Doubt: A Parable

by

John Patrick Shanley

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Doubt: A Parable: Scene 2 Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
Sister Aloysius, the principal of St. Nicholas Church and School, sits in her office one day shortly after Father Flynn’s sermon about doubt. As she writes at her desk with a fountain pen, a younger nun named Sister James approaches her office and asks, “I wondered if I might know what you did about William London?” Sister Aloysius explains that she sent the boy home, since his nose wouldn’t stop bleeding. In turn, Sister James tells her that William’s nose simply started “gushing” while the class was saying the Pledge of Allegiance. Hearing this, Sister Aloysius suggests that William may have purposefully given himself a nosebleed, and when Sister James expresses her surprise at such an idea, she adds, “You are a very innocent person, Sister James.”
In this scene, the audience quickly catches a glimpse of the fundamental difference between Sister Aloysius and Sister James. Whereas Sister Aloysius is stern and discerning, Sister James wants to see the best in people. As a result, she finds it astounding that Sister Aloysius would even suspect William of giving himself a bloody nose to get out of class. Her shock in this moment is worth keeping in mind as the play progresses, since she will later have to learn to live in a state of constant suspicion.
Themes
Doubt and Uncertainty Theme Icon
Tradition vs. Change Theme Icon
Turning her attention to Sister James’s teaching style, Sister Aloysius asks if she’s “in control” of her class. She also notes that most of the nuns send their students to the principal’s office more often than Sister James does, but Sister James declares that she likes to “take care of things” herself. “That can be an error,” replies Sister Aloysius. You are answerable to me, I to the monsignor, he to the bishop, and so on up to the Holy Father. There’s a chain of discipline. Make use of it.” 
When Sister Aloysius scolds Sister James for trying to deal with misbehaving students on her own, she underlines the channels of power and communication that run throughout the Catholic Church. “There’s a chain of discipline,” she says, calling attention not only to the fact that the church has a firmly established sense of hierarchy, but also to the fact that Sister James is at the bottom of the institution’s “chain” of power. She also reveals her belief that teachers should follow the pre-established customs of the church and school.
Themes
Power and Accountability Theme Icon
Tradition vs. Change Theme Icon
Quotes
Sister Aloysius asks Sister James about a student named Donald Muller. When Sister James says that he’s doing fine, Aloysius asks if anyone has hit him yet. James says that this hasn’t happened and then turns to go, since she left her class with the art teacher. However, she senses something strange in Sister Aloysius’s manner, so she asks if something is the matter. “No,” Sister Aloysius replies. “Why? Is something the matter?” Sister James says that nothing is wrong and starts to leave, but Aloysius stops her by talking about William London again, pointing out that he had a ballpoint pen. “The students really should only be learning script with true fountain pens,” she says. “Always the easy way out these days. What does that teach? Every easy choice today will have its consequence tomorrow.”
During this exchange, Sister Aloysius makes it clear that she is firmly committed to traditional ways of running a school. Not only does she disapprove of ballpoint pens over fountain pens, but she sees them as an “easy way out.” This suggests that she’s the kind of person who believes in hard work and integrity over progress and change. On another note, her odd repetition of Sister James’s question regarding whether or not something is “the matter” is worth noting, since it indicates that she is worried about something but doesn’t want to say what, exactly, it is. As a result, she hopes that Sister James will bring up whatever it is that she herself is thinking about.
Themes
Doubt and Uncertainty Theme Icon
Tradition vs. Change Theme Icon
Sister Aloysius tells Sister James to sit down, saying she has plenty of time before she needs to fetch her class. She then criticizes Sister James for giving such enthusiastic history lessons. “But I love History!” Sister James replies. “That is exactly my meaning,” says Sister Aloysius. “You favor History and risk swaying the children to value it over other subjects. I think this is a mistake.” Going on, she asks about various children in Sister James’s class, impressing James with her knowledge of each student. “I make it my business to know all forty-eight of their names,” Aloysius says, adding that she only says this to underline “the importance of paying attention.” “You must pay attention as well,” she says. Hearing this, James asks if she’s not meeting expectations, but Sister Aloysius doesn’t answer her, instead focusing again on talking about students.
It becomes clear in this conversation that Sister Aloysius is a somewhat domineering principal. The fact that she micromanages Sister James suggests that she’s quite picky and has very high standards, most likely because she wants to preserve a certain way of doing things at St. Nicholas School. 
Themes
Tradition vs. Change Theme Icon
