Doubt: A Parable: Scene 2 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.”

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.” 

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.”

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.

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 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.

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.

“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.