Jou nal o Global Scien i ic Resea ch in Social Sciences and Humani ies
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Sea ching o a T u h: A S udy o John Pa ick Shanley's Doub : A
Pa able
Hussein Hdheam Hbean
Al-Mu hanna Di ec o a e o Educa ion, Minis y o Educa ion, Al-Mu hanna, I aq.
1. In oduc ion
Doub - a Pa able is a play on unce ain y. We a e
able o no ice a numbe o images in his a is ic
s uc u e ha co espond o conce ns ha ha e
been oubling oday's e hics and philosophy.
Con empo a y schola s a e decons uc ing and
analyzing he wo cen u ies o Ch is iani y ha
ha e shaped ou pas . As wi h e e y hing, he e is
a op imis ic and a pessimis ic aspec o his
app oach. On he one hand, ealizing ha he e is
no ul ima e ac , ins ead ha ing a a ie y o iews
o he simila phenomenon, is edemp i e and
enables indi iduals o p og ess in a mo e ee and
sel -go e ning manne . On he o he hand, he cos
paid o ha has ha med any po en ial o
legenda y conside a ion in oday's wo ld, when
indi iduals appea o be ha ing inc easing
di icul ies es ablishing a comp omise be ween
ac and imagina ion, a ionali y and symbolic
hough , echnology and humaniza ion. We a e on
he e ge o an apo ia, whe e all o ou doub s
appea o be wo hless(Johnson,2005).
By add essing he p oblem o doub ,
Shanley's d ama challenges us o in es iga e he
cu en dilemma. The ecep o s a e p omp ed o
conside he a ious aspec s o he concep o
ce ain y, ha heigh ens ou doub s ega ding
Con en s lis s a ailable a www.gsjpublica ions.com
Jou nal o Global Scien i ic Resea ch
in Social Sciences and Humani ies
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A R T I C L E I N F O
Recei ed: 5 Sep 2025,
Re ised: 15 Sep 2025,
Accep ed: 19 Sep 2025,
Online: 7 Oc 2025
Keywo ds:
Doub , Child Moles e , Ce ain y,
Mode n Ame ican hea e
A B S T R A C T
John Pa ick Shanley’s play Doub , a Pa able (2004) explo es he B onx, whe e he g ew
up. The d ama is se in a Ca holic, I ish, and I alian ins uc neighbo hood. The plo
cen e s a ound Sis e Aloysius, he school's p incipal, ha ing a suspicion ha de elops
in o ai h and e en ually leads o assu ance. She has no doub ha he school's only
black s uden has been moles ed by Fa he Flynn, he p ies . The play's s uc u e is
open-ended, enabling each eade o iewe o o m hei own opinion o he e idence
con eyed, namely: Is Fa he Flynn a child moles e , o is he he a ge o cha ac e
assassina ion by a u hless nun who doesn' like him and desi es him ou o he school?
his pape in es iga es Shanley's ac ics o keeping he po en ial o explana ion
elease as he ans o ms his pe sonal w i ing in o a ious media, bo h on he p in ed
piece o pape and on he big moni o .
Hbean, H. H.
Jou nal o Global Scien i ic Resea ch in Social Sciences and Humani ies (ISSN: 2523-9376) 10 (10) 2025 4026
wha is genuine in a wo ld which occasionally
appea s d eamlike.
Doub (which is some imes pe cei ed as
ulne abili y a i s ) is he ac o ha al e s
e e y hing. When an indi idual eels unce ain,
collapses, and ha d-won in o ma ion anishes in
on o his ision, he is on he poin o g owing.
The delica e o o ce ul eunion be ween he
ou side body and he deepes pa s equen ly
appea s o be an e o , as i one has aken in he
w ong di ec ion and a e ad i . Bu his is only
eeling yea ning o he usual. Li e eme ges when
he seismic o ce o he wo dless soul bu s s
h ough he mind's li eless ou ines. Doub is
simply a chance o e u n o he Cu en . (Shanley
2009, p.8)
The poin o emphasize a his junc u e is he ac
ha we a e no o en conscious o he deg ee o
ou pe sonal misgi ings, o s ill wha hey a e .
Acco ding o Louis Al husse (1967) (Al husse :
2005, p. 1298), i we hold ha we adhe e o a
pa icula belie s and hen loca e ou sel es
beha ing con a y o ou belie s, his is a sign ha
we ha e been open o mo e ideologies han he
one we emb ace as ue. And being bomba ded
wi h in o ma ion is he hallma k o ou cu en
e a. As a esul , unce ain y has come o domina e
ou unde s anding o he wo ld.
