Abstract
The themes of redemptive violence, scapegoating, and ritual in the films of Martin Scorsese have provided much grist for critical scholarship. While it is going too far to claim that Scorsese is intentionally interpreting Girardian themes (which are themselves borrowed from a rich mythological tradition), the comparisons between the theorist and the director are compelling. My goal here is to establish the primary themes of scapegoating, mimesis, the cycle of violence, and feuding identities that occur in both Girard’s works and Scorsese’s films and pull them forward into a more recent work of Scorsese, Shutter Island.
Recommended Citation
Myers, Cari
(2012)
"Scapegoats and Redemption on Shutter Island,"
Journal of Religion & Film: Vol. 16:
Iss.
1, Article 2.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.32873/uno.dc.jrf.16.01.02
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/jrf/vol16/iss1/2
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
VolNum
16
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Christianity Commons, Comparative Methodologies and Theories Commons, Continental Philosophy Commons, Ethics and Political Philosophy Commons, Film and Media Studies Commons, Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons