The story of ‘Carrie’ relates to the lives of many teenagers who struggle daily to fit in among their peers. After she discovered she would never fit in, Carrie gave up and ended up killing everyone she hated; this storyline shows a striking similarity to cases of teenagers who become murderous after discovering they would never fit in.
Story
Though the nudity, violence, and religious extremism depicted in ‘Carrie’ makes it a novel not worthy of a younger audience, the story is well-detailed. ‘Carrie’ gives the reader a sense of relatability as it thrills and excites at different stages. Stephen King also used epistolary writing to ensure the story’s narration happened from a multi-faced point of view.
Another thing that makes ‘Carrie’ an excellent novel is the fluidity of its story. At the beginning of the story, Stephen King intentionally prepares the reader’s mind for the story as he plants intricate details of what happens at the end of the novel; these details set the reader’s mind for the gruesome accident that occurred after Carrie got bathed in pigs’ blood.
Characters
In ‘Carrie,’ every character has a specific role in the story. The lack of redundant characters made the novel exceptional. Stephen King employs minor characters as narrators; this creates a realistic world around Carrie’s story by giving the reader an all-rounded experience of who Carrie was. Though Stephen King’s depiction of the main antagonist was a bit edgy as it went slightly overboard, it still maintained the teenage representation of an egotistical bully.
An intriguing part of ‘Carrie’ is that its main character became the antagonist in the lives of everyone. Stephen King opened Carrie’s mind to the readers as he showed how vengeful and hateful her thoughts were. After her last humiliation, Stephen King ensured that Carrie became a perfect villain by removing all sense of good from her. Turning Carrie into a murderous machine made the novel all the more interesting as it delivers a certain level of euphoria to the readers’ minds.
Dialogue
Though the dialogues from ‘Carrie’ were interesting, they got limited to short, profane statements. There was little room for intricate dialoguing in ‘Carrie’ because of the main character’s isolation from her peers. Another thing evident in the dialogues of ‘Carrie’ was how the characters sometimes conversed as adults than teenagers. Because Stephen King could not simulate the mental state of Carrie, he found it difficult to craft dialogues that were teenage-like; this made ‘Carrie’s’ dialogues stunted and sometimes a bit overboard.
Stephen King fixed the dialoguing of ‘Carrie’ by depending on the third-person narrative. He also focused more on adult conversations by using the future versions of the teenagers who experienced the event surrounding Carrie’s rampage.
Writing Style and Conclusion
Epistolary writing made ‘Carrie’ fantastic as it divided the novel’s story into the past and present. Stephen King wrote ‘Carrie’ as the narration of a past event rather than one of the present, and this proved to be exceptionally intelligent as it made the novel stand out. In the story, Stephen King uses the first and third-person perspectives to narrate. The first-person point of view got used for minor characters who told their version of what they saw and experienced during the Carrie incident. The third-person point of view got used for the general story narration.
The ending of ‘Carrie’ is tragically intriguing. The novel creates curiosity in the mind of readers as it ends with a note that shows that Carrie was never the only person to possess telekinetic powers.
FAQs
Is ‘Carrie‘ a good book?
‘Carrie’ is a fantastic novel. The story is exceptional and its characters are relatable. Stephen King’s first published novel, ‘Carrie’ is excellent.
Can a 13-year-old read ‘Carrie?’
Because of its extreme violence, underage sex, and depiction of religion, ‘Carrie’ is not suitable for a 13-year-old. After writing the novel, Stephen King got skeptical because of how raw the story of Carrie was.
Is Carrie a bad person?
No, Carrie was a victim of bullying and ostracization. After feeling she could never escape a life of getting tormented no matter how hard she tried, she gave up; this cost her classmates their lives.
Is ‘Carrie‘ scary?
Because of how intense the story got, ‘Carrie’ is a bit scary. However, the majority of Carrie’s horror element goes to how she kills almost all her classmates.
Carrie Review: And Then the World Exploded
Book Title: Carrie
Book Description: 'Carrie' revolves around a bullied teen with telekinesis, who, after humiliation, unleashes terror on her town.
Book Author: Stephen King
Book Edition: First Edition
Book Format: Hardcover
Publisher - Organization: Doubleday
Date published: April 5, 1974
ISBN: 978-0-385-27503-3
Number Of Pages: 199
- Story
- Characters
- Dialogue
- Setting
- Writing Style
- Conclusion
- Lasting Effect on Reader
Carrie Review: And Then the World Exploded
‘Carrie’ is a novel that tells the story of a bullied teenage girl, Carrie, with a mentally unstable mother who discovers she has telekinesis. After getting humiliated by her classmates, Carrie used her powers to unleash terror on her entire town.
Pros
- Interesting story
- Relatable story
- Interesting characters
- Excellent ending
Cons
- Extreme teenage violence
- Underage sex