The play e ol es abou Sis e Aloysius'
skep icism ha e ol es o con ic ion and hen
assu ance, ha Fa he Flynn is moles ing Donald
Mille , he only Black pupil. Sis e James, Donald's
ins uc o , w i es ha Donald a i ed a class a e
chu ch looking wo ied and wi h a s ong alcohol
odo on his mou h.The boy ( Donald) does his
ollowing a pe sonal discussion wi h Fa he Flynn.
This is he p ima y issue o he d ama, plus i can
be unde s ood in a ious ways by he eade o
spec a o , elying on whose side he akes. This is a
case o sexual assaul , acco ding o Sis e Aloysius;
Fa he Flynn denies he cha ge and ou lines his
side o he s o y; and, Sis e James is caugh
among wo ex emely ough a gumen s. Howe e ,
The d ama is s uc u ed as a sequence o
discussions, in e spe sed wi h h ee monologues,
wo o which a e declama ions p esen ed by
Fa he Flynn o his wo shippe s on he opics o
doub in addi ion o umo . These declama ions
a e sel - e alling, ye condemning (Shanley,2005).
Sis e Aloysius belie es a pe son has done
some hing immo al: Fa he Flynn himsel . She
de ini ely has a deep mis us o he you h ul
subo dina e p ies . He is a oo chee ul o he
mood; he implies ha he ins i u ion's Ch is mas
play ough o in ol e a non-Ch is ian c y like
"F os y he Snowman," which Aloysius hinks an
in ole an no e ega ding magical hings; and, as
o his p i a e li es yle, he likes alo o honey in his
ea, has his inge nails oo long, uses a ball-poin
pen, and holds addi ional signs o sexuali y and
e sion o he new wo ld(Ma ks,2008).
The p es ( Fa he Flynn) eels he same way abou
Sis e Aloysius' se e e iews and manne , which
he belie es a e p e en ing he chu ch and
ownship backside om emb acing he esh
image o “a welcoming chu ch.” Sis e Aloysius is
consequen ly a han willing o accuse him when
a imma u e childish nun indica es ha he is
possibly ha ing an illici associa ion wi h one o
he eigh h-g ade lads. Sis e Aloysius is
de e mined o ind ou he u h abou he ma e ,
bu Fa he Flynn answe s o he cha ges wi h
iolen sel -assu ance (Wallace,2011).
Fa he Flynn's ac ions p o ide Sis e Aloysius
e en mo e eason o doub ing him. He is seen
welcoming Donald a e ano he s uden bullies
him; he is seen s angely ecu ing Donald's
unde clo hes o his close ; and he b ings Donald
ou o class o a pe sonal discussion in he chu ch
house, a e which he boy comes back o he class
wi h he odo o alcohol on his b ea hing. Some o
he s uden s had ga he ed a he chu ch house o
yielding d inks and "shoo ing he b eeze." And,
a e a baske ball session, he ad ises he lads o
main ain hei inge nails spa kling and well-
shaped, allowing hem o con inue g owing mo e
han Sis e Aloysius p e e s. And, acco ding o
Sis e 's inqui y, he has been sen o h ee unusual
chu ches in he pas i e yea s (Wallace,2011).
Howe e , he igh in ol ing he cle gyman and
he emale nun is a han jus p i a e; i
ep esen s a la ge e hical di ision. while Sis e
James ies o clea Fa he Flynn o a all
w ongdoing, Sis e Aloysius says, "You jus wan
simplici y back." The e is some hing laudable
abou he unwa e ing commi men o ollow he
ac , o "do wha needs o be done," ega dless o
how ha d o nas y he eali y maigh be. Fa he
Hbean, H. H.
Jou nal o Global Scien i ic Resea ch in Social Sciences and Humani ies (ISSN: 2523-9376) 10 (10) 2025 4027
Flynn, on he o he hand, sees Sis e Aloysius'
pu sui o " he u h" as a ha m ul p oduc o he
commonly joyless a i ude owa d exis ence. As he
eminds Sis e James, " he e a e indi iduals who
go a e you humani y...who ell you ha he
b igh ness in you hea is a weakness." Do no
conside i . I 's an ancien wicked pe son's ick o
mu de compassion in he guise o good quali y."
The play ugs us among app ecia ion o Sis e
Aloysius' unwa e ing pu sui o he u h and
Fa he Flynn's endo semen o in ole ance and
kindness, o , as he pu s i , Ch is 's mission o
"lo e." No mis us , con ic ion, and
condemna ion (P okosh,2009).
