Examples Of Scapegoating In The Crucible

Scapegoating is used as the theme for the play by the display of sporadic events in which individuals accuse others and place blame on the accused for actions they did not take part in. For example, one of the earliest incidences of scapegoating within The Crucible occurs in Act I of the play when Abigail intentionally placed the blame of the witchcraft incident in its entirety on Tituba although numerous others were involved, including Abigail herself. Another incident in which scapegoating is apparent within the play is in Act II when John Proctor continuously holds Elizabeth Proctor at blame for her untrusting behavior toward John, even though he knows that he is untrustworthy due to his past covert behavior involving Abigail. Surprisingly enough, scapegoating is extremely apparent in today’s society. As an example, most individuals are quick to blame the media for false reports or exaggerating the truth; however, this is an act of scapegoating by using the method of blaming the messenger. A statistic provided by History.HowStuffWorks.com shows that 66% of individuals who responded to a Pew Research Center poll believed that most news stories are inaccurate. Throughout the play, individuals within the town of Salem falsely accuse those whom they are acquainted with as committing the sin of witchcraft in order to dispose of them; yet another act of scapegoating.
All in all, scapegoating was used as a theme in the play The Crucible by the demonstration of recurring events in which characters of the play either falsely accused others or did not take responsibility where it was