Essay Questions

Why does Sister Mary Ignatius kill Gary?

Gary is a gay man who tells the Sister he has been sleeping with hundreds of men, and now is in a committed relationship with a former male classmate. She asks him if he has confessed his sins recently, he has, just that morning he confessed. She kills him as soon as she finds this out. She justifies her heinous murder by saying that she was sending Gary to Heaven because he had no sin in his life because of his good confession. It is her belief that she has given him eternal life, something she doubted he would have attained if she'd of let him leave. Thus, she murders him in cold blood.

Talk about the final imagery of the play with Thomas, Sister Mary Ignatius, and Aloysius.

Sister Mary Ignatius has grown tired and needs a nap so, she hands her gun to Thomas, a 7 year old boy to keep it trained on Aloysius--her former student who desperately has to go to the bathroom, but she won't allow. If he moves, Thomas is told to shoot him. The Sister then tells Thomas to recite catechism questions as he sits on her lap. The imagery of this final scene relates to the corruption by institutionalized power and how the wrongs they have committed in the past they feel no need to apologize for, and they even train up the new generations to do the work for them. It is an blatant abuse of power and an act of injustice as it shows the legalistic nature of the Catholic Church as an institution and its belief that the power it holds cannot be challenged.

What is ironic about Sister Mary Ignatius saying that Aloysius turned out well?

Aloysius has just admitted that he is an alcoholic, beats his wife and thinks about suicide and Sister Mary says he turned out well as she is comparing him to the rest of her students present. They, to her, are more completely corrupted by mortal sin, whereas Aloysius' sin is venial, meaning that he won't go to hell. The worst case for him if he doesn't confess is purgatory. Her statement reveals the incredibly unsympathetic nature of those in positions of institutional power to demean a person, rather than stand with them in an attempt to help them find healing and wholeness in their life. Especially considering Sister Mary contributed to their pain.