When Brady is left alone with Drummond after the prayer meeting, he questions Drummond about the friendship they'd once shared. Drummond tells Brady that "perhaps (he has) moved away — by standing still." Brady is shocked. He has been carried by the wave of his popularity and has not stopped to think or to assess his position in relation to changes taking place in American society.
When Drummond calls Brady to the witness stand as an expert on the Bible, "Brady moves to the witness stand in a grandiose style." He is overconfident, underestimating Drummond's shrewd courtroom tactics. In his arrogance, Brady does not think about the consequences of taking the witness stand. Throughout Drummond's questioning, Brady admits that has never read Darwin's evolutionary theories, and it becomes evident that he does not interpret the Bible literally but instead thinks, as God intended man to do. 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. When his closing speech is interrupted and eventually cut short by inattentive spectators, he loses the last quality that, until now, had been unassailable: his ability to communicate. Unable to accept being ignored and laughed at, Brady collapses and ultimately dies.
