Originally posted: June 01, 2006 @ 11:33pm PST
Carrie (first published 1974)
by Stephen King
192 pages
"After all those years of laughing at Carrie, what else could you do?" – Sue Snell, in Carrie
As most of you probably already know, Carrie is the first published novel of Stephen King. It was the spark that would ignite his rocket-like rise from an aspiring writer slaving at blue-collar work to an internationally best-selling author. You may also know that the original manuscript for Carrie had to be fished out of the trashcan by his wife Tabitha King
I first read this book in late 2003. It was the first Stephen King book I’d ever attempted and completed, even though I’d seen several movies based on his work. From the moment I began, I was hooked. Not only is the story told with a variety of narrative voices (first-person, third-person, etc) but it also utilizes fictional interviews, excerpts from newspapers and scientific journals. This helps draw you into the story, really creating a much more believable feel. The details line up just right to tell a story that’s horrifying more on an emotional level than a visceral one.
The story of Carietta "Carrie" White is a common enough one, on the surface. She comes from a single parent family, raised solely by her mother Margaret White after the death of her father. She is a student at Thomas Ewen High School in the small town of Chamberlain, Maine. She is poor and not particularly attractive or popular. Essentially, she is an outcast – a reject, really.
If we look deeper we find that even before she ever set foot in school, Carrie was first rejected by her own mother. Despised might be a more accurate word. Carrie’s mother, Margaret White, is a puritanical Christian who is so insanely zealous about her own religious convictions that over time she’s crafted them into a sort of weapon. She feels that nearly everything her daughter does is a sin and that Carrie is actually a product of sin. The abuse revealed in the pages of this book is not so far from reality and that is perhaps one of the most disturbing aspects of the story for me. To see an innocent child literally flogged with abstract guilt and constantly made to feel worthless sheds some light on why Carrie might be willing to take similar (even if far lighter) abuse from her schoolmates. Their taunting, while terrible, is almost a relief in comparison to that which her mother doles out daily.
The sickest thing is that Carries does try to fight back. She does rebel and she does attempt to become her own person with the help of her sympathetic friend, Susan Snell. Even against her mother’s wishes, she makes her own gown and attends the famed prom that’s become such a part of popular culture’s mythology.
Sue Snell is a very important part of Carrie. She has known Carrie since they were both little girls and observed first-hand the insanity of her mother. Later, during one of the first scenes in the book, however, she too takes part in humiliating Carrie along with the other girls in her class. This is such a valid observation of the popular mindset of high school. Many people participate in the debasement of those on the lower end of the social heirarchy, even though they know it is wrong. Sue does go on to redeem herself, but it’s fair to wonder if things might’ve gone differently if Carrie had just one friend to stick up for her during such a traumatic moment. This question occurs many times throughout the book: what if things had gone differently? In many ways, I feel that Carrie carries (heh) the message that there is never time for what-if’s or chances to undo what you’ve deliberately done so the time to take responsibility for one’s actions is always now.
Carrie’s special powers (telekinesis and some telepathy) were of secondary interest to me. These come into play during brief moments throughout the book but really take center stage during the climax and ensuing finale. There’s no real thrill of vengeance here because even if those who’ve either actively or passively participated in her degradation do get what they deserve, it doesn’t matter. It’s too late for Carrie, she’s taken far more than anyone should ever be expected to. It’s interesting to see what becomes of Sue Snell as well, even though she survives the books closing events.
You might be interested to know that Carrie is one of the most frequently banned books in U.S. school libraries. In an era where we witness news spectacles such as Columbine