Symbols In The Sister Act

Comedy films are solely not based on just the entertainment for the audience. Comedy films have an interesting way of bringing in a hidden meaning within the story line. The film, Sister Act directed in the early 1990s is a philosophical tale of Mary Magdalene. Mary Magdalene was biblical women that became condemned by her neighbors for her sins but saved by Jesus. The main character, Deloris Wilson, is a modern symbolism of Mary Magdalene. She is a sinful black showgirl at the Nevada Club who goes into witness protection as ‘Sister Mary Clarence’ when her boyfriend, Vince, and his two minions; Joey and Willy, are trying to condemn her. Director Emile Ardolino breaks down the power structure of religion by using female empowerment and discovers the balance between religious life and ordinary life.
In the early 1990s, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) became the first episcopal conference worldwide to adopt guidelines against sexual abuse (Kokesch, 2006). Priests were believed to be the first connection towards God, but people began to feel a distrust toward priests after sexual abuses against children was discovered. Male dominance is the structure of all religion, yet, the film is a celebration of female empowerment using nuns as the symbol. The priest becomes

secondary to the nuns and holds little importance in the church. By using nuns as the primary focus of the film, Director Emile is able to demonstrate the power that females hold in society. The reification of males is seen as the strong and empowered ones, yet in one scene, a nun is able to fix up a car while the male character is assisting the nun. The nuns are powerful beings as they are able to make a difference within the church and the neighborhood. Instead of males dominating and making the change, the females are able to stop people from going to adult film stores and bringing new light to the church. Furthermore, Director Emile uses Bergson’s archetype of the braggart male to further emphasize the failure of male dominance and the uprising of female domination. Vince is the braggart male who believes that he can get away with anything, yet he ends up going to jail due to a female character. The director’s ability to demonstrate a negative viewpoint on males indicates the growth of woman uprising. In this case, this exemplifies the new era of independent women. Society will soon realize that women will not be bounded by the domestic stereotype, but will stray away from the reifications. For instance, the 21st century is the best representation of the new era. There are women running for the presidency, women are going back to school to get an education, and many more women are waiting till they have a career before starting a family.
In this Comedy, there is a power struggle between religious life and everyday life. In the beginning of the film, the director brings into light the power struggle between religion and everyday life. The church is meant to be a holy ground, yet the movie has the church become surrounded by dump trucks, adult film stores, and abandoned neighborhoods. Unfortunately, the depiction of religion in this film is not as holy as society depicts it to be. In the scene, Mother Reverend discovers that only by hiding Deloris in the convent will the police department fund the convent. Although history has shown that religion states that they are separate from government, the film demonstrates the need for both religion and government to work together to balance each other out. The church is completely split from society as the nuns are restricted behind the walls and unable to spread the word of the Lord. Deloris is not only the strong woman but she is the symbol of the everyday life. At first, Deloris is unable to adapt to the changes of being a showgirl to being part of a convent. In one scene, Mother Reverend states, “The convent is a simplicity of life and does not become overpowered by materialist things.” This scene showcases Bergson’s Machine versus People. As society becomes so involved with the materialistic things in life, society becomes more distant from God and becomes nothing but an artificial creation. The film hopes to give a message of simplicity in life. Sometimes, it is important to stray away from materialistic things and live simply or there will only be a loss of joy. Deloris is placed in a disguise by wearing the nun’s attire, but she states that she feels a suffocation from the headdress. There is a scene in the film when Delores is about to get shot by the Joey and Willy. In their mind, they are hesitant to shoot Deloris because she is wearing her disguise. This scene demonstrates that there is an inner spirituality for all people regardless of the sins that have been committed. Willy and Joey have killed numerous people, yet, they feel that there is a higher power other than their boss, Vince. The director would want to show the audience that regardless of the sins committing, there is a salvation in every life. God forgives those who repent and it is never too late to receive forgiveness. The imbalance of the two power struggles begins to diminish as the nuns are able to escape from the convent and explore the outside world. The symbolism of breaking down the barriers is the removal of the fence at the church. The church is a representation of the old tradition, but the addition of new color and new choir style brings forth new tradition. When the nun choir sings at the beginning of the film, their voices sound like they are in despair. Ironically, gospel music is meant to be the sound of rejoicing for the savior. Their voices do not rejoice in the Lord, and therefore, they are unable to bring in new members to the church. Only when Deloris brings a new sound to the choir is the church able to reach to the outside world. The new music that the choir sings brings together people from different types of backgrounds and shape. The underlining meaning of the scene is to show that religion is not meant to be solidified and kept to only those that are religious, but to all those in need of salvation. The showgirl style music is not sinful to listen to, and religious music is not bound to just those that believe. When ordinary lifestyle and gospel music are brought forth together, they are able to bring a sweet sound. The director wants to show the audience that there is no need to be a separation between church and ordinary life. He finds that there is a need for balance to be able to find sanctuary within oneself. At the end of the film, the director’s final message of the balance between religion and everyday life is symbolized through Deloris. While singing in the choir, Deloris takes off her disguise and finds a balance between the two lives. Deloris still wears the nun’s dress, but instead of the restricted headdress, she shows her wild mane hair. Deloris’s nun dress is a symbolism of the old tradition church while her hair is a symbolism of her ordinary life. The Pope is the representation of the right-hand man to God, and Deloris’ ability to wear both old and new shows God’s acceptance of the unity of religious life and ordinary life.
The Sister Act is a great representation of the comic split between reason and desire.

The comedy itself is entertaining to watch, yet, it holds an important message that human beings need to understand. The main character battles between her desire to live her exotic life, while her reason to live a simple life in the convent exemplifies the power struggles that human beings face every day. Just as Mary Magdalene was condemned and saved by Jesus, Deloris has found her sanctuary and has reached salvation. Director Emile Ardolino utilizes the empowering female roles of nuns to shed a new light on the power structure of religion and discover a unity between religion and ordinary

life.