Doubt: A Parable

“Doubt can be a bond as powerful and sustaining as certainty. When you are lost, you are not alone.” 

This quote in Father Flynn’s first sermon sets the stage for Sister James to become the unlikely conspirator of Sister Aloysius. She and Sister Aloysius become bound by their doubt of Father Flynn’s innocence, and later of their own actions.

“Every easy choice today will have its consequence tomorrow.” 

This early quote from Sister Aloysius establishes how clearly she believes in making hard choices in life, and in the value of being strict with oneself and set in one’s morals.

“Don’t be charmed by cleverness. Not theirs. And not yours.” 

Sister Aloysius can see that Sister James is easily swayed by charm, warmth, and cleverness. This quote showcases Sister Aloysius’s distrust of everyone, including herself, and prefigures Sister James’s eventual siding with Father Flynn.