“Doubt: a Parable”

Discussion Questions and Study Guide

  1. Shanley subtitles his play “a parable.” What is the difference between myth and parable? M.H. Abrams, in his Glossary of LiteraryTerms, defines a parable as “a very short narrative about human beings presentedso as to stress the tacit analogy or parallel with a general thesis or lesson that thenarrator is trying to bring home to his or her audience.” What is thegeneral thesis that Shanley is trying to convey?
  2. Shanley dedicates the play to “the many orders of Catholic nuns who have devoted their lives to serving others.” Why would he dedicate the play to them? What does his dedication imply?
  3. In the “Preface,” Shanley criticizes the fact that “we are living in a culture of extreme advocacy, of confrontation, of judgment, and of verdict.” In what sense might the play itself be considered an attempt to remedy this cultural trend. Provide examples to support your stance.
  4. Shaley seems to suggest that reality is a fiction. In his preface, for example, he states that faith is “a shared dream we agreed to call Reality.” How does he develop this idea in the play?
  5. The play’s preface ends with the statement that “The beginning of change is the moment of Doubt. It is the crucial moment when I renew my humanity or become a lie. Doubt requires more courage than conviction does.” Why would Shanley celebrate uncertainty? What does uncertainty give us that certainty cannot?
  6. Father Flynn argues that skepticism can provide a sense of community that is every bit as nourishing as faith. Indeed, he ends his first sermon by saying, “Doubt can be a bond as powerful and sustaining as certainty.” Do you agree or disagree? Support your answer with examples from the play and/or personal experience.
  7. Sister Aloysius and Sister James represent two contrasting philosophies of education, the first formal and the other lenient. Which character would you find more effective as an educator? Does your school strike a balance between these two approaches?
  8. Sister Aloysius tells Sister James, “the best teachers do not perform; they cause the students to perform.” Do you agree? What are teachers currently expected to do in order to hold students’ attention? What is expected of students?
  9. Why does Sister Aloysius favor fountain pens that must be dipped in ink rather than ballpoint pens? How are these two modes of writing symbolic? Why is penmanship important? What does it suggest?
  10. Shanley unambiguously defends skepticism in his “Preface.” However, as one of his epigraphs, taken from Ecclesiastes, suggests, “in much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.” Sister James echoes this sentiment when she admits, near the end of the play, that she “can’t sleep at night anymore. Everything seems uncertain to me.” Ignorance is bliss. Is gaining experience, with its attendant anxieties, worth sacrificing your innocence?
  11. What specific evidence does Sister Aloysius have to support her conviction that Father Flynn behaved inappropriately with Donald? How does Sister Aloyisius go about gathering her proof? What is her view on truth? Father Flynn reminds Sister Aloyisius that “even if you feel certainty, it is an emotion and not a fact.” What is your view on truth? Do you believe in absolute truth or relative truth?
  12. Sister Aloyisius points out that the gardener “pruned this bush, which was the right thing to do, but he neglected to protect it from the frost.” How does this statement apply to sister Aloyisius’ own attempts to protect her students? Why is the action of pruning symbolic?
  13. How does segregation along gender lines affect Father Flynn? Sister Aloyisius succinctly states that “the men run everything” and “we might as well be separated by the Atlantic Ocean.” How is her power thwarted?
  14. One of the principles of our legal system is that one is innocent until proven guilty. Does Sister Aloyisius abide by this? Should she? What is more dangerous in this situation: presuming innocence or presuming guilt?
  15. How is the following line symbolic? Sister Aloyisius humorously declares “what with our being in black and white, and so prone to falling, we’re more like dominoes that anything else.”