Themes in Inherit the Wind

Themes express a main idea or message, making it beneficial to a work of literature. As one of the greatest courtroom clashes of the twentieth century, in Inherit The Wind, Jerome Lawrence and Robert Lee express several themes. By examining the freedom of thought, how looks can be deceiving,, and being open-minded, it is clear that themes are the most indispensable part of a work of literature. Furthermore, this paper will analyze how each theme is revealed and prove that themes are important and that something can always be taken out of literature.
To replicate, the modern learner can learn an exceptional number of lessons from various literature. One may argue that themes are not of importance when reading and understanding literature, but instead are not taken into consideration and are irrelevant. To access this issue, it is worth examining how the freedom of thought ties in with Inherit the Wind. The main example of freedom of thought is Rachel’s development regarding her independent thoughts. During the trial, Rachel informs Drummond about how she was always scared of her father as a child. She claims “but I was always more frightened of him that I was of falling.
It’s the same way now” (Lawrence and Lee, 55). However, after the trial comes to an end, she realizes that she has backed off from her father and can now have her own opinions on life. Her extreme growth and independence advanced her lifestyle and matured her greatly. Another prime example of how the theme of freedom of thought is implemented into the play is how Drummond is angered during the course of the trial.

He is angered in the courtroom while talking to Brady, as he explains that a man is on trial. Drummond becomes frustrated and shouts “A thinking man! And he is threatened with fine and imprisonment because he chooses to speak what he thinks “ (47). This is when the theme of the right to think becomes noticeable and really gets its value. Moreover, this shows how passionate Drummond is about this case and how much he values ones right to think. Consequently, the right to think is the most noticeable and valuable theme from this particular story, proving themes in general are indispensable in literature.
Secondly, the message of being an open minded individual is a magnificent topic the two authors express in the play. “Have an open mind and the world is yours” is an excellent quote stated to children at a young age, and there is a truth behind it. Intellectual curiosity is an extremely beneficial skill one should master as it teaches you the other side of the story.
The topic of open mindedness is shown in the play several times, spread throughout each act. Brady and Reverend Brown are two individuals that are considered close minded, as they were not able to see beyond their own religion. In the courtroom, Henry Drummond requests to bring around a dozen scientific professionals up to the stand, but the Judge with the help of Brady denies all of them. This shows the bias of the creationist community. Additionally, it expresses
In addition, the theme of how looks can be deceiving is another unique topic Lawrence and Lee attempt to reveal in Inherit The Wind. Looks can be deceiving is another way of saying that people are not always what they seem to be. When one first looks at an individual, they might have negative assumptions that are usually not accurate, but as you spend time and get to understand and know the person, they may end up being a good friend of yours.
The theme of how looks can be deceiving is expressed in the play when Drummond is first seen as a sinner, however gains extreme popularity and in reality, wins the trial. His dedication and dominance over Matthew Harrison Brady proved that creationism is not always correct, and that evolution has a high degree of meaning in general. A very similar pattern occurs with Brady; he begins the case viewed as a superstar, but in reality, ends up losing his fans and loses his confidence that he had always seem to have. This proves that looks can be deceiving because everyone always thought that Brady was a hero, but ends up losing audience.