Societies desire scapegoats whom they can blame their problems on The proceeding pages explain connections between The Crucible, history, current society, and my personal philosophy.

The Use of Scapegoats in The Crucible

One character who makes use of a scapegoat is Abigail. Abigail’s unrequited love for John Proctor greatly frustrates her. Her anger pushes her to drastic levels, causing Abigail to take her angst out on Proctor’s wife, Goody Proctor. Abigail is unable to accept that her affair with Proctor was wrong and she must move on. Therefore, she blames Goody Proctor for her emotional pain and separation from John, and lashes out at Goody Proctor. She does this by accusing Goody Proctor of witchcraft, hoping John will forget his wife and love her. In The Crucible, John Proctor explains to the court officials that Abigail’s charge of witchcraft against his wife are untrue, “My wife, my dear good wife, took this girl soon after, sir, and put her out on the highroad. And being what she is, a lump of vanity sir…She thinks to dance with me on my wife’s grave!” (Miller 102). As Proctor reveals to the court, Abigail’s motives in accusing Goody Proctor of witchcraft are based on her emotional pain. Her accusations were merely a way of dealing with her anger and pain at the loss of John’s love. This relates to my personal philosophy statement, because Abigail blamed Goody Proctor for her troubles, and chose to “punish” her by accusing her of witchcraft. She did not want to acknowledge that her conflict with the Proctor family could have been avoided, and that she was partly to blame for her affliction. Connections to The Crucible Another example of a character who uses a scapegoat is Goody Putnam. Goody Putnam is greatly distressed by the loss of several of her children at birth. She blames her midwife, Goody Osburn, for the deaths of her children. Goody Putnam is unable to cope with the loss of her children, and feels a need to find someone to blame. Thus, she chooses Goody Osburn, who is an easy target. Goody Putnam accuses Goody Osburn of witchcraft, using the death of her children as proof. When Goody Osburn is accused of witchcraft, Goody Putnam expresses her relief, exclaiming, “I knew it! Goody Osburn were midwife to me three times. I begged him not to call Osburn because I feared her. My babies always shriveled in her hands!” (Miller, 44). Rather than trying to find a more logical explanation for her babies’ death, Goody Putnam chose to find easy closure and blame Goody Osburn. Goody Putnam’s actions relate to my personal philosophy statement, because the grief she felt over the loss of her children would be easier to deal with if she knew who to blame. Therefore, Goody Putnam used Goody Osburn as a scapegoat to battle her pain. Several townspeople of Salem are responsible for using scapegoats to obtain what they want. As the story progresses, it becomes apparent that the people of Salem are torn apart by greed and snobbery. Based on personal interest, the citizens exploit the fear of witchcraft in Salem to acquire something. To get what they want, they blame easy targets for their problems, and claim that the cause is witchcraft. As a result, people die because of the greed and snobbery within Salem. This relates to my personal philosophy statement, because citizens of Salem are rallied against and sentenced to death because others accuse them of witchcraft. However, under the surface, the innocent citizens are targeted as scapegoats in order for others to get what they want.

Scapegoats in History

Connections to History One of the most infamous societies that made use of scapegoats in history is Nazi Germany. Although several other groups were targeted, Hitler’s Nazi Germany made a point of making the Jews a public enemy. The Jews were easy to blame because during a fierce depression in Germany, hate was generated for their people, because most were well off and able to live a good life. However, the rest of Germany was suffering by unemployment and starvation. When Hitler came to power, it was easy to unite the people of Germany against a common enemy. The Jews were regarded as an enemy only because of their living status. Thus, the Jews were targeted and experienced increasing discrimination. The conflict in Germany escalated to the point where genocide was occurring. This genocide, referred to as the Holocaust, took the lives of approximately six million Jewish people, all of whom were innocent of any crime. This relates to my personal philosophy statement, because societies crave a scapegoat in order to create unity. Human nature is such that people who share a common hate of something makes them more likely to bond together. Hitler took this aspect of human nature to a new level and used it for exponentially destructive purposes.

Connections to History Between the years 1915 and 1917 over one million Armenians were massacred in the Ottoman Empire. The cause of the mass slaughter was said to be because the Armenians resisted the emperor of the Ottoman Empire. However, it was later concluded that the conflict in the Ottoman Empire was based on the fact that the Armenians were Christians and the Turks were Muslim. Therefore, it was concluded that the main cause of the massacre of Armenians was the clash in religion with the Turks. The Armenians were chosen as scapegoats for the opposition of the emperor of the Ottoman Empire because of religious differences.

Scapegoats in Current Society

Connections to Current Society In August of 2005, hurricane Katrina smashed into New Orleans, spreading disaster throughout the affected areas, leaving countless people waiting for aid from America. Controversy surrounds the lack of help for those affected by hurricane Katrina, and although the blame can be attributed to several factors, one person was targeted as a scapegoat. Michael Brown, who was the director of FEMA when the hurricane hit, was blamed for a significant amount concerning the failure to help people in need. In fact, the failure included many federal, state, and local governments.

Connections to Current Society Illegal immigrants have become the source of much national disagreement in America. Specifically, many Americans blame illegal immigrants for problems with healthcare and the drain on social services. In addition, many people see illegal immigrants as a bad influence in America. Despite these claims, there is another side to the story of illegal immigrants and their presence in America. For one, many illegal immigrants take jobs that no one else can afford or will take. Illegal immigrants are used as scapegoats for the blame of several issues that originate in America.