Just my opinion....
I think that even tho Sister Luke and Lisa both have rebellious natures, they are different in that this constantly plagues Sister Luke... whereas Lisa is *Okay* about it. Her rebellion does not bother her very much, or not at all.
In a way, she reminds me of the nuns near the end of "Sound of Music" when they say, "Reverend Mother, I have sinned," and then they pull out the engine parts they stole from the Nazi car, so the von Trapp family can escape. I don't think these nuns spent much time feeling guilty over this sin.
But back to the Nun's Story - Sister Luke and Lisa both knew her resistance work was "wrong" (in that it violated the behavior requirements for nuns at that time). But Lisa did it anyway - repeatedly. I don't think Sister Luke expected that Lisa would abandon this work. She knew, or sensed, that Lisa could do two conflicting tasks and not struggle with it, as she her self had been doing ever since she took the veil.
I don't mean to say that Lisa was never bothered by "wrong" behavior - I just think that, given a conflict between rules and human need, she would follow her conscience and take care of the need.
I would imagine that Lisa had no problem in staying to listen to a patient after the Grand Silence bell, whereas Sister Luke was in agonies over it, and felt guilty if she broke Silence and stayed. If she was obedient to the Silence, she felt guilty over leaving the patient in the middle of their conversation. Either way, Sister Luke felt trapped.
Lisa, on the other hand, would probably stay and talk with the patient- then she would confess this sin, do the required penance... and do it all again the next time, and not feel guilty.
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ajbarlas
15 years ago
Ah, so Lisa went by Grace Hopper's philosophy, "It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission." Perhaps Sister Luke understood that and meant that a successful nun is a happy nun who makes the world a better place, rather than one who follows rules; but that Sister Luke herself knew she could not live with the inconsistency of breaking rules she had sworn to uphold.
If Sister Luke had been in The Sound of Music, she would have helped steal the engine parts, but would have agonized over breaking the rules, then agonized over the agonizing ....
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Liza-19
14 years ago
Hmm, that's a good take on it, but I want to add something:
Lisa knew full well what she was getting into. She learned a lot from watching Sister Luke's struggles, and was walking in with her eyes open.
As far as disobedience, I think she probably became more strict after she took her orders, but would still disobey when she felt it was the right thing to do. (Sister Luke did that herself, when she refused to fail her examinations).
I think Sister Luke saw a lot of herself in Lisa - but she also saw a few qualities she didn't have - not just rebellious, but a very strong stubborn streak, and a strength of mind in her convictions. Lisa would never give up on what she set out to do. No one knew better than Sister Luke how much strength is required to remain a nun.
I don't care about money. I just want to be wonderful. - Marilyn Monroe
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