Doubt John Patrick Shanley Doubt Analysis

“I have been led by the bitter necessities of an interesting life to value the age-old practice of the wise: Doubt” (Shanley 6). The words of John Patrick Shanley about doubt resonates the belief of the people. Many often belief that doubting is the easiest thing to do. Not to believe is simple to do than to believe. However, more often than not the opposite is true. It is easier to follow the roads being walk by the others, that to deviate the path. It takes a lot of courage to say no, when everybody around is saying yes. It takes tremendous tenacity and sacrifice to do the age old practice of the wise: Doubt. In John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt, a Parable, doubt and certainty is the overarching themes. The play shows how the doubt and certainty
Doubtful of the teaching methods of Sister James and doubtful of the actions of Father Flynn. The doubt that is seeded inside of her is transformed to the certainty of Father Flynn’s wrong doings and it has eaten up her insides. The actions that Sister Aloysius has taken is very underhanded and very uncharacteristic of a women of the cloth. The course of actions that Sister Aloysius do, she thought was because of the search of truth, however, she is blinded by her hubris that she fails to see the whole story. Her hatred of Father Flynn is rooted beyond the events abut Donald Muller. Her doubt about Father Flynn blossoms to the certainty that he committed the crime that Sister Aloysius accuses him of doing. In the fifth scene of the play Doubt, a Parable, a dialogue erupts between Sister Aloysius and Father Flynn. It started about an innocent discussion about the Christmas Pageant, however it turns out that it is an ambush by Sister Aloysius to Father Flynn to interrogate him about Donald Muller. During the conversation between the two clashing members of the church, aspect of their belief and personalities arises. Father Flynn emerges to be a
Father Flynn tells a parable about an old parish priest and a woman. The parable implies that gossip, regardless of whether it true or not can destroy one’s reputation and life. Through the parable, Father Flynn tries to persuade the people using logos. As Father Flynn tells the conversation between the women and the old parish priest, “I want you to go back and gather up every last feather that flew out of the wind! Well it can’t be done…the wind took them all over. And that is gossip” (Shanley 36). Father Flynn asks the audience to use their mind and think about the problems gossiping may bring. In a logical sense, gossip is similar to a virus, once is out, it will continue to grow, infecting the people it encounters and spreads like wildfire. Father Flynn uses the sermon to indirectly tell Sister Aloysius the reason of his resignation. It is not because he is guilty, but because he does not want his reputation to be tarnished. It cannot be truly say if Father Flynn is innocent or guilty, however the act of Sister Aloysius cannot be overlooked either. Sister Aloysius masks her true intention of pursuing the truth, but underneath it can be said that it is all rooted in her hatred with the church she is serving. And Sister Aloysius cannot argue about the mistakes of the past because she also did commit a mortal sin. Sister Aloysius and Father Flynn both confesses and