Tradition vs. Change Theme Analysis

In Doubt, John Patrick Shanley surveys the Catholic Church’s commitment to tradition, showcasing the institution’s internal struggles regarding change. Sister Aloysius, for her part, is committed to preserving an older, more traditional style of running a Catholic school, believing that teachers ought to be strict, fearsome, and authoritative. Sister James, on the other hand, wants her students to be comfortable when they’re in her class. Similarly, she likes the idea of breaking with tradition in certain contexts, which is why both she and Father Flynn get excited about the idea of having their students sing secular songs at the yearly Christmas pageant. Sister Aloysius judges them for wanting to invite change into the church, but Father Flynn insists that the church needs to find ways to “take on a more familiar face.” Later on, the play casts doubt on this sentiment by insinuating that Flynn might be using it to justify an inappropriately close relationship with Donald Muller. He claims that people like Sister Aloysius are “cruel” because they refuse to embrace their students, which could be interpreted as him manipulating an otherwise positive message about change and open-mindedness in order to exploit young children (though the play never reveals whether he's actually guilty of child abuse). And though Shanley doesn’t condemn progress in general, he does suggest that periods of growth can be quite volatile, especially when an institution like the Catholic Church is so set in its ways and, thus, ill-equipped to recognize which kinds of change are positive and which kinds are harmful.

As early as the play’s second scene, Sister Aloysius outlines her belief in sticking to the old ways as a school principal. In a conversation with Sister James, she stresses just how resistant she is to change, saying that she thinks students should still have to write with fountain pens. “I’m sorry I allowed even cartridge pens into the school,” she says. “The students really should only be learning script with true fountain pens. Always the easy way out these days. What does that teach? Every easy choice today will have its consequences tomorrow.” When she says this, she suggests that adopting new practices in the name of efficiency and modernization will only lead to trouble, thereby framing change itself as something dangerous.

Unlike Sister Aloysius, though, Sister James is a young woman who doesn’t mind the idea of inviting a bit of change into the Catholic Church’s school system. As a result, she likes Father Flynn’s idea that the students should sing a secular song at that year’s Christmas pageant. When James suggests that the children could sing “Frosty the Snowman,” Sister Aloysius makes her disapproval clear, saying, “‘Frosty the Snowman’ espouses a pagan belief in magic. The snowman comes to life when an enchanted hat is put on his head. If the music were more somber, people would realize the images are disturbing and the song heretical.” Responding to this strong condemnation, Flynn suggests that Sister Aloysius is “intoleran[t].” He even argues that the Catholic Church itself has already embraced the idea of change, regardless of what Sister Aloysius thinks. “I think a message of the Second Ecumenical Council was that the Church needs to take on a more familiar face,” he says. “Reflect the community. We should sing a song from the radio now and then. Take the kids out for ice cream.” When he says this, he challenges Sister Aloysius’s implication that change is something that will lead to “heresy.” He even implies that making the Church more “familiar” to outsiders will help ensure that Catholicism reaches as many people as possible.

Father Flynn’s belief that the Catholic Church should make itself more “familiar” to the public also brings itself to bear on the way he behaves as an educator. In a private conversation with Sister James (in which he convinces her that he’s not a pedophile), he manipulatively turns the young woman against Sister Aloysius. To do this, he claims that his close relationship with Donald Muller is merely an example of a contemporary and supportive bond between a teacher and a pupil—which may or may not be true. Wanting to vilify Sister Aloysius, he points to her strict and traditional ways, framing them as inherently unkind. “There are people who go after your humanity, Sister James, who tell you the light in your heart is a weakness,” he says. “That your soft feelings betray you. I don’t believe that. It’s an old tactic of cruel people to kill kindness in the name of virtue. Don’t believe it. There’s nothing wrong with love.” Going on, he reminds her that Jesus Christ’s primary “message” was one of love. “Not suspicion, disapproval and judgment,” he says. “Love of people. Have you found Sister Aloysius a positive inspiration?” In response, Sister James says that Sister Aloysius has been discouraging and harsh. While this might be the case, there’s no denying that Father Flynn has used his disdain for Sister Aloysius’s traditional ways to villainize her in Sister James’s eyes.

By associating Aloysius’s old-fashioned approach (which Sister James clearly dislikes) with “suspicion,” Flynn subtly urges James to side with him regarding the issue of Donald Muller. Simply put, he uses his beliefs about change and kindness to manipulate another person, effectively blinding Sister James to his wrongdoings by telling her what she wants to hear about change. Winning her over in this way would make it easier for him to go on abusing an innocent child, if Sister Aloysius's suspicious are correct (though, again, his guilt is never definitively proven or disproven).

In this way, Shanley shows the audience that even the most positive messages about transformation and progress can be weaponized and used for evil. And though this might seem like a critique of change in general, it’s mostly a simple warning, one that urges people to recognize that moments of transition and upheaval are often fraught and complicated.