Inherit the Wind: Act 2, Scene 2 Summary & Analysis

The scene opens in the courtroom, two days later; Brady is examining Howard, a student of Cates’, at the witness stand. Howard testifies that Cates taught, in class, that: millions of years ago, the earth was very warm and populated only by “cells”; that man is a mammal; and that man “evolved from Old World monkeys,” which themselves evolved from lower forms of animal life. Brady laughs at this response, and says that Cates was not even patriotic enough to have humans descended from “New World” monkeys. Brady asks if Howard was taught, by Cates, any Creation stories from Genesis, and Howard says he was not.

Brady makes a speech to the courtroom crowd, not just to the jurors, saying that Howard, if allowed to continue to be taught evolution, will one day become a Godless young man, with all his faith torn from him. The crowd reacts warmly to Brady’s impromptu remarks as Drummond takes his turn to cross-examine Howard.

Drummond asks Howard whether it’s wrong that Darwin thought up his theory of evolution—the Judge temporarily stops Drummond, saying that one’s right to think is not on trial in the courtroom, but Drummond counters that Cates’ right to think is in fact on trial. Drummond then rephrases, and asks Howard if Howard believes that his learning about evolution has hurt his pitching arm, or caused him no longer to obey his parents. Howard seems confused, but admits that Cates’ teaching had no impact on these things.

Drummond then asks Howard, whose father is a farmer, if his father’s tractor was mentioned in the Bible, or their family’s telephone—implying that some scientific items simply exceed the scope of religion. But Brady objects here, saying that Drummond is confusing Howard on purpose, but Drummond counters that Brady is the one influencing the jury with his own personal, Christian conception of what is true and right. Drummond states that Hillsboro in general wishes to impose one theory of truth on a man, Cates, who chooses to think otherwise about the nature of the earth’s creation.

Howard is excused by the Judge, and Rachel is brought to testify. Brady begins questioning her, asking if she and Cates attend the same church. Rachel responds that Cates has not gone to church for two years, ever since a boy named Tommy Stebbins accidentally drowned. Cates had been tutoring Stebbins in science and believed that Stebbins had an aptitude for scientific inquiry. Cates was also angered that, because Tommy was not baptized, Rachel’s father refused to comfort Tommy’s family after his death, saying he did not die in a “state of grace.”

Cates, impassioned in the courtroom, yells out that religion is supposed to provide comfort—he is still angry for the discomfort and sadness that Brown’s judgment of Tommy, after Tommy’s death, caused Tommy’s family and others in Hillsboro. Brady asks that Cates’ interruption be stricken from the record.

Brady then questions Rachel about some of the things Cates said to her, in private, regarding the nature of God and religion. Drummond objects that these discussions are hearsay and therefore not admissible as evidence, but the Judge permits Brady to continue questioning.

Rachel admits that Cates said to her, once, that “God created man in his image—and man, being a gentleman, returned the compliment.” Brady implies that Cates also made comments, to Rachel, about marriage between humans being no different from the sexual unions between other animals. These comments bring Rachel to tears and shock the courtroom, who believe that Cates’ words, though sensible from an agnostic standpoint, are vulgar and irreligious.

Although Drummond wishes to cross-examine Rachel, Rachel is so upset that Cates asks Drummond simply to let her leave the box, which Drummond does. Davenport and the prosecution rest—meaning they have no further witnesses to call against Cates. It is now the defense’s turn to call their witnesses for Cates.

Drummond proceeds to call a professor of zoology from the University of Chicago to the stand, to explain the theory of evolution to the courtroom. But Brady objects, and the Judge admits he can see no reason to allow such an expert to speak—Brady claims that the Hillsboro anti-evolution law forbids even the explanation of evolution in a courtroom—just like in a classroom.

The Judge seems to agree with Brady, saying that the experts’ testimony—and Drummond has brought along fifteen experts to testify to the various biological, archeological, and geological facets of evolution—has no bearing on Drummond’s case.

