person Omniscient: The narrator knows everything about all the characters and what’s happening everywhere. They are like a narrator in a movie, who can swoop in anywhere and tell us what’s happening with anyone.

The Inheritance Games and its Point of View

Now, let’s zero in on the actual POV in The Inheritance Games. The entire series, from the first book to the last one, primarily uses a first-person limited point of view. This is an important element to note about the story. This means we see most events through the eyes and thoughts of Avery Grambs, the main character. We know her internal fears and struggles, and we understand why she does what she does. We only know what she is experiencing herself. We do not know what other characters are thinking or feeling unless they tell Avery. Avery is our “camera lens” into the world of the story, and her experiences are the only ones that are revealed to us directly. This is a smart choice by the author, because a lot of mystery is generated by keeping the other characters’ motivations secret.

Why First-Person Limited Works for The Inheritance Games

So why did Jennifer Lynn Barnes, the author, choose the first-person limited POV for this series? There are a few important reasons for this:

Keeping Secrets

The story is full of mysteries. The fact that we only get to hear Avery’s thoughts makes the story much more intriguing. We’re often as much in the dark as Avery is. This keeps us guessing about the motives of the mysterious Hawthorne brothers, her relationship with them, and all the puzzles that she is trying to solve. It makes us wonder “What are they thinking?” just as Avery does. It keeps us turning the pages!

Building a Connection with Avery

By seeing everything from her perspective, we really get to know Avery. We feel her confusion, her fear, her determination. We are with her as she adjusts to a world of extreme wealth and strange challenges. When she is happy, we feel happy for her, and when she’s sad, we feel sad with her. It’s like having a friend who you go through everything with, which helps us relate to Avery and care what happens to her.

Heightening the Tension

The limited view helps create suspense. We only know what Avery knows, so if she’s in a dangerous situation and doesn’t know what’s going to happen next, we don’t either. This makes us anxious and keeps us invested in her story. If we knew what the other characters were planning, a lot of tension would vanish.

The Power of the Unknown

Because we’re trapped in Avery’s perspective, it’s easy for Barnes to play with our expectations and build suspense by keeping some characters’ true feelings and intentions secret. Some of the characters in the books, like the Hawthorne brothers, are very hard to read. Because we can’t hear their thoughts, they become more mysterious, and this drives the plot forward.

Examples of First-Person POV in the book

Let’s look at a few examples from the book to see how this limited view works. This will help to show the impact that the first-person limited point of view has. When Avery is talking about another character, or what is happening around her, it is important to note that those are only things that Avery is aware of herself, and nothing else. Avery is always the narrator, and every thought and idea we have is seen directly through her. The example below show how the author utilizes this point of view.

• Example 1: Describing the Setting

  “The library was enormous, bigger than any house I’d ever seen. Books lined every wall, reaching to the ceiling, and the smell of old paper and leather was so strong I could almost taste it.”

  In this example, we get Avery’s immediate impression of the library. We can experience the room through her senses, such as her sight and smell, but we only know what Avery is actually thinking about the room, and nothing else. If another character was in the room, we wouldn’t know what they felt about the room unless they expressed that to Avery.

• Example 2: Avery’s Feelings

  “My heart hammered in my chest. These boys, all the Hawthornes, were too powerful, too intense. I felt like I was in a movie I didn’t know how to play.”

  This quote shows her inner thoughts and emotional state. We understand her worry and confusion because the author provides it to us directly, and we know she is nervous and a little intimidated. We are able to understand exactly what Avery is feeling in this scenario, because we have this internal look into her mind.

• Example 3: Interactions with Other Characters

  “Grayson’s eyes narrowed as he looked at me. ‘You’re more complicated than I thought,’ he said, a small smile playing on his lips.”

  Here, we only know what Grayson is doing and saying from Avery’s view. She can see that he is smiling, but we don’t know exactly what he is thinking, just how he appears to her. This creates mystery, and makes us think about what Grayson may be up to. We get this same feeling and thought as Avery, because she is the one experiencing it first-hand.

The Effect of Limited Perspective on the Reader

The first-person limited viewpoint has a big effect on how we experience the story, and the mystery and suspense are directly affected. Because we know things only as Avery knows them, we become invested in her journey and feel the uncertainty along with her. It’s like we’re trying to solve the puzzle right alongside Avery! This style keeps us engaged with the narrative and wanting to know more.

Mystery and Intrigue

Because we only know what Avery knows, the motivations and secrets of other characters become a constant mystery. It is always exciting trying to figure things out, and to see the other characters move in ways that Avery is confused about. That helps to pull us into the story, because we want to see what happens next just as much as Avery does.

Empathy and Connection

We develop a strong sense of empathy for Avery, seeing the world through her eyes. This makes us feel more invested in what happens to her. We feel like a friend to Avery. We root for her success and worry about her when she is in danger or struggling.

Limited Information

The first-person limited perspective helps to control the information we have as readers. It keeps the Hawthorne brothers and the mysteries surrounding the inheritance very secret. This encourages readers to keep reading to find out the answers.

A Little Bit About Other Characters

Although the POV is always with Avery, we still learn about the other characters from her observations and the way that they interact with her. We get to know the other characters through their actions, dialogue, and how Avery interprets them. This means that the way that we see each character is also colored by how Avery feels about them. Avery is, after all, our narrator, so her view is always going to be the lens through which we see the other characters.