Doubt By John Patrick Shanley: Play Analysis

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Often times a struggle for power causes people to go against their own moral standards and negatively affects others. In the play Doubt by John Patrick Shanley, the characters Sister Aloysius and Father Flynn engage in a power play seeking the upper hand in the Catholic Church in which they are clergy. Sister Aloysius is more clever and effective than Father Flynn in their constant struggle for power. Sister Aloysius and Father Flynn have a major impact on Donald Muller with Sister Aloysius’ actions ultimately having the biggest impact. Donald Muller is the only black student at St. Nicholas School where the protagonists work and Father Flynn is Donald’s only friend. Sister James smelled alcohol on Donald’s breath one day in class and Sister …show more content…

Muller to her advantage in her power play with Father Flynn, however, this attempt winds up having a negative effect. Mrs. Muller was unaware of the issues with Donald until Sister Aloysius brought them to her attention. In Mrs. Muller’s conversation with Sister Aloysius, Shanley uses the motif of vision to illustrate Mrs. Muller’s thoughts on the issue. She says “Well, I would prefer not to see it that way if you don’t mind” (46) meaning she is refusing to see the truth about Donald and the negative consequences it may have on him. Mrs. Muller only cares about her son’s education and convinces herself to disregard the fact that her son may be in grave danger. She states, “Donald just has to make it here until June” (45) Sister Aloysius forces her to contemplate her son’s situation but Mrs. Muller opts to let Donald continue at the school despite the possibility that he is being preyed upon by a pedophile priest. Mrs. Muller sees graduating St. Nicholas school as more important than her son escaping a man that is molesting him. Mrs. Muller is even willing to admit that her son is gay to Sister Aloysius in order to try and make sense of the situation stating, “I’m his mother. I’m talking about his nature now, not anything he’s done” …show more content…

Both try to win Sister James over throughout the play, however, Sister Aloysius succeeds in the end. Father Flynn’s opinion of Sister Aloysius is made clear in the beginning of the film when he uses zoomorphism to describe her and says, “The dragon is hungry.” Sister Aloysius attempts to make the situation clear to Sister James and asks, “What have you seen?” (21). Shanley returns to the motif of vision to show that Sister Aloysius wants Sister James to open her eyes and see the truth about Father Flynn, that he may be molesting Donald Muller. Sister James is quick to switch sides in parts of the play though. When Father Flynn tells them that Donald stole the altar wine and he did not give it to him she is overwhelmed with relief saying, “Oh, what a relief! That explains everything! Thanks be to God! Oh, Sister, look, it’s all a mistake!” (34). In the epigraphs at the beginning of the novel, the quote “The bad sleep well” applies to Sister James at the end of the play and shows the effect that Sister Aloysius had on her. Sister James tells Father Flynn, Oh I can’t sleep. Actually one bad dream and then I haven’t slept right since” (58). Sister James finally sees the guilt in the world that Sister Aloysius wanted her to see. She is the good in the world and sees the cruelness of Father Flynn

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