Thoughts on "Priscilla Paul"

Hi! I’m sorry that it has taken me this long to post something new. This story had to go through a workshopping process before the final edits were made. Anyway, if you’ve returned to my blog to read this new story and my commentary, I'm so grateful. Thanks in advance.

For all of the members and visitors of this blog who grew up in the church, I believe we have all had a ‘church aunty’ that has behaved in such a manner as Sister Paul. The pompous, holier than thou senior who sits in her favourite seat and judges everyone is a very common stereotype in the church. They make everyone feel less than, uncomfortable and unwelcome, and yet, these people still wonder why the church is dying out. Sister Paul is not based on any particular churchgoer that I have had the displeasure of meeting and interacting with, but she is based on an amalgamation of church women (both young and old) that I have encountered during my years in both the church and in Christian schools. I would be lying if I told you that I’ve never judged people before. I would also be lying if I said that I’ve never thought of myself as better than others. I think, to an extent, we all have, whether consciously or unconsciously, thought these things at least once, twice, or dozens, if not hundreds of times. However, I know that I am a sinner, I know that I am not perfect and I know that I am no better than anyone else. So, with that being said, how is it that the people that resemble Sister Paul present themselves as perfect beings, when they clearly are not?

I truly don’t have an answer to this question, but I can only tell you what I think based on the themes that I have incorporated into my story. The major themes of this story are hypocrisy, shame and guilt. (Spoiler alert: if you haven’t read the story, click the link below this text!) After Sister Paul berates and ridicules the teenage mother, Nina, for having a baby out of wedlock, she goes home and writes a letter to her estranged son. It is implied that Sister Paul gave her son up for adoption when she was young, and has been suffering from the shame of her actions ever since, so much so that she is willing to attack others who have made similar mistakes. I believe that the seniors of the church treat the youngsters in such a way because of the weight of their own shame that they carry constantly. I’d like to think that it hurts them to see the next generation making the same mistakes, and the act of hurting others is their misguided way of showing that they want us to make better choices than they did perhaps? Of course, this is a very generous justification for the inappropriate, deplorable, ungodly behaviour of seniors in the church. They might just be terrible, “bad minded” people and there’s no other justification for their actions, but I’d like to think that there are more layers to people than what they present to us on the surface. I’d like to hear your thoughts though. What do you think of Sister Paul? What other themes did you recognize from the story? What did you like or dislike about the story and/or my commentary? Let me know in the comments below!