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George Sillers
A young boy whom Cates taught, and who demonstrated a great aptitude for science, Stebbins died of drowning, but was not given a formal funeral by Reverend Brown because Stebbins was not baptized. Cates found this choice especially cruel, ceased to attend church after it occurred, and argues in court that religion ought to be used to comfort, rather than denigrate, people.
Tommy Stebbins Quotes in Inherit the Wind
The Inherit the Wind quotes below are all either spoken by Tommy Stebbins or refer to Tommy Stebbins. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Act 2, Scene 2 Quotes
Tommy Stebbins used to come over to the boarding house and look through Bert’s microscope. Bert said the boy had a quick mind, and he might even be a scientist when he grew up. At the funeral, Pa preached that Tommy didn’t die in a state of grace, because his folks had never had him baptized . . . .
Tell ‘em what your father really said! That Tommy’s soul was damned, writhing in hellfire!
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Tommy Stebbins Character Timeline in Inherit the Wind
The timeline below shows where the character Tommy Stebbins appears in Inherit the Wind. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 2, Scene 2
...that Cates has not gone to church for two years, ever since a boy named Tommy Stebbins accidentally drowned. Cates had been tutoring Stebbins in science and believed that Stebbins had...
(full context)
...to provide comfort—he is still angry for the discomfort and sadness that Brown’s judgment of Tommy, after Tommy’s death, caused Tommy’s family and others in Hillsboro. Brady asks that Cates’ interruption...
(full context)
