Doubt: A Parable by John

¶ … Doubt: A Parable by John Patrick Shanley, and the short story "On the Rainy River" by Tim O'Brien. Specifically it will discuss uncertainties in the two works. These two works are built on the foundations of uncertainty and doubts, and they allow the reader to come to their own conclusions about what ultimately happens in these two works. In his preface to Doubt, John Patrick Shanley states, "You may come out of my play uncertain. You may want to be sure. Look down on that feeling. We've got to learn to live with a full measure of uncertainty. There is no last word" (ix-x). Ultimately, he means that we have to make our own decision about everything in life, from the ending of a story to how we feel about the war in Iraq to Paris Hilton. Everything is ever changing, and we can never be absolutely certain about anything, even life.

Shanley's statement is difficult to understand, at first, especially before reading this thought-provoking play. However, at the end, the reader is left totally uncertain as to Father Flynn's guilt or innocence, or why Sister Aloysius felt she had to accuse him in the first place. From the beginning of the play, it is clear that the audience should have "doubts" about Sister Aloysius, because she is decidedly cynical and negative, something a nun does not seem to represent. She is suspicious, does not trust the children, and is not at all likable. Therefore, it is easy to believe by the end of the play that she could have wrongly accused Father Flynn. She is also incredibly intimidating, so it is easy to see that she could even intimidate Father Flynn, causing him to fear her accusations even if he did nothing wrong. Thus, the audience is set up to be uncertain from the beginning, just as we are in life. We can never be certain of anything in life (except death), and we cannot even be certain when that will come. The author wants the audience to feel that uncertainty, and to truly understand that there is no one answer to every situation - no good or bad, no evil or righteous - just uncertainty and no final word on anything, because we are not judges, we are simply participants in life.

The uncertainties at the end of this play are very clear. First, there is a real uncertainty that Father Flynn did anything at all, and that he was simply afraid of Sister Aloysius and her accusations, and chose to leave rather than to acknowledge them. Today, with so many scandals following priests in the Catholic Church that is not hard to believe, even though this story is set in 1964. However, there are more uncertainties than just Father Flynn's guilt by the end of the play. Should Sister Aloysius be so absolutely sure of her suspicions, even though she has absolutely no proof? Is she really so convinced of her suspicions that she felt it was all right to lie, she a woman of the cloth and a person the children of the school are supposed to look up to? How could anyone be so self-righteous and despicable, and how could she possibly be a nun? Are many of the other stories circulating about Catholic priests based on the same hearsay and accusations? All of these questions add up to major uncertainty by the end of the play, especially when the sister herself admits she had doubts, too.

In comparison, O'Brien's uncertainty in "On the Rainy River" comes from the uncertainly of standing at a crossroads and not being able to decide which way to turn. His uncertainty is based partly on the uncertainly of life that Shanley, chronicles in his play, but they are also based on his own uncertainty about fighting a war he "hates" and cannot come to terms with or support. O'Brien writes, "Certain blood was being shed for uncertain reasons. I saw no unity of purpose, no consensus on matters of philosophy or history or law" (O'Brien). O'Brien sees no purpose, while Sister Aloysius is totally convinced of her purpose and her position, so much so that she may have charged an innocent man. O'Brien is the innocent man, caught in a place where no matter what choice he makes, it will have terrific ramifications, and so, he is uncertain about his life, his own convictions, and how to make the right choice for himself.

In the end, O'Brien's uncertainty is far more heart breaking, because his uncertainty does not lead him to strong convictions as it does for Sister Aloysius. He thinks he is a coward because he has not stood up against the war and his life in the states. Perhaps he is. At least the sister had the courage to stand up and speak out, even if she was wrong. O'Brien does not, and so he gives in and goes to fight a war he does not understand or approve of in any way. He gives in to society and social pressure, just as Father Flynn does. In a sense, they are both victims of something larger than they are - conviction, even if that conviction is very misplaced.