The world that one lives in is often filled with illusions meant to deter one from finding out the reality of things, and discerning the reality from it’s appearance is a very challenging thing for one to do. In the play Inherit the Wind, written by both Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, one of the most prominent themes is that one must look beyond the surface of others to seek the truth. Despite living in a world where hiding behind false facades is typical, it is not until one meets people like Henry Drummond, Reverend Jeremiah Brown, and Matthew Harrison Brady that one realizes how distorted the pretense is from the truth.
First of all, Henry Drummond is a character who shows the city of Hillsborough and the reader that not everyone
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However, as the play progresses, one can clearly see that Henry Drummond is a kind-hearted gentleman who believes that everyone deserves a chance. When the entire town goes against Bertram Cates, including his very own girlfriend Rachel Brown, it is Drummond who shows his empathy and compassion by sticking beside Cates and even offering some very thoughtful and intellectual advice. His compassion is once again shown when Drummond states “ Bert Cates is a good man. Maybe even a great one. And it takes strength for a women to love such a man. Especially when he’s a pariah in the community” (Lawrence and Lee 49), while comforting a hysterical Rachel. In addition, as the trial comes to an end, Henry Drummond reveals that despite popular beliefs, one can be an evolutionist and a creationist as well. When Drummond calls Matthew Harrison Brady to be his witness, he is seen time and time again correcting Brady on his biblical references, thus showcasing his in-depth knowledge on the bible. Simultaneously, he is seen bringing up information present in Darwin’s Theory of Evolution and presenting it without the slightest bit of hesitation. Furthermore, …show more content…
He appears very confident, but in reality he is just a child who cannot handle the notion of defeat. Near the end of the trial, when Brady is questioned by Drummond on the witness stand, he completely loses it and recites as many biblical facts as could in his frenzie. As a result, the crowd laughs at his pathetic attempts of bring the courthouse back in his favour. Later, when the trial comes to an end, Brady is seen whining to his wife and crying, “Mother. They’re laughing at me, Mother!” (91). He goes even further by saying, “ I can’t stand it when they laugh at me!” (91). Hence, Brady’s reaction to the trial goes on to reveal his immature side and his fragile self-esteem. In addition to his immaturity, Brady is also a very cunning man. At first glance he seems to be a kind-hearted politician, but as the play progresses one can clearly see Brady’s more devious ways. He is seen using his charm on Rachel to gain valuable information about Cates, of which he plans on using against the accused during the trial. Infact, during the trial, he gets Rachel to come on the witness stand and through his well phrased questions, is able to get Rachel to reveal Cates secrets and twisting them to make Cates appear as a sinner. All in all, Brady’s childish yet crafty antics prove that Matthew Harrison Brady is not who he appears to
As a result, Drummond argument during the trial efficiently portrayed logical reasoning especially while examining Brady on the witness stand. in contrast with Brady, who only focused on the Bible and its literal meaning. Despite of the narrow support his argument offered, he was able strengthen his argument in favor of the juror due to religious and emotional appeal. Nevertheless, Drummond presented a stronger and effective argumentative
Inherit the Wind is a play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee that depicts the infamous Scopes Trial. The real names of the persons involved in the case were changed, however, the play recounts the same story. One journalist in the story, E.K. Hornbeck, who is closed-minded, a hypocrite, and very cynical proves that the religious community of Hillsboro is not the only one to be intolerant.
It is in times of adversity that individuals call upon their faith and question whether God has ‘heard [their] prayers’, whilst also hunting for the will to survive. It is in this notion, that Arthur Miller presents the ‘cold[ness]’ of the human spirit in his play The Crucible, arguing that the theocratic society of Salem in innately corrupt as he captures the intolerance nature of the Puritan theology. Likewise, Geraldine Brooks ‘novel of the plague’, Year of Wonders examines how in times of despair the ability of individuals to rise up and claim leadership, in attempt to ‘quarantine’ the village of Eyam and save neighbouring communities as exemplified by ‘preacher’ Michael Mompellion. Brooks and Miller also demonstrate the attitudes of the women in their plight to gain power and status in their respective villages. Year of Wonders and The Crucible further examine the need of redemption in an attempt to supress one’s conscience and ultimately their reputation in the village through the heroine nature of the protagonist Anna Frith and John Proctor. However, the portrayal of this concepts allows Brooks and Miller to present an altering perspective on the sacrifice required to attain true humanity in the face of despair.
Nathaniel Hawthorne and Arthur Miller both used their writings to comment on the state of the world at their current times. Miller’s Play The Crucible and Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter both share several similar concepts, despite the fact that they were written just over one hundred years apart. The Scarlet Letter is about a Puritan woman by the name of Hester Prynne, who has an illegitimate child (called Pearl) with the religious leader of the town, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. The Crucible is a play featuring the Puritan town of Salem, which is suffering through a hysterical, supernatural paranoia started by a vengeful adulteress named Abigail Williams. The similarities between these two texts have been compared and explored by many before, and three such explorations are investigated over the course of this paper.