Drummond has “hit a roadblock,” and though he believes that Cates’ right to teach evolution would be bolstered by a testimony of the scientific basis for this theory, the Judge counters that, because Hillsboro already has a law banning the teaching of evolution, the case can only try the question of whether or not Cates in fact taught evolution—which of course he did.

Drummond is flummoxed, but he asks if he could call to the stand an expert witness with knowledge of the Holy Bible—Brady, his opponent. Drummond is pursuing a stratagem that he is inventing on the fly—the Judge, though he considers Drummond’s question unorthodox, believes it is allowable for Brady, the prosecutor, to testify as a witness, and Brady takes the stand.

Drummond gets Brady to admit that, although he is an expert on the Bible, with many passages “committed to memory,” he has never read Darwin. Drummond begins making a reference to Darwin, but Davenport again objects, saying only Bible questions may be asked—Drummond says he “gets the scent in the wind” and vows to stick to a biblical line of inquiry.

Drummond asks Brady if Brady believes in the Bible as the literal truth, always—Brady answers that he does. Drummond asks Brady whether Brady believes literally in the truth of the story of Jonah and the whale, wherein Jonah is swallowed by a whale—Brady says that he does.

Drummond asks Brady, then, about Joshua, who in the Bible is claimed to have made the sun stand still. Brady argues that this, too, literally happened, and when Drummond answers that this is opposed to every known natural scientific law, Brady counters that natural law was created in the mind of God, therefore God can do with it as he pleases.

Drummond then asks Brady whether the sex that ancient Bible fathers engaged in with their wives, which Brady considers an Original Sin (for Brady, all sex is Original Sin)—means that these Bible fathers themselves were both holy men and sinners. At this, Brady appears frustrated, believing that Drummond is trying to twist his words to suit Drummond’s own ends.

But Drummond counters that Brady is not willing to concede to men the things that makes them human at all—the privilege to think. Drummond states that advances in science and technology are products of men’s thought, which, if God created man in whatever form, God surely intended that man have—in other words, a Christian God created a thinking man in order that man might think. This speech of Drummond’s garners increased applause from the audience, and Brady appears somewhat defensive and flummoxed by Drummond’s offensive.

Drummond shows Brady a rock, with a fossilized marine creature inside, saying that the rock and creature both lived millions of years ago. But Brady claims that a Christian bishop determined that the earth was created in 4004 BC, meaning that no rock can be older than about 6000 years old.

Drummond continues in this line—he asks whether, in the first days of creation, these days lasted 24 hours or some longer amount of time. Brady admits that he does not know how long these first seven days actually lasted, and Drummond seizes upon this lack of knowledge, stating that these “days” of creation each could have lasted as long as ten million years—meaning that both the “Creation” story and science could be compatible, if the Creation story were not taken literally.

Brady has no quick answer for Drummond, but Davenport yells, objecting to the Judge, that Drummond is trying to ruin this Christian audience and convince them not to believe in God. Drummond counters, however, that he merely wishes to keep the schools from teaching their students incorrect factual information about the beginning of the world.

Brady says Drummond is attacking the Bible, but Drummond answers that the Bible is a good book—and not the only good book. He says that Darwin’s writing are also good, but Brady says Darwin is evil, and implies that he, Brady, is informed by God what to read and what not to read. This exposes Brady’s vanity—Drummond draws out and highlights the idea, espoused by Brady himself, that Brady has a special connection with God—and the crowd begins to laugh at Brady’s pomposity.

Brady becomes extremely upset, as Drummond states that only Brady is allowed to determine what is right and wrong, not just for himself, based on his religious beliefs, but for others—excluding Cates from making the same choices about what is right and wrong for him. Drummond stops his questioning and says Brady can be dismissed; Brady gasps as the Judge excuses him from the stand, and Brady begins, nearly overcome with rage and embarrassment, naming the books of the Bible in succession.

Davenport attempts to have this whole testimony stricken from the record, while Brady is led by a consoling Mrs. Brady away from the court—Brady tells his wife that he cannot stand it when the crowd laughs at him, as it has just done. The Judge adjourns the court until the next day at ten in the morning.