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…
Aloysius approached Father Flynn about this. When she brought it up, Flynn replies, “You shouldn’t have” (33) implying his intention to protect the boy. Father Flynn reveals that Donald stole altar wine causing Sister Aloysius to get Donald kicked off the altar boys. Sister Aloysius did this, not to punish Donald but rather as a part of her plan to show Father Flynn was guilty of molesting the boy. In Sister Aloysius’ attempts to gain power over Father Flynn, she claimed to have called his previous parish saying, “I took the precaution of calling the last parish to which you were assigned. Father Flynn you have a history” (53) Although Sister Aloysius never actually called his last parish, her clever lie ultimately is a cause for Father Flynn resigning. Sister Aloysius is metaphorically a crow, an intelligent bird that Father Flynn ignores. Donald is devastated by the news and is seen crying at church when Father Flynn announces his departure. However, to Sister Aloysius Donald is a metaphor for “a sheep lagging that the wolf goes for” (21). Sister Aloysius was clever and effective in saving Donald from Father Flynn, however Donald is saddened deeply. Sister Aloysius tries to use Donald’s mother, Mrs.
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…
(44). Sister Aloysius has a larger effect on Sister James and her parallel character, Jimmy, than Father Flynn does, helping Sister Aloysius in her power play against Father Flynn.
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
and cannot sleep because of it. Likewise, Jimmy is also noticing a strangeness at St. Nicholas school. In the film, Jimmy is asked what he thinks about the quote “There is nothing to fear but fear itself.” He thinks nothing and that maybe it is best to just be relaxed and not fear anything. This is like Sister James in that they both do not see the truth about Father Flynn in the beginning of the play and feel no reason to have doubt. However, when he sees Sister Aloysius meet with Mrs. Muller he asks, “What’s going on?”. Shanley again uses the motif of vision to show that Jimmy is starting to see something like Sister James is. They both notice the problem at hand and that Father Flynn may be molesting a student, in this case, a classmate of Jimmy. In Sister Aloysius’ attempts to bring Father Flynn down, she affects William London by trying to help him. Sister Aloysius metaphorically refers to kids as roses that need to be protected from the frost that is Father Flynn and she must be the one to protect them. Sister Aloysius sees Father Flynn grab William’s arm and comment about his nails and William quickly pulls away. Seeing that he may be a victim of Father Flynn and is clearly uncomfortable, Sister Aloysius calls him away pretending to get him in trouble, but this action was really done in order to save him. Sister Aloysius proves more clever than Father Flynn throughout the play while having a greater affect on others such as Donald Muller, Sister James, and Mrs. Muller. Sister Aloysius’ cleverness was successful in getting Father Flynn out of the church regardless of the fact that she devastated Donald by taking away his only friend, Father Flynn. Sister Aloysius showed Sister James the cruelty in the world by exposing her to Father Flynn and all the evil he had done, changing her from an innocent young nun to a more experienced and skeptical one. By bringing Mrs. Muller into the situation, Sister Aloysius shows that Mrs. Muller is conflicted about her son. She cares more about his education at a prestigious school than the possibility that he is being molested by one of the priests. Power causes people to do immoral things that sometimes have a positive or negative impact on others.
The play that was chosen to be read for the actor’s analysis was, “The Norwegians” which was written by C. Denby Swanson. As there is no specific style for this play, it is known to be categorized as a contemporary comedy as well as a character driven play.
The play “Doubt” by John Patrick Shanley began with a sermon by Father Brendan Flynn, a well liked and enlightened neighborhood priest, who says, "Doubt can be a bond as powerful and sustaining as certainty". (Shanley 6) Sister Aloysius Beauvier is a strict traditional nun, who was declared to protect and secure St. Nicholas Church School. Father Flynn seems to be the protagonist in the play and Sister Aloysius is the antagonist. The whole play, sister Aloysius Beauvier suspected Father Flynn of molesting a 12-year-old boy named Donald Muller, who is the first African-American student in the St. Nicholas Church School. I think that Sister Aloysius’s overreacting, because Father Flynn is innocent. In the middle of these two characters, Sister James is a young and innocent teacher who wants to be neutral between the conflict of Sister Aloysius and Father Flynn.
The differences between the movie doubt and the play have significant differences that would influence ones opinion about certain characters and situations in the story. Though the differences are few one would agree that at least one of these differences are game changers or at the very least they get you thinking and having doubts of your own.
John Patrick Shanley stresses doubt to be something “that changes things” (Preface To Doubt) rather than its typical depiction of disadvantageous in present day society. Growing up with a very Catholic background, Shanely’s childhood was marred with the belief that “We [Catholics] would all believe the same thing.” (Preface to Doubt). This relates with Shanely’s theory on our “culture of dogma” (Meanwhile: I am) which expresses how many choices we make today are influenced or even based on the authoritative figure(s) in our lives. However, Shanley urges you to not let respected figures in life sway your original opinion or response on a matter (Meanwhile: I Am). Furthermore, Shanley believes that without doubt (and living with complete certainty),
A reputation can be so well established that if one person in power does a wrongdoing people will not believe it. For example when Mrs. Muller says, “Let me ask you something. You honestly think that priest gave Donald that wine to drink?” (47). Donald’s mother is questioning sister Aloysius because she does not believe Father Flynn would do something like that. He has a reputation of being a great priest and his reputation is better than Sister Aloysius’. Mrs. Muller states, “You’re not going against no man in a robe and win, Sister. He’s got the position.” (47). Just by Father Flynn being a male he has a higher reputation than a nun, which he knows and can accumulate for his actions. In the hierarchy of the Church, the head male priest is the most dominant. Therefore, nobody questions what he is doing; he has a reputation of being this influential priest who gives great sermons. He knows that he has the power to do what he wants and has his fellow Monsignor and other men in the ...
