Doubt: A Parable: Character Analysis

John Patrick Shanley's work, Doubt: A Parable, is a thought-provoking play that makes the reader question his or her thoughts. The story takes place in 1964, at St. Nicholas, a Catholic school and church, where accusations against Father Flynn start to arise. Main characters, Sister Aloysius and Father Flynn get into a dispute over Donald Mueller, the first and only black student in the school. The interactions between Aloysius and Flynn creates the question every reader is dying to figure out: is father Flynn guilty of sexual abuse or innocent? Gaining evidence from the play, Doubt: A Parable, I infer that Father Flynn is guilty because of his past and mannerisms.
Father Flynn's unfortunate past magnifies his guilt greatly by adding to Sister

Sister Aloysius spends her entire time trying to prove Father Flynn guilty where she also tries to persuade Sister James into thinking he is guilty too. She criticizes Father Flynn for his nails, the amount of sugar he takes, and his request for “Frosty the Snowman”. Aloysius sounds certain throughout the play that he is sinful, but changes her mind at the end: "I have doubts! I have such doubts!" (Shanley 58). Sister Aloysius, who doubts herself, consequently, proves his innocence. Confessing that she has doubts, significantly contradicts her claims of him being guilty of sexual abuse. However, when gaining all the facts, Father Flynn leaves the church once again because of a promotion making it his fourth parish. The substantial evidence verifying Flynn is guilty is when he leaves: "His resignation was his confession" (Shanley 58). Once again moving to another church, he confirms that he is guilty of sinning and runs away to avoid any consequences. Father Flynn accepts the promotion right away before the situation gets even more out of hand leaving with a clean slate. Nonetheless, I believe that Father Flynn is indeed guilty taking into account all the evidence the author