preview

Inherit The Wind Analysis

Decent Essays

Often times when reading, characters will seem as if they've been plucked straight from the real world and thrust into the plot of a story. Inherit the Wind by Robert Lee is a novel adaptation of a play that was originally written in 1955. Inherit the Wind focuses on the predominantly devout Christian town—Hillsboro. Bertram Cates, a school teacher labeled as an "evolutionist," is being prosecuted by a well-known and beloved politician—Matthew Harrison Brady. Consequently, a quick-witted and intelligent lawyer—Henry Drummond—comes to town to defend Cates and "the right to think." After reading Robert Lee's novel adaptation of Inherit the Wind, it was evident Rachel Brown and I possess some similar qualities and traits. For example, neither of us like to go against the popular belief, we try to be open-minded, and we are put under an abundance of pressure from our parents and society. Rachel Brown, one of the main characters in Lee's Inherit the Wind, is Cates' close friend and colleague. Her father—Reverend Jeremiah Brown—loathes the idea of evolutionism and is the judge for Cates' case. Furthermore, he pressures his daughter into having the same views and principles as him. Rachel is also expected by the rest of her town to support their beliefs. Similarly, I also am heavily influenced by parental expectations. I am supposed to be polite, intelligent, and I should never disagree with my parents. Much like Rachel, I am pressured to conform to society by not asking questions and to go along with authority. Additionally, as a student, I am expected to fit into certain cliques or stereotypes; Almost all student are labeled as "jocks," "geeks," or "popular." Sadly, we live in a society that, like Rachel's, is very narrow-minded. Along with the idea of conformity, anyone who has a thought that strays from the norm is labeled as "stupid" or "weird." Throughout the book, Rachel had the most character progression. Initially, Rachel was too scared to go against her father than to defend her friend. She tells Drummond about a recurring dream she had, "But I was more scared of him [her father] than falling (Pg. 55)." Ultimately, Rachel apologizes to Cates after the case and finally forms a stance of her own on

Get Access