| Research Paper | Inherit the Wind | | Ronald Ma | 103945967 |

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Research Paper: Inherit the Wind
“Inherit the Wind” is a film that addresses the age old debate on evolution vs creationism, and is based off of the Scopes Trial back in 1925. The film takes set in a fundamentalist town, Hillsboro, where a teacher, Bertram Cates, is being held on trial for introducing some of Darwin’s theories of evolution to the kids in his class. Although being a very old film, it reveals a lot of the crucial problems and issues with society that is even apparent in today’s societies. The town of Hillsboro is depicted as a place filled with narrow minded people who blindly follow their statesman, Matthew Brady. Throughout this film, many reoccurring themes are seen. The many themes including but not limited to: individualism, fundamentalism, free speech, critical thinking and progress. When watching this film, the audience is immediately presented with two clear sides that are at conflict. During the post discussion held in class, a classmate pointed out that many problems in today’s society stem from religion, and that many international conflicts are caused because of religion. While this argument certainly has it merits, I do not believe this is the main focal point the film is trying to depict. There is no doubt that religion causes a split in the community but that is only because of how the individuals choose to interpret and relay their sacred and biblical readings. The problem lies with how religious followers and they should learn to adapt to modern times and stay open minded. One of the major themes that the film really focuses on is individualism vs fundamentalism. What the film depicts is basically the buildup, then the breakdown of a fundamentalist society. The town of Hillsboro is an exaggerated representation of the fundamentalist mentality, as the thought process and ideals are all very linear and strictly set in stone. The clearest example of a person having a fundamentalist mentality is Matthew Brady. He plays the role of an authoritative figure that plays a big role in leading the town. Brady has said “Everything in the Bible should be accepted, exactly as it’s given there.” The fact that the town’s leader figure is promoting a literal interpretation of the Bible discourages any sort of individualism and free thinking. Another example of fundamentalism is the fact that the town all attends a single church. Every single person in Hillsboro basically conforms to one way of thinking without a thought or a question. They are seen blindly following Brady, who claims to be a messenger from god. The struggle that Brady is experiencing with the trial, is also representing the struggle that fundamentalism has with progression in society. Fundamentalism is a mentality that grasps and holds onto very traditional and old fashioned thought processes. A theme that is often brought up in the film is the idea of free thinking and free speech. Drummond talks about the idea of free thinking, and that the ability to critically think should not be illegal. Before the trial of Cates, free thinking was not a subject that was ever brought up in this town. The people of Hillsboro have followed what the Bible and Brady have said to do all this time without a question. An example of this can be seen when Reverend Brown put up a banner that read “Read Your Bible” at the start of the trial. When people see something like this happen, they take on a mob mentality, where they all follow suite and do as they see. This is a prime example of a society where critical and free thinking is very lacking. Hillsboro can be used as a non-violent comparison to modern day conflicts, where religion is the source of the problem. A lot of the hostility and conflicts would not have appeared if religious followers possessed the ability to freely think rather than blindly follow. Religious leaders can often be held responsible for the lack of free thinking. In this film, one can make the argument that Brady and the town seem oppressive. When a person has such big influence on a community, they end up being a huge driving force in how they turn out. Free speech is also something that is constantly being discouraged throughout this film. Being told what you can or cannot do is something that shows how free speech is frowned upon. The town is so against free speech that they have a law that prohibits the teaching of Darwin’s theory of evolution in place of creationism. Since fundamentalism is usually based around religious connotations, it is no wonder the war between creationism and evolution is so prominent in this film. Through the entire film, it is made clear that the town only follows and believes one theory, and that is creationism. An article has posted results from a poll in 2007 that says only 13% of Americans believe in the theory of evolution. Unfortunately, during the time of the poll, there were states that were similar to Hillsboro in a less exaggerated way. There were places that prohibited the discussion and teachings of evolution just like in “Inherit the Wind”, which explains why the results were so one sided. It is important whenever someone studies a subject as sensitive as the origin of living things, that they keep an open mind. Being narrow minded is often a result of being frightened of the unknown. The cause of the townsfolk narrow mindedness is none other than Brady. Being the persuasive figure that he is, he never gave the people in Hillsboro the chance and exposure to the other ideals and theologies that were out there. A subtheme that popped up in the film was Brady’s pride. His pride and his need for face, was a deciding factor in his ultimately downfall. Brady’s pride is so important to him that accepting defeat was simply not an option, which led to the tragic end to his character. His pride is what prevented him from becoming more open minded because religion was all he had.

