Last year my High School English class went to see a local professional group do perform this play as one of the three plays we had to see that year and I thoroughly disliked it. So, when I heard that I had to read "Doubt" I wasn't all to excited about it. I understand the point that Shanley is trying to make in the play, that it is a statement about actions that have been taking place within the Church, and I think that he did a wonderful job in presenting that point. "Doubt" is wonderfully written and full of meaning but I just don't like it. After reading it I sat down and skimmed it over again in the hopes that I could figure out why I don't like the play. One of the reasons I came up with was the characters, none of which I liked. Father Flynn's character is just sketchy and I can see why Sister Aloysius had her doubts about him. Sister Aloysus just makes me angry with every word she says; she is a hot headed, hypocritical, mean person. Sister James is another person who just makes me angry with every word she says; she's simple and something about her makes me want to yell at her to open her eyes and stand up for herself. I don't even like Mrs. Muller, who's only in one scene. What kind of Mother tells the Principal of the school her kid is attending that it doesn't matter what Father James is doing to him as long as her son graduates from the school?
I did find however that I disliked it less when reading it then I did when I watched it being performed. I think that is because when watching it the physical gestures and physical statements of the characters intensified my dislike for them.
Did anyone feel completely turned off by this play? To the point where they stopped reading because they couldn't take it anymore?
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I can understand why you felt this way, but I completely disagreed. I didn't necessarily like the characters, but I thought they were well-developed and interesting.
ReplyDeleteI think the main thing I wanted to comment on was your feelings towards Mrs. Muller. If you read her responses out loud and play with her attitude, she can sound really downtrodden or just being realistic. It sounds like her husband causes a lot of trouble and that she just wants to give her son a chance to get out of the world he is in so he doesn't get trapped like her. You have to remember this is a different time, people treated eachother differently, racism was obviously still a big factor and she makes a comment that her son is quite possibly gay. She just wants to get him through middle school and high school and into college, where he'll hopefully get somewhere beyond where he is now.
I agree that some of her responses shocked me, but I could understand where she was coming from. She didn't necessarily have a choice. I read her as though she had been beaten down by life and just wants to get through, she is a realist in the extreme. She fears for Donald's life at home if it comes out he was molested, and she fears for his life if he went to public school. She isn't just a careless mother, she's just at a loss as to what else she can do.