Quotation Blog Two

'Salem's Lot by Stephen King

In the following quote, King is trying to show the normalcy of the Jerusalem's Lot, saying since it is such a small town, nothing bad will ever occur there. It stood out to me because it is verbatim what I have people have told me throughout my whole life. I really wanted to expand on it because no matter how big, small, safe or dangerous a town seems, bad things can happen anywhere.

"Nothing too nasty could happen in such a nice little town. Not there," (King 44). 

The quote I chose interested me because it is something I have heard so many people say about my town and the surrounding ones. Our school, Pentucket Regional High School is made up of three small, quiet towns called Merrimac, West Newbury, and Groveland. I am from Groveland, and know how to get everywhere around the tiny town, despite my bad sense of direction. Being a somewhat paranoid and anxious person, I am always in fear that myself or the people closest to will be hurt. For my whole life I have struggled with that specific fear. My friends and family are always reassuring me that our town is safe and "nothing bad ever happens here." Even though the students of Pentucket, including myself, are lucky to live in a decently safe area, there is always a chance that something bad will happen. In fact, many bad things have happened in unsuspecting towns that were known for their safety and lack of crime. In fact, I believe this quote in 'Salem's Lot, is foreshadowing for what horrors are ahead. While the book is fictional and focuses on the supernatural, I still feel this quote applies to real life, especially the people of areas like ours.

In 1992, in Groveland, long before I was born or anyone in my family lived here, a fifteen year old girl was murdered. Her name was Beth Brodie, a cheerleader and good student. She was regarded as intelligent and outgoing by her peers. Her killer, Richard Baldwin, a sixteen year old from Peabody (originally from Groveland), was dangerously obsessed with her. When she persistently declined to date him, he had a mutual friend lure her out of her home, with the pretense of just talking. Baldwin asked the friend, Sky Hall, to leave the room so he could talk to Brodie alone. He took an aluminum baseball bat, cornered her, and asked "are you afraid?" Then proceeded to beat her with it until her tragic death. This murder was premeditated and gruesome. I found a direct quote from the district attorney on the case, "Many people feel these things can only happen in the city," said D.A. Kevin Burke. "This is clearly not the city. This is another tragic reminder that we have a problem with violence in society, and it is everywhere." This goes to show that no matter where you are, if you think you are safe, you may not be. The case of Beth Brodie always reminds me to stay vigilant and aware of my surroundings at all times. Do not do anything in a "safe" area that you would not do in a dangerous one, because you never know who or what may be lurking.  

This murder of Beth Brodie coincidentally relates to 'Salem's Lot because when the main character was a young boy, he lived in Jerusalem's Lot when the murder occurred. A man bizarrely killed his wife in the book, then himself in their home. The brutal murder suicide was the only thing the town was known for, and the only bad thing that had ever happened there. It was known as a tiny, safe town even after that incident, just like Groveland. When I first started reading this book, I was instantly reminded of the Beth Brodie case because of the way King described the safety and nothingness that was Jerusalem's Lot. 

This is news article about the mourning of Beth Brodie at St. Patrick's church in Groveland, that I used to attend as a child, and even made my first communion at. It’s crazy to think that over a decade before, they were mourning a terrible loss and supporting the local people.