Within today’s society, an individual’s morals determines how one is scrutinized, judged, and reprimanded. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, Abigail Williams is a character with compelling moral principles. Abigail’s disoriented moral constitution allows the theme, the detrimental effects of mass hysteria, to be constantly reassured throughout the play. Through the egotistical, manipulative, and deceitful rhetoric of Abigail Williams, Arthur Miller is successful in conveying how the spread of misinformation can tear apart a small town.
Brady himself, however, isn’t aware of that fact, and he asks Drummond, “Why is it, my old friend, that you have moved so far away from me?” To this Drummond replies, “All motion is relative. Perhaps it is you who have moved away--by standing still” (Lawrence and Lee 67). Drummond is commenting on how Brady is still stuck in the past, he gained popularity by sticking true to his Christian faith, and as a consequence, Brady does not embrace newer theories or allow new ideas such as evolution to discredit or even coexist with his faith. Drummond, however, embraces the the new concepts that are becoming widely accepted in American culture, so he, and not Brady, becomes idol to the people in
Bertram Cates is not a typical criminal. He is quiet and reserved and doesn’t to want to cause trouble or conflict. He is merely standing up for what he believes in and is doing his best to teach his students that there is more to the world than what the Bible states. He is viewed as unchristian and toxic by the locals. Both Drummond and Cates experience a struggle against mainstream society. Cates doesn’t try to stand up for himself too much, he actually is quite dependant on Drummond for support and direction. In the end, Cates is ironically more forgiving than his Christian counterparts. Cates’ role in the film is quite small in
The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, was not only a captivating play, but also a platform to fight against the iniquitous force of McCarthyism during the 1950s. Set in Salem, a town in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, the play dramatized the witch trials that brought widespread paranoia during 1692 to 1693. So to no one’s surprise, The Crucible and McCarthyism were juxtaposed. Since Arthur Miller wanted to criticize the acts of Senator Joseph McCarthy, he chose to express specific themes that appeared in both the play’s Puritan setting and in the United States. One of the major themes Arthur Miller wanted to convey through his work is the distrust of nature. In the remainder of this essay, I will be discussing the relationship of this theme to the play’s
As Deane asserts, the play is in many respects an intelligent and enlightening metaphor for the situation in Northern Ireland. The aims of raising cultural awareness and dispelling socio-political apathy in the North were central to
Moreover, the fake identity and lifestyle that the wealthy portray capture the reaction to knowing the truth and using it to dismiss it; this is necessary for the process of the characters to come to terms with accepting the truth and as a result having a new beginning captured by windows. Likewise,
One must always be weary of the truth because it is quite often manipulated to serve the needs of any person who requires that the truth be on their side. Quite often, the only way to discern the truth from the fiction is by way of a deceptive act, because an act of deception always exposes both its self and the truth to be two quite different things. Nowhere is this more true than in William Shakespeare's, Hamlet. One of the major themes in the play is in fact, deception. This central theme is expressed throughout the play in three major forms: the fear of being deceived, the act of deception, and the ultimate result of the deceptive act. The first facet of the deceptive
From the inside looking out or the outside looking in things may seem a lot different. Appearances can be deceiving, especially when the reality is not accepted. This is shown in Tennessee William's “A Streetcar Named Desire”, Shakespeare's “Much Ado About Nothing”, as well as Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird”. All three of these texts show an overall theme of appearance vs. reality. The appearance as perceived by those of these three pieces differs greatly from the reality and is shown through the illusions concealing the truth.
There’s plenty of meat and stuff in the freezer, and you can have it right here and not even have to move out of the chair’’’ (2). Mary only ever want to please Patrick. She made sure everything was perfect for him and to never do anything wrong. She could not think of anything she had done to deserve such news. She immediately rejected the news and decided to pretend as if it never happened. Patrick was behaving so cruel to her while she was being nothing but nice to him. She even continued to make him dinner and he yelled at her saying not to because he is going out. This angered Mary resulting her to hit him with the leg of lamb and kill him. This shows that Mary is a sympathetic character because she was always compliant to Patrick. He had no right to disrespect her as he did.
Arthur Miller has shown the influence of the beliefs perpetuated by society on the actions of women throughout the play. The play is set in Salem, Massachusetts, a Puritan community. Their society values the sense of community
According to Harold Bloom, Arthur Miller’s play there is a theme of an individual struggling to fit in a society. Such need is often exhibited by way of guilt of the characters, a sense of responsibility or lack of a sense of responsibility (Bloom 131).