Power and Accountability Theme Analysis

The characters in John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt exist in a strict and hierarchal chain of command. This, Shanley implies, makes it difficult for moral people like Sister Aloysius to question authority, even when it’s glaringly obvious that her superiors are protecting each other from being held accountable for their actions. More specifically, Shanley suggests that the structures of power in the Catholic Church enable people like Father Flynn to take advantage of their status without having to worry about repercussions. As Sister Aloysius tries to punish Father Flynn because she suspects that he has sexually abused young Donald Muller, she discovers that she has very few resources available to her, since people like Monsignor Benedict are quick to downplay such situations. Worse, Father Flynn is aware that his superiors will be hesitant to punish him, and he lords this over Sister Aloysius, constantly reminding her of her lack of power. After Sister Aloysius confronts Flynn about her suspicions, he is merely reassigned to another parish, where he will continue to work with children—a disturbing outcome if he is indeed guilty of child abuse. By outlining this potential tragedy, then, Shanley shows audiences the dangerous ways in which immoral people can hide behind various power structures in order to protect themselves from punishment.

It’s difficult for Sister Aloysius to put a stop to Father Flynn’s alleged behavior. This is because she doesn’t have powerful allies whom she can fully trust. When Sister James first tells her that Donald Muller behaved strangely after a one-on-one meeting with Father Flynn, Sister Aloysius laments her lack of resources in pursuing the truth. She explains that she once encountered a similar situation at a different parish, but she was able to “rely on” the Monsignor who was in charge. Now, though, she doesn’t have a trustworthy superior to whom she can bring this news. “Here, there’s no man I can go to, and men run everything,” she says. “We are going to have to stop [Flynn] ourselves.” It’s worth noting that Sister Aloysius is aware of the ways in which gender dynamics factor into this situation. After all, she is a woman in the early 1960s who works in an environment in which men hold all of the power. As if this doesn’t already pose a challenge to her general authority, she knows that Monsignor Benedict (who is in charge of the parish) won’t use his influence against Father Flynn. “The man’s guileless!” she says. “He would just ask Father Flynn!” This, Sister Aloysius comprehends, would be a very ineffective way of addressing the possibility of Donald Muller’s abuse, since Father Flynn would obviously deny the accusations. “If I tell the monsignor and he is satisfied with Father Flynn’s rebuttal, the matter is suppressed,” she comments. When she says this, the audience sees the chain of command that rules the parish, and it becomes clear that Monsignor Benedict—who has the most power—is the kind of person who would quickly turn his back on serious matters regarding his subordinates. Because of this, Sister Aloysius feels as if she can’t make use of the institution’s resources, leaving her to pursue the matter on her own.

Operating outside the parish’s standard channels of communication, Sister Aloysius invites Father Flynn into her office on the pretense of discussing another matter. She then brings up what she really wants to talk about: the possibility that Flynn has sexually abused Donald Muller. Father Flynn is beside himself, enraged that Sister Aloysius would not only dare to accuse him of something so ghastly, but also dare to address the matter herself. This, he suggests, is unacceptable, since Aloysius ought to defer to her superiors. As Sister Aloysius tries to get Flynn to admit what he’s done, he reminds her that he’s in a position of power, saying, “If I had judged my conversation with Donald Muller to be of concern to you, Sister, I would have sat you down and talked to you about it. But I did not judge it to be of concern to you.” This is an underhanded way of suggesting that Sister Aloysius has overstepped certain boundaries. If this appeal to his own authority isn’t already evident, Flynn makes it even more apparent when he adds, “I’m not answerable to you.” In turn, Shanley encourages the audience to reflect on how difficult it is for a subordinate to get a person in a position of power to confess to wrongdoing—a notion that underlines how important it is for institutions to make sure everyone is held accountable for their actions, regardless of their influence.

In Sister Aloysius and Father Flynn’s final confrontation, she tells him that she has called his former parish and spoken to a nun, who told her that he sexually abused a child there, too. Unaware that this is a lie, Father Flynn reacts harshly, saying, “That’s not the proper route for you to have taken, Sister!” Nonetheless, Sister Aloysius remains steadfast, telling Father Flynn that she plans to visit all his former parishes until she finds a parent who’s willing to speak openly about his history as a sexual abuser. “You have no right to act on your own!” Flynn yells. “You are a member of a religious order. You have taken vows, obedience being one! You answer to us!” By referencing the church’s chain of command, Flynn tries to frame Sister Aloysius as the immoral one, suggesting that she has violated her vows. In doing so, he relies on the church’s chain of command to make it harder for her to challenge him.

All this demonstrates the fact that certain power structures make it easier for potentially immoral and dangerous people to protect themselves. Sister Aloysius believes that she has succeeded in proving that Flynn is guilty, reasoning that he wouldn't have reacted angrily if her accusations were false, though she doesn't have definitive evidence. Guilty or not, he avoids punishment or damage to his reputation by making an appeal to an even higher ring of power, ultimately calling a bishop and convincing him to transfer him to another parish. In this way, Shanley highlights the unfortunate fact that certain institutions consolidate power in ways that can allow people to avoid facing consequences for their wrongs.