“Gimme that old-time religion,
Gimme that old-time religion, Gimme that old-time religion, It’s good enough
for me!” (Act 1, Scene 1, page 18)
The small town of Hillsboro assumed a narrow-minded, one-dimensional
personality due to a combination of its limited exposure to varying viewpoints
and cultural experiences, and unquestionable almost Biblical proportion of
Bible reverence. The town itself
seemed resistant to challenge previously established and engrained thoughts,
beliefs, and mentifacts with which its inhabitants were comfortable. The townspeople were easily
molded. However, the molded matter
of their make up was not like clay that has substance and character, but rather
like dust that is ephemeral and easily blown by the wind. A strong gust from an influential
change in temperature and pressure could send the town into a frenzy, as it
became upon Matthew Brady’s arrival.
To the people of Hillsboro, life was as simple as black and white. Rachel said, “We live in Hillsboro, and
when the sun goes down, it’s dark.
And why do you try to make it different?” in response to Cate’s saying,
“...at the top of the world the twilight is six months long...” (Act 1, Scene
1, page 9) Cate’s was able to
exercise free thought and question preconceived ideas – Hillsboro, at that
point was unable to do so.
However, ultimately, the townspeople were complacent. They acknowledged Brady’s position,
they acknowledged Drummond’s position, but they
found Cate’s guilty as they went on with their lives, fully entrenched in the
Bible and Creationism.
- J. A. Kind
- J. A. Kind
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