Question

what is the significance and aptness of the title wind

Answer 1

The title Inherit the Wind comes from Proverbs 11:29, which states, “He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise in heart.” In simpler and more modern words, this means that those who bring disorder and mayhem to their communities will receive nothing, and they will then become slaves to truth and righteousness. The allusion to this proverb seems to be in reference to plaintiff’s attorney Colonel Brady, for it expresses the complete degeneration of his reputation during the court proceedings. In the beginning of the play, he was seen as a borderline prophet, having secret and intimate repartee with the Lord himself. And because of this, people would blindly follow him and everything he had to say. When he came into town for the trial, all of the townspeople chanted, “Gimme that old-time religion … It is good enough for Brady … And it’s good enough for me!” (Act 1, scene 1, p. 19) However, as the trial progressed, defense attorney Colonel Drummond was able to pierce Brady’s pristine and holy armor by finding plot holes in the Bible and criticizing its inhibition of human thought. Brady then became so obsessed with proving himself right that he no longer fought for the right reasons, and when he did “win” it was “a spiteful, bitter victory … not a conquest with a cavalcade of angels.” (Act 3, p. 114) And after this questionable victory, no one was even interested in what he had to say, for the crowd that once loved him was no longer listening.

The title of this play is meant to exemplify its irony, for Brady, the so-called “righteous” man, lost the community to Drummond, who was originally called the Devil. But in reality, it was Drummond who was the most “wise in heart,” for he was fighting for the freedom of thought rather than stifling it. And with bitter karma, Brady died having no one but the wind.