Why the need to find someone or some entity (the devil, for instance) to blame? It’s simply human nature to not take responsibility and “make it easier to live the unexamined life.”

Campbell writes in an easy-going but highly informative style that makes the reader think. For example, we learn that the term “scapegoat” has a quite literal origin. It was coined by William Tyndale in his 1530 translation of the Bible to describe the Jewish Day of Atonement ritual of sacrificing two goats. But this transference of sin was not exclusively a Jewish practice.

“Every early culture had ceremonies in which they removed sin from the community,” writes Campbell, previously Books Editor at The Literary Review. And the notion was ingrained that this sin or blame could be transferred to another entity. Sacrifice a goat, hang a witch, appease the spirits, and that should take care of inexplicable events like catastrophic weather for the time being. Convenient.

It was difficult for the Church to reconcile the fact that God was omnipotent with the fact that horrible things happened, so the Devil made an excellent scapegoat. Once persecuted, Christians became powerful and found others to persecute. Jews became “responsible” for a variety of ills, even the Black Death. In addition to these Christian and Jewish scapegoats, there is a chapter on “The Sexual Scapegoat,” which is, of course, woman. Blamed for the original sin, the misogyny continued through the witch hunts of the middle ages to explain local events, such as the death of a child or a fire. “Witches,” of course, were mostly female. The treatment of sacrificial animals is difficult to digest, but Campbell’s riveting account of the treatment of “witches” is heartrending.

And it continues today. On a private scale, where we once blamed the Devil or Fate, or a handy animal to stone or sacrifice, now we blame genes or upbringing. On a public scale, we can no longer blame Jews or Communists for problems such as our current economic woes, but there are plenty of rich bankers with fat bonuses we can blame. While some of that blame may fit, transferring censure eases the notion that we have any responsibility. It certainly cannot be our own fault for racking up unsustainable debt and blithely assuming a nice salary would be there forever and ever, amen. We need scapegoats.

“We still crave simple explanations for complex happenings,” writes Campbell. “We take false comfort in blaming others and in an age of technology where spreading these ideas has never been easier, it is perhaps an opportune time to take stock.”

If you’re one of those readers who likes to alternate your “light” and “heavy” reading, I would suggest that Scapegoat would fit anywhere in your early 2012 reading. The book gives a great deal of insight without plowing through tedious jargon. It does more than give us good water cooler or dinner conversational tidbits—it makes us stop and examine our all-too-human but non-productive tendency to find someone or something to blame. “So who is to blame, if not the scapegoat?” Campbell asks. “Well, we are, of course, for most things.”

This slim (208 pages), thought-provoking book will be published in February 2012 by The Overlook Press.

Book Review: Scapegoat The Saturday Evening Post

Bobbing for Apples by J.C. Leyendecker

Bobbing for Apples
by J.C. Leyendecker
November 1, 1913

Before there were Rockwell covers, there was the great J.C. Leyendecker (a mentor to Rockwell). Leyendecker dressed up these adorable tykes for a neighborhood Halloween party in 1913—apple bobbing and all. This cuteness is quite the contrast with his Halloween cover ten years later (below).

Witches Night Out by J.C. Leyendecker

Witches Night Out
by J.C. Leyendecker
October 27, 1923

A creepy witch on a chilly, windy night – and a full harvest moon to illuminate her. Looking at her creepy face (sorry, lady), it is a little difficult to remember that this is the same artist famous for that rakishly handsome, chiseled-featured Arrow Shirt man and the slinky, elegant ladies and gentlemen in the 1920s Kuppenheimer clothing advertisements.

Halloween Fiddler by Norman Rockwell

Halloween Fiddler
by Norman Rockwell
CG October 22, 1921

A rarely seen Norman Rockwell cover from 1921 shows a fiddler at a Halloween get-together. It must be a lively tune, judging by the way he’s keeping time with a high-stepping foot. Rockwell did 36 covers for the Post’s sister publication, The Country Gentleman.

Lighting the Pumpkin by Eugene Iverd

Lighting the Pumpkin
by Eugene Iverd
November 3, 1934

This charming cover is from 1934. These kids are ready, dressed in their Halloween best and lighting a giant jack-o’-lantern. Artist Eugene Iverd did many of our best covers of children – see Artist Eugene Iverd’s World of Children, here.

Halloween, 1926 by Edgar Franklin Wittmack

Halloween, 1926
by Edgar Franklin Wittmack
October 30, 1926

This well-dressed young man is regretting going to that Halloween party – there is something very scary out there! This creepy cover is from 1926.

Witch’s Mask by Charles Kaiser

Witch's Mask
by Charles Kaiser
October 31, 1942

In this 1942 cover by artist Charles Kaiser, a little girl is frightened by the view of this witch’s mask through the window – which begs the question: was the witch winking before?

Classic Covers: The Art of Halloween The Saturday Evening Post