It's hard to decide whether Father Flynn is innocent or guilty. In Doubt by John Patrick Shanley; a parable, eclipses the truth very well. The toy, camping, and t-shirt scenes are very confusing; causing the audience to go back and forth in their minds and doubt Father Flynn. The law says that people are innocent until proven guilty; realistically, everyone knows that people are guilty until proven innocent. It is very likely that Father Fynn is only helping Donald, because he is less fortunate than the other students in his school; and it is also very likely that he is harming the child by molesting him. The decision is left to the public as a jury. Father Flynn gave Donald Miller a toy. It wasn't a big deal, just a little ballerina spinning in circles with magnets. “This is for you, take it.” (Shanley, 2008) Donald liked the toy and found it fascinating. Father Flynn gave him the toy, perhaps because he was a disadvantaged child and didn't have many toys at home. However, perhaps Father Flynn gave it to him with ulterior motives. Maybe he gave it to her just to give the boy a present, to please Donald. It was a girl's toy and Father Flynn, being a priest, giving a toy to a child is slightly inappropriate when the purpose of why he did it is unclear. "Every perfect gift has its origin in God, it comes from above." (James 1:17, King James Bible) Shanley leaves this completely open to interpretation. The segment is short and vague regarding Father Flynn's intentions. Later, there is a scene where the toy is trampled and broken by other children at school. Father Flynn helped him pick it up and hugged him; consoled him. Either in a parental way, or rom... middle of paper... However, the signs also point to Father Flynn hurting him, because he was raping him. People's assumptions are based on personal experience and gut feeling, even their upbringing; nature and culture. Shanley uses inference in this play to create doubt in the audience's mind. The verdict never comes on Flynn; guilty or not guilty. The jury is up to Shanley's audience. Works Cited Rossetti, S. J. (1996). A tragic grace: the Catholic Church and child sexual abuse. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?id=JAgyfIkgNSoC&dq=A+tragic+grace+:+the+Catholic+Church+and+child+sexual+abuse+/+Stephen+J.+Rossetti.&source=gbs_navlinks_sShanley , J.P. (2005). Doubt, a parable. New York, NY: Theater Communications Group, inc. Shanley, J.P. (writer). (2008). Doubt, a parable [DVD]. Available from http://www.zshare.net/video/571620053fc03455/