Inherit the Wind

by

Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Inherit the Wind makes teaching easy.

Tommy Stebbins Character Analysis

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:
Science vs. Religion Theme Icon
).
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!

Related Characters: Bertram Cates (speaker), Rachel Brown (speaker), Reverend Jeremiah Brown, Tommy Stebbins
Page Number: 76
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Inherit the Wind LitChart as a printable PDF.
Inherit the Wind PDF

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:
Science vs. Religion Theme Icon
).
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!

Related Characters: Bertram Cates (speaker), Rachel Brown (speaker), Reverend Jeremiah Brown, Tommy Stebbins
Page Number: 76
Explanation and Analysis: