Laura Luchetti Ms. Barklow, Monsters & Misfits To the reader: I chose the topic of American fear of witches based on the show American Horror Story: Coven. I liked the show a lot, but I also liked the questions that it brought up along with it. In the series, it shows the ongoing persecution of the witches in America. Throughout all of American culture, witches have been used as a scapegoat to explain the evils of the world. I do not necessarily approach this project from a feminist standpoint, but it does stand to show that historically women have often been punished for breaking their mold, often even if they were not the ones breaking the mold. Fear of witches has been embedded in the very fabric of our nation, beginning with our Puritan background. Witches are used to represent an old fear of women searching for and gaining independence, discovering their sexualities, or doing anything to let the 'Devil' into their lives. This topic is important because when we study the imaginary things that society fears, it can give us a better idea of what, and why, that society fears.