Overzealousness In Inherit The Wind

In Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, we follow the trial of Bertram Cates; a man accused of violating a law that states that evolution cannot be taught in school. Cates is defended by Henry Drummond and the prosecuting attorney is Matthew Harrison Brady. This work can be compared to the real life trial of John Thomas Scopes in 1925, where Scopes was accused of the same crime. This play has many underlying themes, but only one principle theme. The principle theme appears to be the folly of overzealousness.
The folly of overzealousness is shown by the character Reverend Brown. Reverend Brown is the local reverend and also the father of Rachel. Brown is an extremely religious man, and when he leads the prayer meeting on the courthouse lawn his overzealousness is shown. Brown asks the prayers if they “call down hellfire on the man who has sinned against the word”(2.1.66), and he also tells the Lord that the people of Hillsboro “call down the same curse on those who ask grace for [Cates]”(2.1.66). Calling …show more content…
K. Hornbeck shows a lot of overzealousness. At the beginning of the play Hornbeck shows his overzealousness by not appreciating anything. Hornbeck sarcastically tells Mrs. Krebbs: “The unplumbed and plumbing-less depths! Ahhhh, Hillsboro―Heavenly Hillsboro. The buckle on the Bible Belt”(1.1.15). Hornbeck is mocking the religiousness of Hillsboro. At the end of the play, after Brady dies, Hornbeck makes remarks about Brady to Drummond. Hornbeck states that Brady was “A Barnum-bunkum Bible-beating bastard”(3. 125)! Hornbeck is so dedicated to being iconoclastic that he is refusing to admit that Brady was a good man. Also at the end of the play, Drummond mentions to Hornbeck that he “never pushed a noun against a verb except to blow up something”(3.127). This quote from Drummond suggests that Hornbeck does not seek the truth; rather, he zealous in attacking and criticizing. The folly of overzealousness is shown through the character E. K.