The novel Inherit the Wind written by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee is a dramatization of the Scopes trial that took place in 1925. When a school teacher, Bertram Cates, is put on trial for introducing his students to Darwin's theory, many conflicts between several different characters arise, developing the central theme of the story. The conflicts between Rachel Brown and her father Jeremiah Brown demonstrate external conflicts as well as internal conflicts. However, the conflicts between Matthew Harrison Brady and Henry Drummond, the two lawyers for the trial, are purely external. These conflicts revolve around the differences in beliefs of the two characters, and focus on fundamentalism versus evolution. The progressive conflicts throughout the story develop the central theme of freedom of thought as a right.
Rachel Brown has always had the fear of standing up to her father. Even as a child, she never felt safe around him and has never been able to share a bond with him.
When Cates is locked up, Rachel remains by his side and does everything to her ability to get him out. She becomes devastated when she finds out that her father is forcing her to testify against him and, as he is the Reverend, she has no other choice than to comply. She deals with the inner conflict of having to choose between staying loyal to her father or siding with Cates. Her father couldn't care less about what she thinks of the entire situation and never gave her the chance to express herself. This made Rachel finally realize that the freedom of thought is a right, and that her father had been taking that right away from her for her entire life. She runs away from the town of Hillsboro, starting a happy life with Cates and finally...