Baa, Baa, Black Sheep

This week in class, we read The Crucible, a play by Arthur Miller about the hysterical atmosphere of the Salem witch trials. Again, we see the power of mob mentality at work. With all the discussion of social dynamics we've been having lately (stereotyping, power of the individual, etc.), it seems like I accidentally signed up for a psychology course, but I digress.

Proctor, the tragic hero of the play, is somewhat of an anomaly in the town of Salem. He doesn't participate in petty squabbles over land like the rest of the townspeople, and is "respected and even feared in Salem" (144). Naturally, people feel threatened and consider him (albeit behind his back) an outsider; you might say he's a black sheep.

In psychology, the black sheep effect refers to how individuals in a group view other members. Proctor and the townspeople belong to one big group of Salem residents, but Proctor is a bit of a deviant; he doesn't conform to society and so becomes a separate outgroup. When the witch trial frenzy begins, Abigail's coterie go after anyone they believe is different (those in the outgroup) under the pretense of religion. People between the inner and outer groups are caught up and tend to comply with the group, even if they are privately opposed to the group's actions. All it takes is one ringleader--Abigail--and everyone goes nuts because, well, everyone else is going nuts, so they should too, right? This effect is only compounded by the Puritan obsession with reputation. Once the wheel has been set in motion, it cannot be stopped. As Danforth says, "reprieve or pardon must cast doubt upon the guilt of them that died till now" (201).

The articles we read show that this attitude of witch-hunting is still very much alive today, from Communist teachers to literal witch hunts in third-world countries.

O'Brien put it best in The Things They Carried: "I was a coward. I went to war."