The Power of God and Gossip with John Patrick Shanley
Monologues are practical tools for character development and help advance your story’s plot. The intention and technique of delivering final monologues allow a character to experience a sense of narrative catharsis, as it provides them with the opportunity to express their deepest desires and wants, thereby achieving a sense of emotional resolution. When well written and carefully placed, monologues function as beats of narrative catharsis by employing tactics to express the speaker’s want. As the story progresses, the air inflates (conflict), preventing them from getting what they want. When it is about to pop, they break (monologue) and either pop in the process (ending) or deflate and go through the resolution through the end of the play. In other words, a monologue projecting the character’s final attempt to achieve their want at the climax of their arc allows for a release that changes everything for the character. Experiencing these as an audience allows for a gut-wrenching or memorable heart-warming feeling that keeps us re-reading the same plays and holding those characters close to our hearts.
John Patrick Shanley's play, Doubt, is set in the 1960s and delves into America's political and social upheavals during that time. The story centers around an allegation made by Sister Aloysius against Father Flynn caught alone with a boy in the rectory. Sister Aloysius shares her version of events about Father Flynn’s behavior with the young boy with Sister James. Being a staunch believer in tradition and religion, she feels he should never be alone with a young church boy. Despite Sister James’ defense of Father Flynn potentially showing kindness to a child in need, Sister Aloysius spreads rumors to tarnish Father Flynn's reputation.
Meanwhile, Father Flynn tries to clear his name and establish his innocence. Shanley cleverly weaves Father Flynn’s sermons into his monologues, which align with the events in the story. One such monologue aims to refute Sister Aloysius’ accusations and help Father Flynn prove his innocence. In scene six, we hear the following sermon:
“FLYNN: A woman was gossiping with a friend about a man she hardly knew I know none of you have ever done this—and that night she had a dream. A great hand appeared over her and pointed down at her. She was immediately seized with an overwhelming sense of guilt. The next day she went to confession. She got the old parish priest, Father O’Rouke, and she told him the whole thing. “Is gossiping a sin?" she asked the old man. “Was that the Hand of God Almighty pointing a finger at me? Should I be asking your absolution? Father, tell me, have I done something wrong?” (Irish brogue) “Yes!” Father O'Rouke answered her. “Yes, you ignorant, badly brought-up female! You have borne false witness against your neighbor, you have played fast and loose with his reputation, and you should be heartily ashamed!” So the woman said she was sorry and asked forgiveness. “Not so fast!” says O’Rouke, “I want you to go home, take a pillow up on your roof, cut it open with a knife, and return here to me!” So she went home, took the pillow off her bed, a knife from the drawer, went up the fire escape to the roof, and stabbed the pillow. Then she went back to the old priest as instructed. “Did you gut the pillow with the knife?” he says. “Yes, Father.” “And what was the result?” “Feathers,” she said. “Feathers?” he repeated. “Feathers everywhere, Father!” “Now I want you to go back and gather up every last feather that flew out on the wind!” “Well,” she says, “it can't be done. I don't know where they went. 'The wind took them all over.” “And that,” said Father O’Rouke, “is gossip!” In the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost, Amen.” (Shanley 36-37)
When Father Flynn delivers his sermon, the rumor of him and said boy has already made its way around. Without confronting Sister Aloysius directly, his sermon permits him to speak freely. The monologue starts with the line, “A woman was gossiping with a friend about a man she hardly knew.” (Shanley 36) He refers to the active conflict in the play when Sister Aloysius tells Sister James about Father Flynn. The next line, “I know none of you have ever done this.”(Shanley 36) Considering the audience members are people of the church, Father Flynn begins to manipulate his audience to regain control of the narrative Sister Aloysius spun. He narrates a fictional story to motivate them not further spreading the rumors.
Initially, Father Flynn’s sermons preach the word of God. The balloon begins to fill with every scene that revolves around Sister Aloysius accusing Father Flynn of wrongdoing. Rather than this monologue popping the balloon, it acts as the final push of air that will force it to pop. In this sermon, he can openly “tell a story” as a way to manipulate what he wants. “Yes, you ignorant, badly brought-up female! … you have played fast and loose with his reputation, and you should be heartily ashamed!” (Shanley 36) Not only speaking about Sister Aloysius’ behavior but anyone else spreading misinformation about what happened. This bleeds the idea—it’s not about the actual scandal, but the doubt it creates.
In the scene before this sermon, Sister Aloysius tries to persuade Sister James of Father Flynn’s disgrace. Sister Aloysius mentions ‘I wouldn’t mind being wrong, but I doubt I am’ or ‘I doubt he would recover from the shame.’ Inherently, Sister James does not immediately doubt Father Flynn. Instead, she reaches to understand why he is alone with the boy. Sister James accepts that Father Flynn is helping the boy, and Sister Aloysius grounds herself on believing he is a pedophile. When Father Flynn says, “You have borne false witness against your neighbor,” he hits his audience where it hurts. He attempts a more innovative approach rather than saying, ‘Stop talking about it.’ The biblical reference aids the church in believing the action results in external punishment. “Was that the Hand of God Almighty pointing a finger at me?” He veers his monologue from harmless chatter with a friend to direct punishment from God.
Not only is his sermon a way to argue his innocence, but it also serves as a moral guide and a defense. The conflict between these two motives makes the monologue so compelling. “Did you gut the pillow with the knife?” (Shanley 37) he says. Despite his drive to prove his innocence, the monologue also sets the stage for the play’s final moments. “Yes, Father.” ‘And what was the result?’ ‘Feathers,’ she said. ‘Feathers?’ he repeated. ‘Feathers everywhere, Father!’” (Shanley 37) The power of rumors, even if unfounded, can overshadow the truth. Father Flynn highlights this message through his speech, building up to the reveal and creating tension in the audience.
At this point in the play, Sister Aloysius’ argument relies heavily on speculation, each scene attempting to convince another character. “Now, I want you to go back and gather up every last feather that flew out on the wind!” (Shanley 37) While Father Flynn’s sermon tells a story, it directly addresses her actions without engaging her. “Well,” the woman in the story says, “it can’t be done. I don’t know where they went. The wind took them all over.” (Shanley 37) Father Flynn does not seem to care by this point, as he knows the gossip will tarnish his reputation. He vents his anger publicly during his sermon and violently blames this woman, using the finger of God as a symbolic weapon. Flynn’s sermons provide righteous advice to the community while serving as a release to defend himself and get justice against Sister Aloysius.
Through this play, Shanley paints an intricate tale of falsity, grounding each turn in Father Flynn’s sermons. They are not only his way of defending himself against accusations of indiscretion but act as structural beats that help to organize the play and allow the audience to follow the narrative. Shanley purposely gives us these sermons between scenes to stir doubt within his audience. He poses a thought-provoking question: if Sister Aloysius is so quick to deceive, how can we be sure she has not been deceiving us all along? No matter how many sermons he gave, he would never redeem his reputation, regardless of whether the rumor was untrue. “And that,” said Father O’Rouke, “is gossip!” (Shanley 37)
Even though Father Flynn’s monologue occurs a few scenes before the play ends, it appears at his climax. Shanley places the sermon above at Father Flynn’s pivotal moment of desperation to achieve narrative catharsis. As the end approaches, reflecting on this moment captures the clear character arc we see in Father Flynn.