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Eventually, Sister Aloysius suggests that Sister James isn’t “working hard enough” because she isn’t strict enough with her students. Sister James begins to cry when she hears this, saying, “I thought you were satisfied with me.” Sister Aloysius disregards this idea, upholding that “satisfaction is a vice.” “Do you think that Socrates was satisfied?” she asks. “Good teachers are never content.” Continuing, she insists that the students need constant monitoring and guidance. “I cannot afford an excessively innocent instructor in my eighth grade class,” she says. “It’s self-indulgent. Innocence is a form of laziness. Innocent teachers are easily duped. You must be canny, Sister James.” She also says that students should be “uncomfortable” when they’re around Sister James. Furthermore, she says, “The heart is warm, but your wits must be cold.”
Sister Aloysius’s intensity comes to the forefront of the play in this moment, as she urges Sister James to be “cold” and to make her students feel “uncomfortable.” In this way, she devotes herself to a rather old-school style of education, one in which teachers are fearsome figures of authority rather than relatable role models.
Themes
Power and Accountability Theme Icon
Tradition vs. Change Theme Icon
Quotes
Sister James worries that behaving so strictly will only scare the children, saying that she wants her students to feel comfortable talking to her. “They’re children,” replies Sister Aloysius. “They can talk to each other. It’s more important they have a fierce moral guardian. You stand at the door, Sister. You are the gatekeeper. If you are vigilant, they will not need to be.” Having said this, she tells Sister James to keep a close watch on her classroom and to come to her if she needs help understanding anything.
The fact that Sister Aloysius instructs Sister James to keep an eye out for anything worth reporting aligns with the idea that she herself is worried about something. In turn, she urges Sister James to adopt a more suspicious, discerning outlook—one that is most likely out of step with the way Sister James normally sees the world. She also implies that Sister James has a moral responsibility to protect the children in her class. This responsibility, it seems, overshadows Sister James’s natural desire to be warm and relatable.
Themes
Moral Responsibility Theme Icon
Doubt and Uncertainty Theme Icon
After talking for a moment about the teachers in the school who conduct the “specialty” classes (like Music and Art, for instance), Sister Aloysius asks what Sister James thinks about Father Flynn, who teaches both Physical Education and Religion. Sister James calls him “brilliant,” commenting on his strong public speaking abilities. At this point, Sister Aloysius asks her young coworker what she thought of Flynn’s sermon about doubt, wondering where he might have gotten the idea for it. “Is Father Flynn in Doubt, is he concerned that someone else is in Doubt?” she asks. In turn, Sister James says that Aloysius would have to pose that question to Flynn himself, but Aloysius says that she can’t because it wouldn’t be “appropriate,” since he’s her “superior.” “And if he were troubled, he should confess it to a fellow priest, or the monsignor,” she adds.
Sister Aloysius’s questions about Father Flynn suggest that she’s suspicious of him for some reason, though she doesn’t clarify why this might be the case. Her unwillingness to speak more directly about the matter is apparently linked to the Church’s hierarchal makeup, since she can’t address Flynn about her misgivings because he is her “superior.” Indeed, there is a very clear chain of command that is already set in place, one that dictates who can talk to whom. As a result, Sister Aloysius knows that it isn’t her place to ask Flynn if he’s in doubt because this is something he should bring up with his own superiors, not something he should talk to her about.
Themes
Power and Accountability Theme Icon
Doubt and Uncertainty Theme Icon
“I’m a little concerned,” Sister James says after Sister Aloysius pauses for a long time. Leaning forward, Aloysius asks, “About what?” However, Sister James merely replies, “The time. Art class will be over in a few minutes. I should go up.” Ignoring this, Aloysius asks if James has “noticed anything,” and when James asks what she means, she says, “I want you to be alert. […] I’m sorry I’m not being more forthright, but I must be careful not to create something by saying it. I can only say I am concerned, perhaps needlessly, about matters in St. Nicholas School.” Sister James tries to guess what, exactly, Aloysius means by this, wondering aloud if she’s referring to the state of the school’s academics. “I wasn’t inviting a guessing game,” Aloysius snaps. “I want you to pay attention to your class.” Saying this, she sends James back to her students.
In this moment, the audience learns that Sister Aloysius is worried about something after all, which is why she keeps telling Sister James to pay close attention to the things happening around her. However, she’s unable to speak in a “forthright” manner about her concerns because she doesn’t want to ruin Sister James’s objectivity. This is because Sister James still has a relatively fresh perspective, since she’s a young teacher and rather new to St. Nicholas School. Consequently, Sister Aloysius tells her to “pay attention,” though it’s worth pointing out that even this will certainly infuse Sister James with suspicion and doubt about her surroundings.
Themes
Doubt and Uncertainty Theme Icon
Quotes