When Sis e Aloysius a anges a sec e
con e sa ion wi h Donald's mo he , who employs
as a maid's assis an in a close la complex, she
exposes ye an addi ional laye o wickedness a
wo k in he pa ish communi y. M s. Mulle expose
addi ional de ails conce ning he boy's amily
exis ence and p i a e diso ien a ion, in addi ion o
he own iews on he cha ges, in one ans o ming
con e sa ion, e ealing some e en deepe ac s
ega ding ace, s a us, and he hopeless ques o
inc easing mobili y ha pe sonal ins uc ion
p omises o inne -ci y child en; all o hese ac s
appea o ca ch Sis e Aloysius o
gua d(P okosh,2009).
The d ama e eals a mo e p o ound le el o
ins i u ional w ongdoing, which may explain
Sis e Aloysius' d i e o ule he one sphe e she
has in luence o e . As she says a a ce ain poin ,
"men con ol all hings" in he place o wo ship.
E en she ough o concede ha , acco ding o he
Chu ch's pa ia chal s uc u e, Fa he Flynn is
legally he supe io . He sole eso o highe
adminis a ion is o speak wi h he cle ic, whom
she belie es will suppo Fa he Flynn. On he
o he hand, nei he Sis e Aloysius no Sis e
James ha e any e idence o indic Fa he Flynn.
Sis e Aloysius possesses jus he own con idence.
So, o he pu pose o a ain he objec i es, she
se s up a echnique o de ea he
sys em(Lade ,1987).
M s. Ca son, he nun's maid, b ough in a emale
ca a e no icing a mouse in he esidence.
Because( male and emale ca s) a e e enly
success ul a unning a e mice, he desc ip ion o
he ca 's gende as emale p omp s us o iden i y
he ca wi h Sis e Aloysius (who is also ollowing
someone), and he mouse wi h Fa he Flynn. M s.
Ca son s a es ha we equi e a ca o ca ch a
mouse a e apping i . Sis e Aloysius concu s
wi h he asse ion(Mobe g,1961).
The ca has been associa ed wi h he holy since
Ancien Egyp , and maybe ea lie han ha ; ye
he mouse is a popula emblem used o dispa age
an indi idual's i ue. The a is an animal
connec ed wi h he Black Dea h, which wiped ou
one- hi d o he esiden s o Eu ope h oughou
he cou se o he Middle Ages and which (pe haps
as a esul ) e okes ins inc ual e ulsion and
dislike in people.Ra s dwell in he ash and mo e
quickly and s eal hily. They eed on ubbish and
a e capable o ansmi ing disease.They a e
associa ed wi h wicked cha ac e such as he
wi ch, pa asi e( ampi e), e il spi i , plus
lep echauns in he Eu opean imagina ion. Ca s, on
he o he hand, a e sel -su icien , nimble, and
highly skilled. Rega dless o hei link wi h he
di ine, hey appea o aim o p e-Ch is ian
eligious lines(killough,2001).
The igu e o he animal( ca ) came o be
connec ed wi h he deadly, wicked quali ies o
eminini y as ou cul u al no ms became mo e
dicho omis . In his ega d, Sis e Aloysius
esembles a ca when she esol es o do wha she
mus , e en i i means s epping a away om
di ini y. She appea s o be esponding o a basic
eminine, mo he ly, holy summons he e, in which
he escue o a soli a y in an appea s o be alued
u he han wo housand yea s o ins i u ional
canons and dogmas (Mobe g,1961).
The inal sigh o he play ea u es a cha be ween
Sis e Aloysius and Sis e James he young
inexpe ienced ins uc o who ini ially e ealed
Fa he Flynn's ac ions. Sis e James had been
conce ned abou Flynn's alleged inapp op ia e
beha io du ing he d ama. She simply did his
because Aloysius, who was ne ous by Fa he
Flynn's p og essi e iews and mode n iewpoin ,
ins uc ed all o he ins i u ion's ins uc o s o "be
awa e" o him(Smy he,2007).
As soon as Aloysius admi s ha she lied ega ding
he amilia y ha Flynn had a eco d o dubious
conduc in p io chu ches, i 's an addi ional
eache y: she's duped James in o belie ing a lie
Hbean, H. H.
Jou nal o Global Scien i ic Resea ch in Social Sciences and Humani ies (ISSN: 2523-9376) 10 (10) 2025 4028
and exploi ed he o pu sue a possibly ha mless
pe son. Acco ding o Aloysius, he eali y ha she
did a ho ible ac ion on a p i a e al i ude is okay.
In he own ocabula ies, she "walks away om
God, bu in His mission"(Holman ,2008).