The importance of open mindedness cannot be stressed more as a very crucial part of acceptance and normal part of society. This film is an example of what would happen if a community was to remain closed minded and not learn to accept that there are other points of view out there. A perfect example of a thriving character with a very open mind is Drummond. Drummond is the lawyer for Cates who is trying to defend him in the trial. His social stature is early revealed to the audience when he first arrives in Hillsboro, attracting a lot of negative attention. Drummond is known to be a very controversial character in this film due to the ideals and point of views that he stands for. Drummond is a character in the film that personifies progressiveness and open mindedness. Brady is shown saying to Drummond how far he has moved away from him, but Drummond responds by saying “Perhaps it is you who has moved by standing still.” This piece of brief conversion between the two characters is very powerful in its meaning. This piece of dialogue embodies what Brady is scared of – change. Hillsboro is a town that is actively trying to fight against progression since fundamentalism is often tied with old fashioned beliefs. Progression is something everybody, and every community needs to embrace, they simply cannot always live in the past. Drummond also demonstrates immense open mindedness throughout the whole film. A perfect example would be a quote from him when he says “The bible is an important book, but it is not the only book.” Although being an outside, Drummond recognizes the importance of the Bible and what it stands for, however it is not the only book that can answer some of life’s important questions. The difference in being open and narrow minded can be seen if you compare Drummond with the rest of the townspeople. This can easily be seen in the courtroom, where nobody but Drummond and Cates sees how absurd the situation has become.
Many things can be taken away from this film, whether it’s the importance of progression, or the need to be open minded. But one major lesson to be learned from this film ironically is that individualism is key for a community to grow as a whole. We often blame religion for many of the problems that arise today, but the real issue lies with the people that worship those religions. People who practice religion should learn to keep an open mind and to take religious text with a grain of salt and to not interpret the writings literally. The roles of leaders, whether its religious or political, are extremely important especially in communities where individualism has not been completely defined. These leaders are often seen as role models and their actions heavily impact the views and ideals of the rest of the community. In order for society to progressively become a more peaceful and accepting place, both leaders and followers must learn to keep an open mind and learn to think for themselves and not to blindly follow others.

References
“Most Americans Don’t Believe in Evolution” http://web4.uwindsor.ca/users/w/winter/Film.nsf/6d8ffcfd02afe81e8525730600490ed8/823dbc3e15704ffd852578230078d7a6/$FILE/Inherit_Creationism.pdf
“Lecture Overhead Notes” http://web4.uwindsor.ca/users/w/winter/Film.nsf/6d8ffcfd02afe81e8525730600490ed8/823dbc3e15704ffd852578230078d7a6/$FILE/Inherit%20The%20Wind_Key_Points_Lecture.pdf
“Review Article on Inherit the Wind” http://web4.uwindsor.ca/users/w/winter/Film.nsf/inToc/823DBC3E15704FFD852578230078D7A6?OpenDocument
“Variety Review” http://web4.uwindsor.ca/users/w/winter/Film.nsf/6d8ffcfd02afe81e8525730600490ed8/823dbc3e15704ffd852578230078d7a6/$FILE/Inherit_Variety.proquest.pdf
“Texas Improves on Strengths and Weaknesses Language in Science Standards on Teaching Evolution” http://www.discovery.org/a/9851