Hornbeck's greeting to Drummond at the end of Act I
contains a significant allusion to the Biblical landscape of Hillsboro. "Hello, Devil.
Welcome to Hell," is an allusion to the zealously charged religious atmosphere and the
mention of the "devil" helps to bring out how the Bible is seen in a literal
interpretative sense in the town. In the first scene of Act II, Reverend Brown gives
the title of the play in a reference to the Bible:
He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the
wind.
The reference to
Proverbs at this moment reflects how the townspeople, or the ones that are following
Brown, believe about the practice of religion. Either one is in support of the demands
of the community, which supposedly pledges allegiance to the Bible, or one is against
them, in which case they are expunged and left to only "inherit the wind." It is an
important Biblical allusion not because it gives title to the play, but because it
reflects how religion is practiced in the town and what Cates is up against in this
debate.
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