ipl-logo

Father Flynn In Patrick Shanley's Doubt: A Parable

714 Words3 Pages

In the system of law you are innocent until proven guilty. But at this time Father Flynn is guilty until proven innocent. He proves himself to be guilty because he is a harmful and scary man. Father Flynn’s sermon shows the attendees of the church the elements of doubt and suspicion. In his sermon he states that no one knows that he is sick and that he’s done something wrong. The evidence shown in Patrick Shanley’s play, Doubt: A Parable, I conclude Father Flynn is guilty because he’s more than friendly to Donald and he abuses his power at St. Michael’s church. Father Flynn is guilty because he is more than friendly to Donald Muller. Donald has just moved to St. Michael so he is an easy target for Father Flynn. No one has an eye on Donald …show more content…

Father Flynn tries many times to leave Sister Aloysius’s classroom without giving her information on her suspicion with Donald. “I don’t wish to continue this conversation at all further. And if you are dissatisfied with that, I suggest you speak with Monsignor Benedict” (Shanley 55). Father Flynn proves that he can get out of legal trouble by bringing up Monsignor Benedict as a scapegoat. If this info were to be brought to The Monsignor he would deny all allegations making him innocent. Father Flynn’s reputation causes him to stay out of trouble with Monsignor Benedict. Father Flynn is also very corrupt; he has worked for four different churches including St. Michaels. He wouldn’t need to keep relocating to different churches if he wasn’t guilty. After Sister Aloysius lied about calling his old parish Father Flynn gave up his title at St. Michaels. “You have no right to go rummaging through my past! Call the pastor and ask him why I left! It was perfectly innocent. I am a good priest! And there is nothing in my record to suggest otherwise” (Shanley 48). Father Flynn tells Sister Aloysius to contact his last parish knowing he had a high rank there. After Sister Aloysius lied to Father Flynn about contacting his last perish, he resigned his rank thinking she contacted them. Father Flynn is guilty because he knew that his last parish would be enough proof for Monsignor to fire him. Father Flynn resigned to make it seem

Show More
Related

  • Summary Of Ignatius J. Reilly In A Confederacy Of Dunces

    614 Words  | 3 Pages

    John Kennedy Toole’s A Confederacy of Dunces depicts the grotesque Ignatius J. Reilly as he waddles through the streets of 1960 New Orleans. In the beginning of the novel, Ignatius is the passenger of a car crash piloted by his mother, Irene Reilly, who drunkenly crashes into the front of a building which launches them into severe debt. Mrs. Reilly, who is becoming increasingly frustrated with the sporadic behaviors of Ignatius, decides her son must finally get a job to help pay off the damages of car crash.

    Read More

  • Doubt Analysis: Oppression Of Women

    845 Words  | 4 Pages

    Although Sister James felt like Sister Aloysius was just trying to destroy her spirit and love for history it is actually nothing like that. Sister Aloysius is trying to teach her how to strong in this world that oppresses women to dial down their intelligence and to bow at the feet of men. As displayed through the conversations before between Father Flynn and Sister Aloysius, Sister Aloysius stood up against him acting as if she was questioning her authority and she was the boss or they were on the same level. She is one of those women who would stand against a man and question him without feeling threatened or

    Read More

  • Martin Luther King Assassination Research Paper

    1618 Words  | 7 Pages

    April 3, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his Mountaintop speech, “Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I 'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God 's will. … I may not get there with you.

