Doubt: A Parable

A quick meeting between Sister James and Father Flynn in the garden, this scene showcases Sister James’s discomfort with darkness, and her desire for normalcy and simplicity. She begins by saying she can’t sleep, as she has had a dream where she looked in a mirror and saw darkness instead of a face. Father Flynn says he, too, loses sleep sometimes. Sister James asks if his sermon was about a specific person, to which he responds, “What do you think?” (38). Sister James mentions that her brother is sick before Father Flynn asks after Donald Muller. She says that though she sees Donald every day, she feels like she doesn’t know how he is doing, as she is no longer sure how to judge these things.

Father Flynn then mentions that Sister James has not come to him for confession, which he takes as a sign of her being against him. She denies that, but denies being convinced of his innocence as well, and insists that it is Sister Aloysius, her superior, who must be convinced of Father Flynn’s innocence. Sister James continues to insist that she wishes she knew nothing about their debate.