This scene is the climactic scene in the play. While questioning Howard, a student in Cates’ class, Brady seizes the opportunity to give a speech defending the Butler Law and the common people against “Evil-utionists,” “Bible-haters,” and “the teachings of Godless Science.” He is confident as the spectators applaud, showing their support.
As Brady’s foil, Drummond stands alone. The stage directions state that, “ … the courtroom seems to resent …” his boldness and relaxed demeanor. Drummond is not in awe of Brady and does not hesitate to point out his flaws. Still, his intent is not to destroy Brady but to crush the narrow-minded thinking that Brady represents and promotes. The theme of the play, as well as Lawrence and Lee’s viewpoint, is evident as Drummond cross-examines Howard, establishing that everyone “has the right to think.
When the judge says that “ … the right to think is not on trial …,” he is reminding Drummond—and the audience—that Hillsboro is a southern fundamentalist town. When Drummond asks Howard whether, simply because they are not mentioned in the Bible, modern conveniences are “sinful” or “instruments of the Devil,” he is establishing that the Bible does not have all the answers. At this point, Brady accuses Drummond of confusing material things with “spiritual realities” and, consequently, confusing Howard. Brady makes clear that he is concerned with what is right. Drummond is explicit when he responds that truth is his main concern. Here, Lawrence and Lee foreshadow the future as Howard “stares at his newfound idol,” Drummond.
As Rachel takes the witness stand, the stage directions comment that “Cates watches her with a hopeless expression: Et tu, Brute.” Lawrence and Lee allude to the line from Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, in which Brutus betrays his close friend, Caesar. (When Brutus stabs Caesar, Caesar says, “Et tu, Brute?”—meaning, “and you too, Brutus?”) When, during questioning, Rachel becomes so distraught that the power to speak eludes her, Cates asks Drummond not to question her, showing compassion, even though she has betrayed him. In contrast, Rachel’s father “unsympathetically” walks her off the witness stand. Lawrence and Lee once again portray the fundamentalists as uncaring and cold people and the evolutionists as people who are concerned about the welfare of others.
The classical theme of hubris (excessive pride or self-confidence, which is essential to Greek tragedy) is evident in Brady’s character at this point, showing him to be a tragic figure. 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 uses Brady’s testimony to show that God intended man to think. When he is accused of being contemptuous of all that is holy, Drummond angrily responds that he believes that the “individual human mind” is holy and that “an idea is a greater monument than a cathedral.” Drummond’s monologue reveals his (as well as Lawrence and Lee’s) passion about the value of the human mind and the importance of having the freedom to think.
The climax of the play occurs when Brady finally admits that he does not interpret the Bible literally and that he thinks of himself as a prophet. At this point, the spectators’ support begins to shift from Brady to Drummond. By the time Brady admits that God talks to him, the spectators are laughing at his responses to Drummond’s questions. This laughter is painful to Brady because he realizes that his followers are slipping away.
Desperate, Brady accuses Drummond of trying to “destroy everyone’s belief in God.” Drummond angrily replies that he is “ … trying to stop you bigots and ignoramuses from controlling the education of the United States!” Drummond’s reply is an expression of Lawrence and Lee’s passion against censorship, not only in relationship to the Butler Law but to McCarthyism as well.
His credibility destroyed, Brady falls apart on the witness stand and, after Drummond excuses him, says to the crowd, “All of you know what I stand for! What I believe! I believe, I believe in the truth of the Book of Genesis!” and then, almost unthinkingly, begins to recite the names of the other Books of the Bible. Brady’s former flock crowds around Drummond as he leaves the courtroom; Brady is left on the witness stand with his wife, who comforts him. The tone at the conclusion of this scene is somber.