    Read More

  • Abigail Williams Influence In The Crucible

    1169 Words  | 5 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Father Flynn's Doubt

    1766 Words  | 8 Pages

    This last sermon transmits back to the relationship between Sister Aloysius and Father Flynn on how Sister Aloysius gossiping could affect Father Flynn career as a Priest. In his sermons, Father Flynn says, “Now I want you to go back and gather every last feather that flew out in the wind… It cannot be done father. I do not know where they went; the wind took them all over” (Shanley 36). The feather represents the gossip and how when the feather is released into the wind, no would know where the feather went or to whom the feather reached. Father Flynn explains how it is impossible to take back your actions once you have committed to them by giving the example of a feather from his sermon.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Innocence In 12 Angry Men

    333 Words  | 2 Pages

    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,

    Read More

  • The First Amendment Rights Revealed In Philip Malloy's The National Anthem

    603 Words  | 3 Pages

    What they do not know is because of this lie he caused Ms. Nawrin to receive threats from people across America. Receiving threats is something no human should have to experience. In receiving these Philip does nothing to help her. While she receives these threats Phillip watches by as this innocent person is torn into for something she did not

    Read More

  • Father Flynn In The Parable Doubt

    1094 Words  | 5 Pages

    Flynn states that Sister Aloysius should have spoken to the pastor not the nuns in his last parish. Why does it seem like he doesn’t want Sister Aloysius to talk to the nuns? Did he really have a secret? It makes me very suspicious when he says, “You have no right to go rummaging through my past!” (Shanley 53)

    Read More

  • Doubt: A Parable By Patrick Shanley

    561 Words  | 3 Pages

    (Shanley 6). Father tells the congregation that he has done something wrong but he does not tell anyone what he did. This sermon is right before Sister James finds out about Flynn and Donald’s relationship. When Sister James and Sister Aloysius confront the situation to Father Flynn, He denies everything. He says, “It was a private matter.”

    Read More

  • Doubt: Comparison Between Sisters James And Aloysius

    851 Words  | 4 Pages

    For example, while it is obvious that Sister James is comprehensive, optimistic and delicate, because she wants the approval from her superiors and students; Sister Aloysius, on the other hand, presents herself as determined, strict and a calculating person, due to the fact that she presents extreme care about details and thinks they are very important for knowing the truth. Maybe age plays an important role on defining how both of them behave. Sister Aloysius is an older woman, which makes her more experienced than Sister James; perhaps, this is why it was easier for Sister Aloysius to find Father’s Flynn sermon quite suspicious and instructs her fellow nuns to address her if they know of anything shady about the priest actions or behavior, while Sister James didn’t though that there was something behind the sermon about

    Read More

  • One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Mcmurphy Tragic Hero Analysis

    529 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the main character, Randle Patrick McMurphy, is a perfect example of a tragic hero. Throughout the novel McMurphy sets himself up to be the tragic hero by resenting Nurse Ratched’s power and defending the other patients. He can be classified as a contemporary tragic hero, but he also includes elements of Aristotle’s tragic hero. McMurphy’s rebellious nature and ultimate demise are what truly makes him as a tragic hero.

    Read More

  • Doubt A Parable Character Analysis

    1416 Words  | 6 Pages

    Father Flynn gets very defensive and works very hard to defend his case to Sister James, which seems like he is trying to get more people on his side. This is almost too much effort to just keep his reputation and prove his innocence. He also leaves the parish when Sister Aloysius claims to have contacted his old parish. Sister Aloysius never truly did this, however Father Flynn still left. The fact that he left when she brought up his old

    Read More

  • Symbolism In The Movie Doubt

    835 Words  | 4 Pages

    By the end of the film, she is the person who Aloysius confesses her doubt to. As the film is set in the 1960s, religion was in the middle of determining if it should stay the same or reform. This conflict reflects the contrast between Flynn and Aloysius, for Flynn wants to move the parish ahead while Aloysius wants everything to stay the

    Read More

  • Socrates And Crito Argumentative Analysis

    1382 Words  | 6 Pages

    He has been found guilty of trumped up charges, “corrupting the young and not believing in the gods in whom the city

    Read More

  • Analysis Of John Patrick Shanley's 'Doubt'

    1181 Words  | 5 Pages

    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 –

    Read More

More about Father Flynn In Patrick Shanley's Doubt: A Parable

Open Document