-
Essay / Analysis of Brady's Complex Personality in Inherit The Wind
While watching Inherit the Wind, the audience leaves Jerome Lawrence and Robert Lee's play with such a conflict of emotions due to the constant change in the audience's point of view on Brady's character, and through the transformation of his personality from pride to delusion, and ultimately to a sense of shattered realization, the audience leaves the play with such a wheel of opinions that it is difficult to say 'interpret the character of Brady as a whole throughout the play. The playwrights present Brady to the audience, in the early parts of the play, as arrogant and proud; This initial sense of grandiloquence and self-confidence creates an elevated aura in Brady, thus making his fall from grandeur even more pronounced, while maximizing the contrast of his personality in the first and last parts of the play. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get an Original EssayPlaywrights achieve such effects by creating anticipation of Brady's arrival through the anxiety and excitement of the townspeople, manifesting in their conversations, such as “Imagine. Matthew Harrison Brady Comes Here…I Saw Him Once,” thereby immersing the audience in the townspeople’s almost pious opinion of Brady, conveyed by pride and disbelief at having “seen him once.” Upon his arrival, the townspeople's opinions of Brady appear to be justified by the eloquence and appeal of his speech, described as "When Brady speaks, there can be no doubt about his personal magnetism", made more vivid by the contrast with the clumsiness of the Mayor's Speech, 'Mr. President Wilson would never have made it to the White House,” using the absurdity of the double negative and colloquial language to present Brady in an even greater light. Brady is presented from the start as vain and obsessed with the playwrights due to his attitude that he will undoubtedly win the case, contrasting with the sympathy the audience feels for the modest and shy Bert Cates, whose language "(J 'try to cheer [Rachel] up You know something funny...you better not tell anyone how cool it is out there, otherwise we'll have a crime wave every summer', is light-hearted and human, although he finds himself in a troubling situation, thus providing a stark contrast to the self-centered and arrogant Brady. Despite the public's initial opinion of Brady's strong reputation and ability as a speaker, the grandiloquence and hubris of his combative appeals that "the whole world will watch our victory over Drummond", are somewhat undermined by his over-indulgence in matters of food - "it would be a shame to see them go to waste", leaving hear from the audience Brady's charisma and reputation as an orator, a sense of materialism and the dramatic irony of his and the Bible's hypocrisy, as depicted in scene 1. As the story progresses , the trial itself saw public support for Drummond and Cates grow due to the former's consideration and morality in court, compared to the patronizing and underhanded methods employed by Matthew Harrison Brady. The immediate contrast in personalities is displayed in the opening stage directions of Scene 2 between the modesty and directness of "Cates sits next to Drummond at a lawyer's table", compared to "Brady sits regally at another table", immediately displaying his arrogance, while "fanning himself with benevolent confidence", uses dramatic irony to paint a picture of Brady's false confidence and haughtiness, thus making the audience's opinion more pronounced on Brady's madness.The trial manifests Drummond's humility and kindness and their lack of Brady. When Howard is called to the stand in Act 2, Scene 1, he is described as "miserable in a starched collar and a Sunday suit", and therefore nervous about appearing in court. Brady's mannerisms and speech when speaking to Howard is, especially in comparison to Drummond, sly and harsh. Brady misrepresents Howard by saying, "With the dogs and the cattle in the fields: did he say that?" thus putting words into Howard's mouth, much to Drummond's disapproval - "about to protest the incitement of the witness", - yet Brady's deviousness is further manifested in, "(Howard swallows. Brady points to the boy.) I tell you, if "This law is broken, this boy will become one of a generation", which adds to the public's view of Brady a sense of cruelty and callousness to through his "showing" of a terrified young child, all just to try and advance his case. in court. This view is reinforced by the contrast with Drummond's mannerisms with Howard – "He punches Howard's right arm playfully" and "Drummond turns back to the boy in a pleasantly familiar manner" – providing a sharp contrast between the kind and lovable Drummond and the harsh and unethical Brady. The final stages of the play see Brady's fall from pride and arrogance, and the transformation of the audience's opinion of him from hatred of his pride to a feeling of sympathy for his weakness and fragility of spirit exposed. This change in the public's portrayal of Brady is the primary factor in the conflict of feelings in the public's mind between a sense of justice in the face of Brady's emotional loss and a pathetic light in the face of apparent inner turmoil. When Drummond calls Brady to the stand, the playwrights have him adopt an even more grandiose aura in his manner, as evidenced by "His air is that of a harmless, educated mathematician about to be quizzed by a schoolboy on questions short division". combined with the confident chiasmus of "I am more interested in the rock of ages than in the age of rocks", thus describing his self-assumed arrogance and superiority over Drummond. Thus, the playwrights evoke in the audience's mind an increased desire to knock Brady off his high horse, making more significant Brady's hesitant admission that there might be flaws in the Holy Bible – "It is …possible…” which, thanks to the use of ellipses. offers a stark contrast to Brady's apparent confidence and eloquence in signaling the beginning of the collapse of his case and his emotional strength, while the audience waits for the final nails to be hammered into Brady's coffin. As Drummond continues to refute and dismiss Brady and his case, the latter, in his emotional downfall, clings desperately to the list of books of the Bible before ending the scene in a pathetic and weak light - "I can't stand not when they laugh.” mine'... Mrs. Brady rocks gently back and forth, as if rocking a child to sleep' - leaving the audience in a conflict of sense of justice while simultaneously evoking a sense of sympathy for the injured Brady . As court resumes the next day and sentence is pronounced, Brady, "in relative obscurity", protests the decision and begins another Bible-fueled speech, "from the sacred hills of Mount Sinai", his words cease – “his lips move, but nothing comes out,” and as he falls to the ground, Brady, “in a strange, unreal voice,” begins his undelivered inauguration speech – “as the new president , I can say what I said..