In his mid thirties, E.K. Hornbeck is a brilliant newspaper columnist for the Baltimore Herald and is sent to Hillsboro to cover Cates' trial. His character shares traits with H. L. Mencken, a newspaper columnist for the Baltimore Sun who covered the Scopes trial.
Brady is a caricature of the real-life prosecutor William Jennings Bryan.
member Clarence DarrowHenry Drummond Each attorney is a master of rhetoric, but Drummond is the noblest of the two. Henry Drummond, patterned after famed lawyer and ACLU member Clarence Darrow, is not motivated by publicity (unlike his real-life counterpart).
Noah Beery Jr.Noah Beery Jr.: John Stebbins Jump to: Photos (2)
The character of E. K. Hornbeck is modeled on that of H. L. Mencken, who covered the trial for The Baltimore Sun, and the character of Bertram Cates corresponds to Scopes.
In this scene, Brady is transformed from a strong, confident leader to a pathetic, floundering fool. In his public humiliation and the destruction of his credibility, he becomes a tragic character. Brady wins the case, but his victory is bitter.
His arrogance and pride cause him to ignore Davenport's objections to Drummond's unorthodox request and to foolishly take the witness stand in order to " . . . speak out . . . on behalf of the Living Truth of the Holy Scriptures." This act of hubris causes Brady to lose those things he holds most dear.
Drummond argues that testimony of scientists in this case is no different from testimony of forensics experts in a murder case. Drummond then asks the judge whether he would admit testimony on the Bible. When the judge agrees to allow such testimony, Drummond calls Brady to the stand.
What kind of a man does E.K. Hornbeck appear to be? E.K. Hornbeck appears to be snobbish conceited, full of himself, arrogant and sarcastic.
When Stebbins drowned in a local river, Rachel's father preached that the boy would suffer eternal damnation because his parents never had him baptized. Upset both by the death of the boy and the preacher's reaction, Cates stopped going to church.
Henry Drummond FRSE FGS (17 August 1851 – 11 March 1897) was a Scottish evangelist, biologist, writer and lecturer.
The authors of Inherit the Wind (Jerome Lawrence and Robert Lee) originally claimed that the publication was not to be taken as historically accurate. However, few would argue that this so-called tale of fiction is none other than a very poor rendition of the famous Scopes Trial.