The wilting of an innocent flower, shown in a picture taken by Brandon Echols on October 18th 2023, is a reaction in which most people are aware of. Similarly to a flower, most beautiful things, begin to fade away as seen in "Nothing Gold can Stay" by Robert Frost. In the Salem Witch Trials, civilians’ innocent lives were taken at will by the witchcraft accusers. This relation between the people's lives and a flower describes both innocence and delicacy which people are born as; however, both have the ability to become corrupted. In “Nothing Gold can Stay”, Frost states “Her early leaf’s a flower; But only so an hour” (Frost). This describes how short-lived nature is and directly pertains to one’s innocence in the Salem Witch Trials. Likewise, in Salem, a once tightknit community was divided by the accusers. One source states: “The Salem Witch Trials divided the community. Neighbor testified against neighbor. Children against parents. Husband against wife. Children died in prisons” (“The University of Chicago Library”). This seemingly “golden” community was broken apart. The delicacy of one’s community was corrupted by hysteria and chaos. Innocence was not able to stay forever, this can even be seen in communities today. If someone commits a crime it may encourage others to do the same, potentially ruining the innocence of the community. Just like a flower, the beauty, delicacy, and innocence were not able to live forever in Salem.
Frost briefly mentions “So dawn goes down today. Nothing gold can stay” (Frost). The overall theme of the poem comes out, good things cannot last forever. Once again, this can be portrayed by the wilting of a flower and the Salem Witch Trials. In Salem, simple arguments resulted in witchcraft accusations (“Salem Witch Trials”). Before the trials, neighbors who argued were able to come to at least a mutual settlement. But in Salem, it resulted in a blood bath of accusations. The quick escalation of an argument could result in someone's life. Similar to how quickly a flower can go from alive and well to wilting away in the matter of a few days. Ultimately, this kept townsfolk on their toes and ruined the comradery between neighbors, friends, and even family.
Echols, Brandon. “Search Media.” Wikimedia Commons, 18 Oct. 2023, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?search=Flower%2Bwilting&title=Special%3AMediaSearch&go=Go&type=image.
Frost, Robert. “Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/148652/nothing-gold-can-stay-5c095cc5ab6…. Accessed 4 May 2024.
“Salem Witch Trials.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Apr. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_witch_trials#:~:text=The%20Salem%20witch%20trials%20were,fourteen%20women%20and%20five%20men).
“The University of Chicago Library.” The Salem Witch Trials - The University of Chicago Library, 1 Oct. 2020, www.lib.uchicago.edu/collex/exhibits/salem-witch-trials-legal-resources/.