Why did she become a nun?

The answer to this question was actually posted in the thread just above this one, regarding the item she took with her to the convent. As stated, women during this time period would often join the convent to get out of marriage or other familial duties in order to pursue a career in teaching, nursing or other jobs that the convent could provide education and means for.

I have read the novel The Nun's Story by Hulme at least three times over the course of my life. Gabrielle was a brilliant woman, the daughter of a professor of tropical medicine in preWWII Belgium. At that time, most Catholic women who wanted to be scientists or physicians found they were only dreaming--unless they joined the convent. Gabrielle dreamed of being a tropical medicine doctor, like her father. She was already a professional nurse before entering the convent. The convent was her ticket to advanced tropical medicine studies. Hulme develops the protagonist in the novel, Sister Luke (Gabrielle), as a complex character: She is single-minded in her desire to fulfill her dreams, yet those dreams often clash with the belief system of the conduit of those dreams (convent life). The movie, unfortunately, does not develop that conflict in the beginning of the movie. The viewer must wait until the movie is well underway to witness Sister Luke's struggle. The conflict between what she really wants (to live and work forever in the Belgian Congo) and what the convent wants of her (Complete Obedience to the Will of God) is the central conflict of the story. Watch it again, keeping in mind that you will not be able to see the premise of the story until the middle of the movie until she begins "disobeying the Rule" first by failing to stop performing her nursing duties to pray while giving a sip of water to a sick patient, then by passing her tropical medicine exams when she was asked by her superior to fail her exams, followed by her deep sadness and anger at having to leave the Congo at the outbreak of WWII. The final straw was being made to "tolerate the Nazi Enemy" while younger nurses she was supervising in Belgium were working for the Resistance Movement. The whole premise of the story will make more sense to you then. You may ask me, "how has this person gotten so into this movie?" --I will tell you. I saw it for the first time when I was 9 years old. I was impressionable. At the time there were many "Beach Blanket" and "Where the Boys Are" movies for tweens and teens, but few movies to incite the passions of girls for work and career. "The Nun's Story" touched me deeply. I was haunted by it for years, and it inspired me for decades. No other movie made a bigger impact on the choices I made for the remainder of my life. Sister Luke made hard choices for reasons not easily gleaned by even her closest associates. I understand her. I'm now 53 years old. I am a nurse with a PhD in epidemiology and a professor of medicine (but not a nun.--And that's another story).

The posts by the respondents gave a good amount of insight, and here is my pence worth based from a Catholic perspective.

Back in first 40 or years of the last century, there a large blossoming of religiuos vocations to the priesthood, brotherhoods and sisterhoods. It was not uncommon for 80+ to enter, and for half or more to either return to the world, or enter other religious communities. (Compared to the 40 a year back then to the 1 or 2 a year now, the Church was made a BIG goof in the chances made as to entering religious life). At this time, it was considered a mark of presitge for Catholic families to have a child, or better yet, children who took the collar or veil. In Europe, there was a never ending need for such to go to the colonies and help "civilise" Africa and Asia.

In that era of religious life, the main focus was still done according to the MIddle Ages' approach - which was the time that many of the religious communities were started. While this may have worked then, it was still the "one size fits all", and with the passing of time, often was impractical for the needs of modern day life. As a result, religious often were a part from the world; not a part of the world. These little "priest, brother and nun worlds" were limited to the very thing they were founded for, Service to God's Chruch and World. Those who saw the hinderance of 400 year old rules often were torn apart as they were lost between two worlds. Back then, if you couldn't find the happy medium, the answer was that you weren't meant for a vocation, and you were often asked to leave - an in the middle of the night. The shame and disgrace for a family that had a son or duaghter fly the coop was unspoken, but clearly there for the family, and many a child was shamed into remaining and going through spiritual anguish; some toughed it out, and others left and returned to the world.

