preview

The, Inherit The Wind, By Jerome Lawrence And Robert E. Lee

Good Essays
Those who have studied history, both in school or professionally, will know that history is just a transcript of time. In every second, of every minute, of every hour, of every day, change occurs. All turning points in history, such as the fall of Rome, or the Industrial Revolution, or the Columbian Exchange, are just periods of time where change was taking place at a quick tempo. The 1920s are also a turning point in the history of America; in that decade, the United States emerges victorious from the brutality of World War I, the nineteenth amendment that allows women to vote is ratified, and social norms are challenged. Those that could adapt to the changing times would flourish in post-war America, whereas those that could not depart…show more content…
The aversion the citizens have for Drummond is overturned, however, when Drummond exposes Brady’s reluctance to compromise and embrace advancement. Brady claims that the Bible should be analyzed literally, so, to counter him, Drummond brings up several examples from the Bible that are not scientifically possible, and rather than accepting that some of his viewpoints may have been outdated by science, Brady resolutely forges forth with his interpretation of the Bible. His focus on following his disproven ideals against logic ruins his credibility and, as a result, he is somewhat shunned. The play’s stage directions after Brady becomes discredited state, “DRUMMOND moves out of the courtroom, and most of the crowd goes with him; Reporters cluster tight about DRUMMOND, pads and pencils hard at work. BRADY sits, ignored, on the witness chair…” (Lawrence and Lee 102). The inhabitants of Hillsboro start to side more with Drummond because he shows that he is open to differing viewpoints and change. (Drummond isn’t completely against the Bible, he states, “The Bible is a book. A good book. But it’s not the only book” (Lawrence and Lee 98).) Eventually, the jury also determines that Drummond’s logic and incorporation of new ideas is more logical than Brady’s refusal to accept any new theories. They determined that Cates was guilty because he does teach evolution, but they only gave him a small fine, which shows their support for the progressive
Get Access