This a e sion o ele a ed e hics encapsula es he
ue s uggle o ( Doub ).The e is an ongoing
con lic amids de eloped, impe sonal s uc u es
and he uns able, e e -changing beings who
occupy hem. Aloysius akes no joy in being ough
and s e n wi h he pupils, o in denying he
pa ish's no mal endency owa d libe alism. She
does so because she eels he Chu ch's ole is o be
a ad anced s anda d, a body sepa a e om he
es o he al e ing wo ld. I makes no di e ence
o he whe he Fa he Flynn is simply soo hing
Donald o exploi ing his si ua ion. He is c ossing
his ole as a man o God, which is why Flynn's
accep ance canno be aken as an admi ance o
shame. He and sis e Aloysius unde s and ha he
en i onmen hey inhabi in is e y igid, so she
may u n he lock agains him, e en i he is no an
abuse (Smy he,2007).
So doub is a g ea play because i c ea es
eac ions o bo h cha ac e s and e en s and hen
ques ioning he audience's i s eelings. Shanley
in oduces ano he possibili y jus when we a e
ce ain o ou emo ions and allegiance. Each
in e ac ion pushes us u he in o ou own
unce ain ies abou ou con ic ions, un il we
unde s and he cha ac e s' p edicamen .We a e
ese ed in ou places awai ing he inal line o he
play, whe e we ca y on o doub , o specula e i
Flynn is blamewo hy o no , e en a e we ha e
le he hea e(Milkis,2005).
I is po en ial o sympa hize wi h Fa he Flynn,
seeing him as a ha mless indi idual whose deeds
a e delibe a ely misunde s ood as wicked. A he
exac same ime, he long adi ion o ins i u ional
mis ea men in he Ca holic Chu ch demons a es
Sis e Aloysius' poin : cle ics ha e in luence o e
hei s uden s, and s ic ly con olling such
ela ionships is a legi ima e means o ensu e he e
is no po en ial o abuse. In his sense, Aloysius'
las shou o "I ha e such doub s!" can be
in e p e ed as a me a- e lec ion on he audience's
indecisi e s a e o mind (Hed ick,2001).
Fo he majo i y o he play, Aloysius is able o
dis ega d he misgi ings. Howe e , he senio
cle gymen, as pa o he es ablished Chu ch
hie a chy o which Aloysius is a ached, ewa d
Flynn. I 's a mo al ul ima um: ei he Aloysius
complimen s he senio cle gy's p ocedu es, in
which case she mus con ess ha he iew o
Flynn is w ong, o she main ains he belie in
Flynn's shame and con on s he eali y ha he
Chu ch's whole unc ioning may be wis ed and
damaged, pe haps o a long ime. Rega dless, she
sac i ices some hing. He own belie s is no longe
compa ible wi h he ole as a nun and ha 's whe e
doub s ops (Hed ick,2001).
Conclusion
A i s co e, John Pa ick Shanley's "Doub " is abou
ealizing ha all o ou iews and a i udes a e
pa o a mask we pu up in o de o sa egua d
ou sel es. We equen ly decide o ha e ai h in
hings such as a pe son's pu i y, shame, he
sanc i y o he chu ch, and he alues o socie y.
The decision ha de e mines whe he a pe son is
innocen o guil y is based on ce ain y, as
someone who is unce ain will no guil anyone .
The si ua ion in Doub o e suspec ed Fa he
Flynn's abuse canno be add essed because Flynn
canno be ied o acqui ed. He denies all claims,
and no hing in his ac ions explici ly sugges s ha
he has commi ed c imes.A he end ,s ill he
ques ion, Is Fa he Flynn a se ial abuse enabled
by a c ooked sys em? Is Sis e Aloysius on a
spi e ul smea campaign agains an innocen man,
o is she co ec o us he ins inc s? Shanley
p o ides no de ini i e answe s, p e e ing o
emb ace ambigui y and lea e he spec a o wi h a
sense o doub .
Re e ences
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Jesus and His Mode n C i ics. Louis ille, KY:
Wes mins e John Knox P ess.
[2]. Holman, Cu . (2008). "Doub a he Alliance
Thea e: Mo he Supe io May-o May No Ha e
Jumped The Gun." Re . o Doub : A Pa able, by John
Pa ick Shanley. C ea i e Loa ing A lan a 16 Ap .
2008.
[3]. Johnson, Paul. (2005). A His o y o Ch is iani y. New
Yo k: Simon and Schus e , P in .
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[4]. Killough, Pa ick. (2001). "I Ha e Doub s! I Ha e
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