Children of Privilege in Fiction

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In many cases, the children and grandchildren of the rich and/or famous don’t turn out so well. Growing up in privileged families can leave them spoiled, nasty, entitled, coldhearted, etc. Not always, of course, but often enough.

This is also the case in novels — which, as we know, usually mirror real life in some way. My most recently read example involves the title characters in Sons, Pearl S. Buck’s sequel to The Good Earth. In that first China-set book, Wang Lung built himself up from being a poor farmer to a rich landowner via endless toil and strategic smarts. He did exhibit some very problematic behavior in his older age, but overall was more admirable than not.

His three sons in the sequel? Not as admirable. With no worries about money after being among the inheritors of his father’s land, the eldest son becomes fat, lazy, and weak-minded. The more-intelligent second son works hard but is exceptionally greedy and miserly. The ambitious third son becomes a brave but antisocial war lord who forces his son — a gentle soul — into a military life. One wouldn’t want any of that sibling trio on their holiday card list.

Other novels in which the next or next-next generation isn’t so scintillating?

The title character of Alexander Pushkin’s novel-in-verse Eugene Onegin is a son of privilege who becomes a bored and selfish man making some unfortunate decisions.

Vernon and Petunia Dursley (more upper-middle-class than rich in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series) are not-nice human beings who raise an even-worse son, Dudley — who’s petulant, pampered, and beyond spoiled.

Another novel with a depressing descendant is Booth Tarkington’s The Magnificent Ambersons, in which the grandson of the family’s aristocratic patriarch is an arrogant jerk.

Obviously, rich and/or famous parents themselves can be problematic, with their children often following suit but sometimes becoming decent human beings.

In George Eliot’s Silas Marner, for instance, Squire Cass is quite unlikable, and his sons Godfrey and Dunstan are no picnic, either. Things are more mixed in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov, in which the repulsive dad’s sons include Dmitri (who behaves kind of like his wealthy father), Ivan (an intellectual who’s a relatively decent person), and the compassionate Alexei.

Your thoughts about, and examples of, this topic?

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…and a 2012 memoir that focuses on cartooning and more, including many encounters with celebrities.

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14 thoughts on “Children of Privilege in Fiction”

  1. DJT and vile family term nepo baby slang for nepotism ,live off wealth grift, silvers spoons ,children of wealthy not having to really work.

    Michele

    E & P way back

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  3. Having worked for several family companies where the sons were spoiled and worthless additions to the companies their fathers built, I can attest to the reality of the stereotype. I can’t think of any books offhand, but I’m sure I must have read some. (K)

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  4. Hi Dave. It’s late here, and although I’ve got a couple of texts in mind I’m falling asleep so will have to come back to you tomorrow on thid. PS. congratulations to your daughter on her rowing achievements; taking part is the most important thing, as in the Olympic spirit, because nobody could win if lots of people didn’t take part. So well done her. Night night for now and catch you tomorrow. 🙂

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    • Thank you, Laura! Will look forward to your comment tomorrow! And I appreciate the kind words about my daughter and her college rowing team. Yes, competing in itself is great — plus the team camaraderie, the time management of juggling a sport and academic work, etc. She had a lot of winning in high school, so there can be a lesson in tougher times.

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    • Thank you, Martina! Definitely a topic we see in real life, too. 😦 I also had trouble thinking of a lot of fictional examples, which explains why my post this week is on the short side. 🙂 “The Good Earth” IS a great novel.

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  6. An excellent topic for our times. I’ve read Pearl S. Buck’s “The Good Earth,” but missed the sequel “Sons.” No similar fictional character comes to mind, though the fictional stories we tell are filled with the mischief and cruelty of such privileged miscreants.

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  7. Kind of hard-pressed for an apposite comment, especially considering that, in real life, I much prefer my children’s over their mother’s character and general attitude towards society. That aside, A House Full of Daughters by Juliet Stevenson (I mentioned it in a comment to another post) does seem to do justice to the theme, portraying generations of daughters who, if not always worse than their mothers, broadly failed to be better than them.

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    • Thank you, Dingenom! Certainly some children (in real life and in novels) are more appealing and admirable than their parents; Huck Finn, a kid with both a conscience and a problematic father, is one fictional character who comes to mind. And I appreciate the “A House Full of Daughters” example!

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