Wandered by here on a whim and saw your query. I've known the novel on which the film is based for most of my life - it's very powerful, and the strongest thing Kathryn Hulme ever wrote, based on the life of an ex-nun she met during or shortly after WWII - but I'd have to say that why the protagonist becomes a nun is problematic there too. Certainly, the piety of her family is emphasised, and it is worth reminding oneself that choosing the religious life was not, in the inter-war years, considered the extraordinarily life-denying affair it is now - the sheer number of postulants (from Belgium, England, Ireland and France)who enter with Gabrielle points this up, as does the size of the mother house. There's also a fascinating flashback to a trip to Lourdes with Gabrielle as a young nurse accompanying the sick, witnessing the invalids' faith (and some miracles)and hero-worshipping a nun.

But Hulme clearly thinks it's necessary to explain further why such a beautiful and gifted woman enters a religious order, and gives us a frankly melodramatic mini-story-line (never really explicated) to the effect that Gabrielle's father has refused to let her marry her fiance, because his mother had died in an insane asylum and her father won't expose her to the risk of having an insane child. One gets the impression Hulme wasn't quite happy with this, either. The melodrama does stick up very obviously, like something imported from a Gothic novel...

What a great thread!

I haven't yet read Hulme's book, so my opinion is solely based on the film and the protagonist's personality. It is clear that she wants to serve and to help others, and that she has a kind heart and a natural generosity and disposition to sacrifice (although, at the same time, she stands strongly by her own principles and beliefs, but that's another story). My impression is that, given the era and the society that she lived in, she kind of misinterpreted her true vocation as a religious one, and thought she wanted to be a nun (when in reality this was not what her heart truly wanted). Perhaps Zinnerman didn't deem it necessary to give all the information about this so that it's the story thereafter that he wanted us to focus on... perhaps.

There have been some very interesting responses to both of your threads. While, I've seen the film a number of times, I've not read the book, so understand that I may be missing somethings that are obvious from the original work.

A poster from your other thread suggested that Gabrielle saw the Convent as a means to realizing her dream of nursing in the Congo. I agree. But, I don't think that there was anything calculating on her part. She wanted to do "God's work." She was fully committed to the religious calling and considered nursing in the "bush," to be a legitimate part of that work.

I DO think, however, that she was naive about the rigors set forth by the Order. If anything about the story bothers me, it's that she wasn't fully aware on this front. However, I don't know whether it was customary in that Order...or at that time...to offer full orientation to perspective Sisters.

On the day that she enters the Convent, she is surprised to hear, from Sister William, that they may have no contact during her 6 months as a postulant. She is, later, reminded that she entered the Convent, "to become a Nun...not to become a nurse." During her final discussion with Edith Evans, she speaks of her frustration that "God's work," must be, "struck down by 5 bells, just when men in trouble want to talk about their souls."

She shows a great determination to succeed in the religious life. She speaks of her "own rule," before entering the Order..."all or nothing." She is so hard on herself that one Mother Superior warns her to "bend a little."

But, she has warnings from her father..."I can see you chaste. I can see you poor. But, I cannot see you obediant to those bells." -- And, reminders from Dr. Fortunati, who observes her, "ferocious will," and tells her that she's, "not in the mold."

I think, in the end, that it is her interpretation of doing "God's work," decided by the "will," that others see in her, that tells her what she must do. I think that she is disappointed in herself. She comforts Lisa that she will be a "good Nun...not a failure," leaving the words, "like me," unsaid.

At the beginning of the film, the decision to enter the Convent seemed so easy for her. She was going to do "God's work." At the end, her decision was a tortured one, but not a selfish one. Again, she was going to do "God's work."

I think that she came to accept that she had to do it on her own terms, which must be very difficult, when you've had to push away your "own terms," for so long a time.

I'm bumping up this very useful thread to a central question. Why did she become a nun?

The original poster, richard hollingsworth wrote:

If ever there was a square peg in a round hole she was it. The film was ruined for me because this was really the only storyline and I couldn't understand why it even became an issue.