Inherit the Wind Essay

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Henry Drummond is an acclaimed criminal-defense lawyer and recognized agnostic, so how could a man such as this respect and appreciate the life of the fundamentalist Christian Matthew Harrison Brady? Throughout the play Inherit the Wind Drummond demonstrates that though his opinions are much different than Brady and many of the townspeople of Hillsboro when it comes to religion, he is able and willing to respect these people’s values and beliefs. After being told of Brady’s death, Drummond’s respect for the man only seems to intensify. Despite Drummond and Brady’s evident past concerning both their old friendship and contrasting views on religion, Drummond still has a fair amount of respect for Brady, and though this does not affect the trial, it does affect the play. In Brady’s death, it becomes apparent how important Brady was in Drummond’s life, proven with much of what he says, but one line more than the rest. As E.K. Hornbeck picks fun at Brady after his passing, Drummond defends his old friend, “But Matt Brady got lost. Because he was looking for God too high up and too far away.” (114). What Drummond means to say could be interpreted in many different ways, the first, and probably least likely, considering Drummond’s beliefs, could be Brady’s presidential career, or rather lack of. Perhaps Drummond assumes that Brady thought that with power came the ability to become closer with God. Brady had run for president three consecutive times, and it becomes clear how insane this makes Brady by looking at what he was thinking of in his dying moments, BRADY (As he is carried out; in a strange, unreal voice) Mr. Chief Justice, Citizens of these United States, During my term in the White House, I pledge to carry out my program for th... ... middle of paper ... ...he courtroom, it would have been much more confusing for the reader and audience. In spite of Drummond and Brady’s complicated history, neither become unprofessional and bring up the matter in the courtroom or let it interfere much with the play. Drummond still has much respect for Brady as a thinking man despite their complicated background. With Brady’s death, Drummond comes to highly value the life of Matthew Harrison Brady. The reader or audience can see what Henry Drummond means when saying that Brady became lost because “he was looking for God too high up and too far away” by looking at both Brady and Drummond’s beliefs. Though their history is not the smoothest, neither man allows it to enter the courtroom. Inherit the Wind is an amazing play and it’s characters are well developed full of good opinions and strong personalities. Works Cited Inherit the Wind

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