Carrie

Article written by Joshua Ehiosun

C2 certified writer.

To this day, the novel ‘Carrie’ remains one of the best horror pieces of literature ever, and it began a new type of horror writing which made the main character the protagonist and antagonist at the same time.

Though ‘Carrie’ was exceptional, its elements of violence were more advanced for the age group portrayed by Stephen King; this made the novel ‘Carrie’ face legal issues on publication.

Key Facts about Carrie

• Book Title: ‘Carrie.’
• Author: Stephen King.
• Book Inspiration: Carrie’s inspiration came from Stephen King’s observation of two girls from his high school. Stephen King stated that the first girl seemed a bit different from others as she had a mother who was different from other mothers. According to Stephen, the girl he observed got bullied and mocked as she dressed in a specific way for most of the school year, and after she managed to break off from the stereotypical dressing, she got bullied even more as people disliked her change. Stephen King also admitted that he got hooked on the idea of telekinesis after coming across the subject. Though he did not feel confident about the novel, he kept writing after his wife encouraged him to continue.
• Publication Date: April 5, 1974.
• Literary Period: Contemporary.
• Setting: Chamberlain, Maine.
• Point of View: Third Person.
• Genre: Horror.
• Climax: The Climax of the novel happens when Chris pulls the bucket of pig blood on Carrie, and everyone begins to laugh at her.
• Protagonists: Carrie, Tommy, Sue.
• Antagonists: Chris, Billy, Margaret White.

Stephen King and Carrie

Though ‘Carrie’ was the fourth book written by Stephen King, the novel is regarded as his first because it was the first to get published. Stephen King tossed the first pages of the novel into the garbage. Stephen King discarded the first pages of ‘Carrie’ because he had no connection to the main character. Stephen King stated that he got weirded out by writing about a high school girl with menstruation issues. Stephen King wrote the shower room part first because he wanted to write about horror from a woman’s perspective. On tossing the book into the garbage bin, Stephen King’s wife discovered it and advised him to expand the short story into a novel.

Books Related to Carrie

As a horror novel that sheds light on bullying and mental abuse, many books show a striking similarity to ‘Carrie.’ Here is a list of a few:

• ‘Dracula’ by Bram Stoker is an 1897 horror novel widely regarded as the best horror novel ever. The book is an epistolary novel that tells the story of an evil vampire called Dracula, who lives in a castle. After Jonathan Harker discovers that the Transylvania castle hosted the vampire, he escapes to England. Later, a group of people led by Abraham Van Helsing travels to Transylvania to hunt and kill Dracula.
• ‘Call of the Crocodile’ by F. Gardener is a fantasy horror series novel that tells the story of a family who falls into terror after their boy gets eaten alive by a crocodile.
• ‘Interview with the Vampires’ by Anne Rice is a story about a man Louis, who tells the story of his mortal and immortal life. Louis narrates how he became a vampire and met Claudia, a young child, who he turns into a vampire.
• ‘Rage’ by Richard Bachman is a novel that tells the story of a disturbed high school student, Charlie Decker, who kills one of his teachers and takes the rest of his class hostage. While in captivity, Charlie forces each of his classmates to justify their reason for existence.

The Lasting Impact of Carrie