Literary Criticism

“DOUBT – A Parable” by John Patrick Shanley

John Patrick Shanley’s play “Doubt” is naturally intended to be performed on stage, and numerous successful and critically acclaimed stage adaptations of the material speak for themselves. The script itself, however, is worthwhile reading, too, as it manages to leave a lasting impression on the reader, even without the support of great actors and elaborate stage design.

As the title already says, the theme of doubt and uncertainty pervades the whole play: Not only is the main plot itself about unproven allegations, but we can also find signs of obscurity on the level of character depiction. Especially Father Flynn presents us with ambiguous behaviour. He seems to change his ways of talking depending on his conversational partner. Whereas he is very nice to Sister James and supportive of her ideals, he speaks very disparagingly about Sister Aloysius in the same breath. In the course of the play, the reader gets the impression that Flynn is probably shrewder than first expected. The further the play advances, the more defensive, and therefore more suspicious, Flynn seems to become.

Sister Aloysius’s straightforward and accurate sentences, though, reveal a lot about her point-blank and out-right attitude. She does not care too much about her manner of speaking and thereby reduces Sister James almost to tears at one point. Her occasionally rude and careless behaviour makes it hard for the reader to sympathize with her, and thereby gives rise to doubts about her motives. Is she accusing Father Flynn for, in fact, feeble reasons, such as her dislike of his long fingernails and his preference of taking sugar in his tea? Is she really concerned about the pupils of the school, or is she just so obstinate to disapprove of and think the worst of anyone broader-minded than herself?

Sister James, in contrast, appears to be a lot more emotional, which shows not only in her stumbling sentences, but also in her concern about how what she says might affect other people’s feelings. She is very hesitant in forming an opinion and is more interested in restoring harmony than finding out about the truth. As sympathetic as her behaviour makes her appear to the reader, this indecisiveness makes her highly unreliable, as she is so easily impressionable that her opinions sway in almost every act.

Therefore, with the depiction of the characters, Shanley manages to create a forceful sense of uncertainty within in the reader, as both Flynn and Sister Aloysius seem to have valid arguments to support their points of view. Though as nothing is ever explicitly stated, we have to read between the lines and are often left doubtful, too.

The setting and character constellation further underline the twisted impressions the reader gets. The story takes place at a catholic school; there are nuns and priests, lots of religious imagery. In this case, though, doubt and uncertainty undermine those symbols usually representing faith and devotion. Even in this environment of benevolent Christianity none of the characters trusts each other or believes in the good of man. Although the reader is reminded many times of the strict hierarchy within the church system, this chain of command is never actually followed. Father Flynn would not have to justify himself to either Sister Aloysius or Sister James, and yet he does. Sister Aloysius should not take things into her own hands and investigate by herself, and yet she does. As a Christian nun she most definitely should not tell lies to expose someone, and yet she does. Likewise Mrs. Muller, the child’s mother, acts contrary to all expectations by accepting the possible molestation of her son without objection, if only it is for the sake of his scholastic achievements.

What makes all these constellations so vigorous is the fact that Shanley presents them as totally natural and acceptable. None of the characters ever really questions his/her behaviour. Everybody believes themselves to be doing the right thing, when maybe, none of them knows the real truth and is only making things worse: Flynn maybe downplays his inappropriate relationship with the boy, Sister Aloysius maybe over-interprets it, Sister James maybe does not want to see the truth at all, and Mrs. Muller maybe has lost sight of what is really important for the well-being of her son.

In the end, whenever re-reading the play, new facets of the characters and their situations will present themselves to the reader and leave him/her probably even more confused and uncertain than before. Although Shanley used rather simple wordings and plain language, he managed to create an extremely memorable piece of literature by confronting the play’s characters with vague and yet obvious dilemmas, by making the readers feel confident and yet uncertain.