Inherit the Wind review:1 stars (Distortion and Concealment) -
Please note, I think "Inherit the Wind", taken solely as a piece of drama, is a great play in all respects.
These comments are specifically about the SparkNotes guide to the play.

"Inherit the Wind" is NOT about the Scopes "Monkey" Trial - and the way in which this guide thoroughly confuses the two does a great disservice to anyone who reads it.

To fully understand the origins of the play you have to know that it was written, and ready for performance NOT in 1955, when it was finally produced on stage, and NOT in 1960, when it became a film, but in 1950. And here's why that is important:
In 1955, when the play appeared on Broadway, the McCarthy witch hunt had collapsed in ignomany six months or more in the past, and Senator Joseph McCarthy was no longer a threat to anyone. In 1960 McCarthy was not only out of politics - he had died approximately 3 years earlier.

BUT

In 1950, just writing this play was a major act of bravery, because the House UnAmerican Activities Committee was operating at full throttle. And Joseph McCarthy was one of the most powerful men in America, a man who could destroy people whole lives just by "suggesting" that they were, or had been, "commie sympathisers" - a part of the alleged "communist conspiracy".

Is it any wonder, then, that Lawrence and Lee took the precaution of dressing up their expose of McCarthyism - the bullying, the innuendo, the bigotry, the incitement to hatred and so on - as what was by then an almost forgotten event from the 1920's, 25 years before?

These notes are a disservice, in equal measure, because they confuse the events of the real life trial with the events in the play; and because they conceal the real motivation behind the writing of the play and the courage of the authors in daring to write the play at all *at that time*, and ignore the important messages that Lawrence and Lee wanted to get across, not only about intolerance in general, but also about McCarthyism in particular.

If you really want a study guide for "Inherit the Wind", I'd recommend the CliffsNotes version. It isn't perfect, but it's a whole lot better than this. 5 stars (What a play!!) - This is great playwrighting. A taut, exciting, play that raises important questions, it is still timely today, as Darwin's theory is still under attack by those who believe in Intelligent Design. Einstein once called Piaget's theory of child development "So simple, only a genius could think of it." So it is with Darwin. It has withstood countless attacks, and there has been no credible alternative theory proposed.

Well, back to the play. All the characters (except Rachel, the love interest, and her preacher father) are based on the main characters in the Monkey Trial. Some of the dialogue comes from the actual transcript of the trial, but most of it was written by Lawrence and Lee. Luckily, it is magnificently dramatic.

For those who want a more factual rendition of what went on in Dayton, read "Summer for the Gods", an excellent book that will fill in the gaps. Like the fledgling ACLU represented Scopes, not Darrow, who, quite to the ACLU's chagrin, decided to "offer" his services because of his opposition to Fundamentalists trying to insert religion in the public schools. (The ACLU saw it more as a free speech issue.) It is a fascinating book and should be read along with "Inherit the Wind" to get another perspective on what went on that summer.5 stars (A True Classic) - I didn't read Inherit the Wind in school. Maybe because I went to Catholic schools? But I can see why many people did and still do. This is a true classic, concerning a gigantic human and national issue, one which well defines America still.

Based on the Scopes Monkey Trial, this is a spectacular drama, full of people from the town of Hillsboro (a fictional setting) and outsiders, converging to witness the trial of a man who dared to teach or suggest Darwinian evolutionary theory, and the two lawyers who argue for the law of God (and here the law of the state) and the laws of Science, respectively.

This is an important, positive play because it is about choice. I wish I could have been part of a class discussion of the play, and to see how other people, especially kids take this story.

I read the Dramatists Play Service edition, which features extensive stage directions that take up equal space to the dialogue itself. The scope of the production is evident, with about 30 speaking parts and dozens of other bystandards. For this reason I wonder if another edition is less extensive...

But the stage directions can be skimmed, and if you are reading for the heart if it, they should be. The heart being the trial scenes themselves, particularly when defence attorney Henry Drummond cross examines his counterpart Matt Brady, an avowed Biblical expert.

Highly recommended. The kind of play and story I'd like to re-read once a year...
Inherit the Wind Features:
Author: Jerome Lawrence
Author: Robert E. Lee
Drama / American

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