Literary Analysis: "Inherit the Wind"

Can moral obligations be blinded by religious views? For some, the sense of religious pride reigns stronger than the moral belief. In the beginning, citizens of Hillsboro from the novel Inherit The Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, acknowledged religion as something far more valuable than the moral truth. As the novel continues the prosecuting attorney, Matthew Harrison Brady, enters the scene which reveals the prejudice of the courtroom regarding the case of Bertram Cates. When Brady takes on the challenge, the exposure of excessive pride and boasting of recent cases won can be seen as a certain Dramatic Personality Disorder from a medical standpoint. Throughout the novel, more symptoms of the disorder are revealed through Brady, who continuously proves to have a Narcissistic Personality Disorder or otherwise known as NPD.

Classified as part of the Dramatic Personality Disorder, a Narcissistic Personality Disorder is based on the extremity of self-admiration. The origin of the specific personality disorder comes from the Greek root word “narcissism,” which is based on Greek mythology of Narcissus who was a man that fell in love with his own reflection in a pool of water. The cause of the illness is unknown, however professional mental health doctors believe the condition may be due to how a child was raised. When still in the adolescent years, excessive unconditional or an insufficient amount of love from the parents may be the cause of the disorder. Early signs of the mental illness can be spotted by adulthood. The majority of the people who are diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder show symptoms such as being conceited and garrulous by exaggerating achievements and goals that are unrealistic while ...

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...t the novel. Taking on the challenge to go against Drummond was a sign of having the mental illness, but as the court case continued the condition became more obvious and the fall of Brady becomes more conspicuous. As the fall of Brady went on, various other symptoms for the disorder became apparent which establishes the fact that NPD is present in Brady.

Works Cited

“Narcissistic Personality Disorder.” Cleveland Clinic. The Cleveland Clinic Foundation. N.P., 20 May 2005. Web. 19 May 2010.

Lawrence, Jerome, and Robert E. Lee. Inherit The Wind. United States: Random House, 1955. Print.

"A Critique of Inherit the Wind: Analyzing One of the Most Anti-Christian Films in History." Protestantism. Web. 02 June 2010.

"Narcissistic Personality Disorder: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia." National Library of Medicine - National Institutes of Health. Web. 02 June 2010.