Henry Drummond Character Analysis

The people of Hillsboro have a preconception of Henry Drummond being a “sinner” and a “godless” man, but he is a character that is worth to be highly appreciated. During the trial, Henry Drummond had shown his righteous and fair self along with his quick – minded thinking. He had also exposed many of his great character such as his understanding and truth - seeking nature. With these elements, it shows that Henry Drummond is actually an admirable character.
As the trial began, there were some things that had disturbed Henry Drummond. While Brady and Drummond were choosing jurors for the trial, one thing that had made Drummond upset us that most of the jurors had favouritism to towards the Bible and Brady. This had led Drummond to say “Run the

At the end of the first hearing of the trial, Rachel Brown had asked Henry Drummond to not fight for Cates anymore so that Cates can admit that what he said was a joke and he would not do it again. Henry Drummond then replied “Can you buy back his respectability by making him a coward? I understand what Bert’s going through. It’s the loneliest feeling in the world – to find yourself standing up when everybody is sitting down.” (Lawrence, Lee, 51) This quote that Henry Drummond had said shows that he understands how Cates is feeling and also understands what he is going through. As Henry Drummond understands what Bert Cates is going through, he tries his best to fight for him. Henry Drummond had invited many testimonies but they were rejected by the court. With no other testimonies, Henry Drummond had asked Brady to be his testimony. When Henry Drummond had no one else to be his testimony, he had quickly thought up a way to allow him to get himself the advantage to have a testimony that would not be rejected by the court. Henry Drummond being able to understand Cates’ feelings, it had let him to use his quick- minded thinking to help

Right before the last hearing of the trial, Henry Drummond had told Cates about the Golden Dancer, Drummond states: “Bert, whenever you see something bright. Shining, perfect – seeming – all gold with purple spots – look behind the paint! And if it’s a lie – show it up for what it really is!” (Lawrence, Lee, 110) This quote displays the truth – seeking side of him while he was telling Cates to look for truth. By saying this quote, Henry Drummond had made it clear that a true hero would expose lies and oppose for the truth. Henry Drummond is person who is not afraid to reveal lies to find truth and also encourages people such as Cates, to open their eyes for truth.
Even though the people of Hillsboro make Henry Drummond’s impression to look as if he is actually a devil. But throughout the play of Inherit the Wind, Henry Drummond discloses the great qualities of himself such as showing his unbiased and righteous self, his sympathetic side and quick- minded thinking along with his truth-seeking nature. As Henry Drummond slowly uncovers these characteristics of his throughout the play, it makes his character become more and more