... Nonetheless, the signs also point to Father Flynn hurting him, because he was violating him. People’s assumptions are based upon personal experience and gut feeling, also on their upbringing; nature and nurture. Shanley uses inference in this play to create doubt in the audience’s minds'. The verdict is never in, on Flynn; guilty or not guilty. Shanley’s audience is left to be the jury.
On October 3, 2016, I watched The Woodsman in class at Brigham Young University. James Ortiz directed the play, along with the production team Claire Karpen (Director), Molly Seidel (Costume Design), Catherine Clark and Jamie Roderick (Lighting Design) and Becca Key (Production Manager). A Broadway Production, The Woodsman epitomized the strength of technical design while allowing the audience to fall in love with the characters.
...der further than what we have in front of us. We want to impose our opinion on everything. We want to relate to it in a way that can only be done through out imagination. So, due to this, when we are not given the flexibility, then the context no longer becomes entertaining. The viewers do not want to be told how to think. Given these points, if they are influenced to believe that Sister Aloysius is a cruel individual like the movie portrays, then at the end of the movie and book when Sister Aloysius says, “ I have doubts! I have such doubts!” they will take that as a confession from her, and be further lead to believe that the accusations against Father Flynn are false. I think John Patrick Shanley chooses specific diction to create a conflict that has no precise resolution,he wanted the reader get lost in story and enter into their own story manifested within.
Written in 1962-3, Play depicts three characters, a man (M), and two women (W1 and W2) trapped in urns with only their heads showing. These characters each present their own version of a love triangle, which once occurred between them. It becomes clear during the play that the characters, once tortured by each other, are now tortured by their situation. A spotlight acts as a "unique inquisitor," compelling each to speak when it shines on them, and to stop when it goes out. As this assault continues, the characters become increasingly maddened by the light, and increasingly desperate to make it stop. The play repeats itself, providing the audience with a sense that these characters have been saying the same words for an eternity, and will continue to do so until the light decides they can stop. Beckett demonstrates how "A style of living, theatrically communicable, is used to express a state of mind."
...d Macbeth change throughout the play, but in the end guilt takes over them, making them both weak in the end.
Father Flynn tells Sister Aloysius, “Even if you feel certainty, it is an emotion and not a fact.” I think he means that without concrete evidence, you cannot rely on your emotions for the truth. In Father Flynn’s sermon he discusses doubt and truth. He says, “Doubt can be a bond as powerful and sustaining as certainty.” Sister Aloysius treats her doubt as the truth, and ignores any uncertainty she has. Throughout the story, Father Flynn denies and wrong doing and cites that there is no evidence of any misconduct. Doubt becomes battle with two viewpoints. When questions are asked, they are answered with more questions, leading to more
Father Flynn is he really a man of god or does he have the devil inside him? The play Doubt by Patrick Shanley is based around Sister Aloysius accusation of rape against Father Flynn. Sister Aloysius believes this because after the boy Donald Muller had a private talk with Father Flynn he had alcohol breath. Sister Aloysius tries to prove Father Flynn forced Donald to drink the alcohol to allow him access. While Father Flynn claims he was scolding Donald Muller for drinking alcohol from the altar and didn’t want to reveal what had happened because it would force him to remove Donald Muller from the altar boys. Based on the Evidence in Patrick Shanley’s play, Doubt: A Parable, I conclude Father Flynn is Innocent because of Sister Aloysius fixed opinion and Sister Aloysius belief of human nature.
Doubt by John Patrick Shanley is about a nun who is entirely convinced that a priest had done something inappropriate with one of the students and taken advantage of the fact that the student (Donald Muller) is an African-American. Sister Aloysius Beauvier, the nun, concluded that Father Flynn, the priest, had been forcing Donald Muller to drink wine and molesting him. With the help of a naïve nun named Sister James, Sister Aloysius attempted to investigate her assumption of Father Flynn’s actions even if it meant contacting Donald’s mother. Sister Aloysius is a stereotypical splenetic Catholic School nun who believes that being an unsympathetic and oppressive person to the students is the
At Evans Elemntary School District, we were about to perform an outstanding play. Our whole 4th grade class participating in this play, however some individuals had more important parts. This play was going to take place at the last week of school and we started to prepare for this in December. The play was about a 4th grade class that learn by singing. The teacher tought the classs all of the subjects by singing. The class was the main parts in the play and I was unfortunitly, not apart of the main cast. My role and many other students role was that we were the chorus for the class and sang along. We practiced many times and the play quickly approached us. Our music teacher directed the play and one of the teachers played the piano. The night
Everyman is English morality play written by an anonymous author in late fifteenth century. The play’s represent the values that Everyman holds on to by its characterization. The spiritual life of Everyman was neglected by him, but he is quickly repents of his sins as the play develops. After realizing Everyman is summoned by Death, he doesn’t want to die and die alone for that matter. Everyman soon realizes that when he is seeking for a companion to go on a journey that he wants to go but there is no one available. He soon comes to terms that everyone will soon abandon him who accompanied him on earth. The play is in allegorical characters that represents variety of concepts such as (Knowledge, Good Deeds etc.)