Doubt: Innocent priest or child molesting predator? Doubt is a play created by the author John Patrick Shanley in which Father Flynn, a priest, is accused of molesting the young boys at the school in which he is a priest at. In the school there is two teachers who have different opinions on if he is guilty or not. In the play there is many points that lead to believing that Father Flynn is guilty. Father Flynn is guilty because the little boys attending the school are afraid to be alone with him and The mother of a student, Donald Muller; her knowledge on his sexuality. Father Flynn is guilty of molesting the young boys attending the school in which he is a priest at. He is a rapist or at least is very much so hinted at being one. He is believed to be a child molestor because of the evidence against him throughout the play. It was stated that the boys attending the facility were frightened to be alone with Father Flynn. The following quote exhibits the evidence in which Father Flynn is guilty of being a molester. “ On the first day of the school year, I saw you touch William London 's wrist. And I saw him Pull away.” (Shanley, 52).There is only a couple of reasons in which the children should be scared to alone in a room with the priest and most can be debunked, except for one theory. The children could be afraid of the priest because he is mean or callous but it is stated by the priest himself that he cares about the children and does not believe the way Sister
Throughout John Patrick Shanley’s play Doubt, Sister Aloysius tries to expose the truth about how Father Flynn could be having an inappropriate relationship with Donald Muller. Sister Aloysius becomes aware of this possibly inappropriate relationship after Sister James tells Sister Aloysius that Father Flynn had a private meeting with Donald. Then, Sister Aloysius talks to many people to see if her speculations are true, and by doing that, she hopes that the truth will cause Father Flynn to leave St. Nicholas. After reading the play Doubt, I believe that Father Flynn is having an inappropriate relationship with Donald Muller because of Father Flynn’s behaviors and Sister Aloysius’ conversations with many
It reveals how people commit cruel acts out of selfish intentions. In this situation, the girls claim to “come to Heaven’s side” by pointing fingers at others for witchcraft, although they were only doing so to get themselves out of their own trouble. These acts of cruelty reflect upon the evil motives of the perpetrators that become more common after it is done once, as seen through the continuous trials and suspicions, which acts as one of the most major conflicts in the play. Without these cruel accusations, there would be neither plot nor ending. With this same situation, it can be concluded that accusations become more frequent during an interval of time when there are more people accusing.
Reflecting back to his situation with Sister Aloysius, Father Flynn knows that the damage has already been done and ignoring it would no longer be an option he had to prove his innocence, but Sister Aloysius doubt is so strong he is uncertain that he would be able to change her mind on what she thinks of him. When someone’s doubt is as clear to them as certainty they act without rationalizing the situation. This scene occurs after Sister Aloysius had accused Father Flynn of conducting inappropriate things with Donald Muller. In his sermon, Father Flynn says, “You ignorant, badly brought- up female! You have borne false witness against your neighbor, you have played fast and loose with his reputation you should be heartily ashamed” (Shanley 35).
It is in this same intimidating mood that the girls follow her lead in beginning to call out the names of who they "saw" with the Devil at the end of Act I. Her dominance continues as the play advances and the girls are required to attend court and follow Abigail’s order. They all start pretending as if they have a special ability to identify those who are
When most people feel like they are close to God; they usually make good moral decisions. In Doubt by John Patrick Shanley; Sister Aloysius tells Sister James that “In the pursuit of wrongdoing, one steps away from God. Of course, there’s a price.” When stepping away from God someone is committing sins and they are doing things that are usually not accepted. As the main characters stepped away from God, they had to pay the price of making wrong choices and the price of being pressured by those choices.
One piece of evidence that proves the boy’s innocence is accuracy of the Old man’s testimony. In the play the jurors are arguing over whether or not the man heard the phrase “I’m going to kill you”. According to evidence, the noise of the train passing would be much too loud to hear anything,
The Cold War, a fight against an idea that Americans opposed, and the Salem Witch Trials, a “fight” against an idea people had, share many similarities. To further explain this connection, the understanding of what communism entails is required. The reason behind why we as Americans hated and feared communism. The main reason the fear of communists was such a large thing in America. As well as the connections that can lead between the Cold War and the play The Crucible.
Although some people believe Father Flynn is innocent, I have reason to believe that Father Flynn is guilty. In the parable Doubt, Flynn is the priest and a gym teacher who is accused of abusing boys in the Nicholas school. The Principle thinks Flynn has abused Donald Muller, the only black boy in the school, and possibly William London. I believe he is guilty because of his interactions with the boys, how defensive Flynn acts when he is accused, and then explain a counterclaim of his guiltiness. One reason I believe he is guilty is the way he interacts with William London and Donald Muller.
Based on the evidence in Patrick Shanley’s play, Doubt: A Parable, I conclude Father Flynn is guilty because of his desire to help boys and his ability to hide his past. Father Flynn has a strange liking of boys. He is the basketball coach at the school and loves spending time teaching kids how to play basketball. Although he is suppose to be teaching the boys about basketball, He tends to boys how to be men. When talking to the boys Father Flynn says, “I’ve noticed several of you guys have dirty nails.
Lying is the most committed sin. Everyday people lie whether small or big. Every human knows that lying should not be exercised, but sometimes, in certain situations, lying is necessary due to the consequences of telling the truth. In the Bible, James 3:8, quoted is “But no human being can tame the tongue, it is a relentless evil, full of deadly poison.”
In Susan Glaspell's play “Trifles,” there is a difference between the men and women’s way of perceiving evidence to Mr. Wright’s murder case. The men spend most of their time searching for solid evidence upstairs where Mr. Wright's murder takes place. However, the women spend most of their time in Mrs. Wright’s kitchen. Instead of seeking tangible evidence, they inspect the condition of the items and acknowledge how they have been muddled around. Different perspectives lead to a variety of discoveries such as the women’s way of perceiving evidence.
Reasonable doubt proves that critical thinking is important when someone’s life is in someone else’s hands. “Twelve Angry Men” by Reginald Rose, is a play about twelve jury members who must deliberate and decide the fate of a man who is accused of murdering his father. These twelve men must unanimously agree on whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty without reasonable doubt. Just like the jurors, the readers of this play have not witnessed the crime that took place before the trial started. Everyone, but the writer, is in the dark about who committed the crime.
I gathered a lot of evidence throughout Patrick Shanley’s play, Doubt: A Parable, and I conclude that Father Flynn is guilty due to Donald being a very easy target and Father Flynn acting is very odd ways. Donald Muller, the little boy in the story, seems to be a very easy target for a predator. Donald is very isolated in school. He does not have any friends, so he the fact that the priest would accept him would make him feel accepted in the school. Donald is also the only black boy within the entire school.
Doubt, a film taking place in New York during the 1960s, focuses on the accusation of a priest, Father Flynn, being a child predator by a nun, Sister Aloysius. The credibility of Sister Aloysius and Father Flynn are often brought into question throughout the film. As the evidence gathered was mostly circumstantial and created through assumptions, Father Flynn did not harm Donald Miller at any instance despite the constant pressure from Aloysius to admit his guilt by leaving the parish. Sister Aloysius is displayed as old fashioned and spiteful towards change. Her denial of change stems from the smallest and pettiest of objects: ballpoint pens and Christmas songs.
Also, the main theme that is underlined by the playwright of Doubt: A Parable is the abuse of the power. Shanley suggested an up-to-date topic, considering several scandals about the Catholic Church’s priests who had had sexual relations with young parishioners. This play with no proofs and it ends with an open-ended. Although in the play Sister Aloysius and Sister James try to judge whether the priest –