Inherit the Wind Response – Laura Glucksman
Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee has an intriguing plot that focuses a court case involving a curious teacher just trying to do his job. He is not a criminal, but in his town, his ideas are considered blasphemy and the townspeople want him silenced.
The town is an integral part of this play. Hillsboro is a small town, and the fundamentalist view of creation is held by most of the townspeople. Anyone who goes against that is considered a bad person especially if it is a teacher who is instructing their children with lessons that oppose the citizens’ deeply-held beliefs. In a large city, it is more likely that there will be people with a variety of beliefs, and therefore more tolerance of differences.
The characters in this play do not hold the victor or loser role throughout the play. That changes as the play progresses. For example, Matthew Harrison Brady is deemed a hero in this small town, even though he repeatedly lost the presidential election. However, as the plot progresses, the townspeople’s regard for him fades, and he literally dies. Brady is also an interesting character because he acts like a child throughout the trial. He calls his wife “mother,” and he handles the trial very immaturely as when the final verdict is being rendered. Henry Drummond is deemed “evil” and is not welcome in Hillsboro at the beginning of the play. However, by the end of the play he is less disliked in the town because of the testimony of Brady. The supplementary characters like Rachel Brown play a crucial role in this play. Her father is Rev. Brown. He spreads the word of the Bible in the small town. Rachel, unlike most of the townspeople, thinks for herself. Rachel and Bert Cates have their own opinions that are not the same as most of the people in the town. They are foils for the townspeople.
The trial is not fair because the townspeople are afraid of supporting Darwin’s evolutionary theory. Drummond could not use any of his witnesses, but is able to win in practicality. While Bert Cates is found guilty, he is still released from jail, and his fine is paid by someone else.
The setting of the play during the summer is an important aspect because school is not in session, and the teachers can attend the trial. It also proves this trial is extremely important to the people of the town because the majority of them sit in the summer heat and witness the trial.
Inherit the Wind is a powerful play that is best understood in its historical context. It followed the Scopes trial, and the play seems to be a fictional account of the same issue-creationism vs. evolution. However, more important to Inherit the Wind is the idea that even people who firmly believe a certain way can change their opinions when presented with other ideas in a persuasive way.