Inherit the Wind
by Jerome Lawrence, Robert E. Lee

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Book Reviews of Inherit the Wind

Book Review: The fictional version of the famous Scopes "Monkey" trial
Summary: 5 Stars

The Scopes "Monkey" Trial did not pop up in American history books until the late 1950s after the debut of "Inherit the Wind," and many early descriptions followed the play rather than actual events despite the fact that changes are numerous. Unlike Scopes, who was persuaded to be a test case, Bert Cates takes it upon himself to violate the law, becoming a pariah in the town of Hillsboro. The citizens of the town in the play have much more of a lynch mob mentality (which is played up even more in Stanley Kramer's 1960 film version), but the centerpiece for both the historical drama and the theater version is the cross-examination of one lawyer by another before the media and the world.

Whereas Darrow had a weekend to practice his examination of Bryan, Drummond is suddenly inspired to put Brady on the stand. The cross-examination in "Inherit the Wind" most notably differs from the Scopes trial transcript in that Drummond is required to confine his questions only to the subject of the Bible, where as Darrow could ask not only about the miracles in the Bible but explore Bryan's knowledge of various sciences and non-Christian religions as well. Drummond insists that "it takes a very smart fella to say 'I don't know the answer,'" which, ironically, is what Bryan repeatedly responded to Darrow on the witness stand in Dayton.

The character of E.K. Hornbeck, the cynical observer, has such an extreme view of the proceedings that he forces the audience, whether viewing or reading the play, to take a more moderate position. Ultimately, the judgment here is of "Brady" and "Drummond." Brady is portrayed as a foolish fundamentalist, whose chief sin is ignorance more than bigotry. In contrast, Drummond is a religious atheist, who finds the right to think to be holy. When Drummond leaves at the play's conclusion he puts the Bible and a copy of Darwin into his satchel together, suggesting an equality of sorts that neither character, in the drama or in history, ever espoused. There was such a figure of reconciliation during the trial, defense lawyer Dudley Field Malone, but he remains the most forgotten figure of the trial as the idea of the compatibility between Genesis and evolution has come to be rejected more and more by both sides.

Lawrence and Lee's fictionalized account of the Scopes trial was not only the first major work to touch on the Monkey trial after World War II, it was the most significant in terms of public knowledge about the trial. Certainly more people have seen the film or television movie versions of "Inherit the Wind" than have read all the books on the Scopes trial combined. Whatever disclaimers are provided to the contrary, the play's version of what happened in "Hillsboro" is accepted as either being true or close enough to the truth to make the differences inconsequential. When Susan Epperson challenged Arkansas' Rotenberry Act journalists actually invoked "Inherit the Wind" rather than the Scopes Trial as their point of reference.

Furthermore, the "Inherit the Wind" dramatization has never been challenged. Scopes admitted the film "altered the facts of the real trial," but focused on the "small liberties" of suggesting he had been jailed and met his future wife during the trial. Overall, Scopes declared that the film version "captured the emotions in the battle of words between Bryan and Darrow." In the final analysis that idea of "emotions" may be the best way of capturing the essence of the Scopes myth; it is a version of the Scopes trial that is shaped and colored by emotions rather than by factors or logic. After all, when the play premiered the Butler Act was still on the books in Tennessee.

It was not until the vote by the Tennessee legislature to repeal the Butler Act, after the supreme court decision in Epperson vs. Arkansas, that "Inherit the Wind" became more history that rhetoric, although certainly the rhetorical dimension has, to some extent, been subsumed by the theatricality of the piece. After all, from Paul Muni and Ed Begley to Spencer Tracy and Frederic March to Jason Robards and Kirk Douglas to Jack Lemmon and George C. Scott the play has been a dramatic showcase for its two male leads. Perhaps it is for that reason that it will remain a staple of high school and community theaters rather than for the resonance it brings to current events regarding the teaching of evolution in American schools. Furthermore, you can argue that the touchstone for the play is now more the separation of church and state than the original issue of evolution. What is not in dispute is that "Inherit the Wind" has become a rare instance of fiction that has assumed the mantle of fact.

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