Guiltiness Of Father Flynn In Doubt: A Parable By John Patrick Shanley

Guiltiness of Father Flynn in Doubt Being accused of child molestation can have devastating effects on someone's life even if the accusation is false. In Doubt: A Parable by John Patrick Shanley, a priest is forced to deal with these accusations from his own co-workers. No hard evidence is given by the author and the reader is left to determine if Father Flynn is guilty or not. Based on the evidence John Patrick Shanley gives in his play, Doubt: A Parable, I conclude that Father Flynn is guilty because of his affinity for the boys and his defensive nature for them. The first reason that Father Flynn is guilty is due to his fondness for the boys in the school. Flynn will often talk to the boys alone or in a secluded area. One of these times, …show more content…
Father Flynn is also repelled by the boys in the play which must be due to some type of harm. During class one day, Sister James noticed a disturbed look on Donald’s face after returning from talking to Father Flynn alone. When Sister James is discussing this with Sister Aloysius she describes Donald’s mood by saying, “He looked frightened”, (Shanely 22). Since the last person that Donald was with before he got the frightened look on his face was Father Flynn, Flynn must have harmed him in such a way to faze Donald. This is also not the first instance where a child seemed to repel from Father Flynn. On the first day of the school year, Sister Aloysius witnessed William London pull away when Father Flynn touched his wrist. The fact that there are not one, but two instances where the children have reacted negatively to Father Flynn proves that he is damaging them in some way. This is not the only proof of Father Flynn’s guiltiness in the play …show more content…
It can be said that Flynn unselfishly looks out for Donald and tries to be a father figure to him. In one of the many meetings between Father Flynn and Sister Aloysius, he suggests a caring idea. Father Flynn suggests, “Maybe take the boys for ice cream”, (Shanley 30). Flynn proposes this as a way to become closer to the boys and become more a part of their families. This could show Flynn’s caringness for the boys and also try to help Donald fit in with the other kids. This could also show that Flynn wants to get closer to the boys for an ulterior motive. During the beginning of the book, Sister Aloysius starts to become skeptical of Father Flynn. While talking with Sister James, Aloysius states, “He’s taken an interest”, (Shanley 20). Sister Aloysius is insinuating that Father Flynn has become interested in reasons besides wanting to help them. Since there are many reasons proving his guilt and countless ways to disprove his innocence, Father Flynn is