Sugar Symbol Analysis

The sugar that Father Flynn puts in his tea during his first meeting with Sister Aloysius is indicative of his uncompromising quest for satisfaction, which Aloysius finds appalling. Holding out his tea, Flynn asks for three lumps of sugar, an excessive amount that astounds Aloysius, who doesn’t use any sugar at all in her own tea. “Sweet tooth,” he explains, inadvertently framing himself as the kind of person who’s quick to give in to his desires. This is especially significant because Sister Aloysius is convinced that he's child molester, and the play causes the audience to doubt Father Flynn's character. In the same way that Father Flynn doesn’t bother to stop himself from eating too much sugar even though it’s obviously not good for him, Sister Aloysius believes that he doesn’t stop himself from acting on his inappropriate feelings for young boys. As a result, the sugar he asks for in Sister Aloysius’s office comes to stand not only for his insatiability, but also his shamelessness about what he wants.