Inherit The Wind Drummond Character Analysis

The play, Inherit the Wind, has helped readers realize that “Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won't come in” (Asimov). This is clearly shown though the prejudice that Henry Drummond had to face throughout the story. Drummond was to defend Darwin’s Theory in a highly religious town. This exposed Drummond to unreasonable judgement since the town was not open-minded to new opinions. His positive character traits, hidden by the author due to the setting, are subject to the comprehension of the readers ability to see between the lines. In doing so, one can clearly see that he is an admirable character. The admiralty of Drummond’s character complies to his ability to respect other …show more content…
In this case, Drummond is very skilled at dealing with difficult court cases, since, “he is famous for taking on cases that most lawyers wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole” (shmoop.com). Especially in Inherit the Wind, where he is to defend evolutionism in a very religious and creationist town, he takes a large risk of losing. Despite these odds, he takes on the court case. This is very admirable because he gives a voice to those who do not have a platform to share their opinions on evolutionism, considering it was very controversial in a religious town. In the end, although he did not win the court case, he managed to make many citizens lean towards his views, despite the fact that they were bias. He was able to turn the tables against someone who holds high regards in the town (Brady), even though there was a huge bias against Drummond. Prior to this, Drummond says, “Someday I’m going to get me an easy case. An open-and-shut case. I’ve got a friend up in Chicago. Big lawyer. Lord how the money rolls in! You know why? He never takes a case unless it’s a sure thing” (Lawrence and Lee 109). This shows how Drummond is skillful enough to take difficult court cases, despite the option of not taking them. Even though he could make more money like his friend, who does not take on all the court cases, he chooses not to follow this. This makes him admirable because it is evident that he does his job for the sake of …show more content…
This regard for different opinions and view shows the respect he has for people who express their own ideas. This is evidently shown through his open-minded attitude, for his willingness to hear the other side of things shows his derision for a narrow mind. While other lawyers decide to not take on burdensome court cases in order to make more money, Drummond decides to take them on in order to expand his knowledge on controversial topics and set a platform for those who want to share their opinions. One can clearly see that Drummond is in fact an admirable character, for his positive character traits of respectfulness, open-mindedness, skillfulness clearly depict who he is, despite the town people’s bias. As George Eliot once said, “It is a narrow mind which cannot look at a subject from various points of