Inherit The Wind Analysis

490 Words1 Page

Inherit the Wind
Inherit the Wind, by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, shows the importance of freedom of speech and thought. The conflict in this drama was between the evolutionists and the creationists. Throughout the play every character voices their opinion on their views of evolutionism and creationism, and they explained their point of view. The phrase, inherit the wind, means that anyone who causes trouble and/or problems, anywhere and at anytime, is asking for and causing trouble and/or problems for himself and the community. In the book, Matthew Harrison Brady and Reverend Brown thought Bertram Cates was “inheriting the wind”. When Cates expressed his beliefs and taught Darwin’s theory of evolution, he was arrested and put in jail. …show more content…

His determination to teach evolution outweighed his concern about violating the law. Brady and Reverend Brown were characters who expressed that the unconventional ideas of evolution would disrupt the communities creationist views. The conflict between Henry Drummond, Cates defense attorney, and Brady was more than a disagreement between two men and their beliefs, they represented the different views that existed within American society. Unlike Cates who stated his belief in Darwinism, most people in the community were scared to voice their thoughts on evolution. If you have to worry about being arrested because of what you say or think, you might find yourself saying or thinking less and less until you are not saying or thinking anything anymore. Being scared to think was reflected in the book when Rachel Brown, the reverend’s daughter, said, “You see, I haven’t really thought very much. I was always afraid of what I might think—so it seemed safer not to think at all. But now I know. A thought is like a child inside our body. It has to be born. If it dies inside you, part of you dies too!” (124). Fear of expressing what you truly believe had taken over the community of Hillsboro. Rachel shares with Cates and Drummond how she felt restricted on what she could

Open Document