8 Things I Learned Reading Stephen King’s Carrie For The First Time In 2024

Stephen King’s Carrie is a horror classic, but I only read it for the first time in 2024 — and doing so cleared up some misconceptions I had about the book after years of hearing about it. King’s first novel debuted in 1974, telling the story of a teenage outcast with telekinesis. Carrie White is eventually driven to massacre the classmates and town that spends so much of her life humiliating and ostracizing her. And most people know this premise, as Carrie is one of King’s best-known works. It’s also one that’s been adapted numerous times.

I certainly knew the basics of Carrie White’s narrative, but I was in the dark when it came to the specifics. King’s first novel tackled certain themes I wasn’t expecting, and it made me realize how little I actually knew about his debut. I’m happy to report that Carrie holds up extremely well, even 50 years after its release. I’m also glad to fully understand this horror story and why it’s so popular. Many of the details I wasn’t expecting contributed to how much I enjoyed it.

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8 A Lot Of The Book Isn’t Told From Carrie’s Perspective

I Wasn’t Expecting So Many Points Of View

I suppose it makes sense that Carrie isn’t told entirely from the title character’s perspective, as it’d be difficult to keep readers in the mind of such a tragic character for almost 300 pages. This would be especially hard after revealing that she’s a killer. However, I hadn’t realized just how many points of view King offers throughout his 1974 novel. I was pleasantly surprised by how well Carrie flowed, even jumping from character to character.

Having so many different perspectives offers a well-rounded take on Carrie White’s story, and it drives home just how subjective the reporting of tragedies can be.

Having so many different perspectives offers a well-rounded take on Carrie White’s story, and it drives home just how subjective the reporting of tragedies can be. It also highlights one of the larger themes from King’s book: that conformity can lead people to make choices they normally wouldn’t. All of this came together nicely with Carrie‘s different perspectives, which proved to be one of my favorite aspects of the book.

7 Sue Snell Is A Surprisingly Sympathetic Character

I Almost Felt For Her As Much As Carrie (& Maybe That’s The Point)

The name Sue Snell vaguely rang a bell before I picked up Carrie, as I’d likely heard it in discussions of the book and movie adaptations. I wasn’t expecting to truly feel for any of the characters in Carrie, especially the ones responsible for bullying the title character. However, King does a good job of making Sue Snell relatable, even if she factors into Carrie‘s ending significantly. From the beginning, it’s obvious that Sue feels guilt for going along with Carrie’s treatment. And she tries to make amends — though her plans backfire spectacularly.

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All of this made Sue more sympathetic than even Carrie at times, and that took me by surprise. This revelation made me think this might be intentional. By getting readers to relate to Sue, King makes the point that anyone can find themselves in Sue’s shoes. Many people won’t relate to the level of hardship Carrie faces, but caving to peer pressure or standing by during bad behavior is a far more universal experience. I think we’re supposed to relate to Sue, and that’s supposed to make us uncomfortable.

6 Carrie Slowly Unravels What Happens Later Through Various Media

The Reporting On Telekinesis & Carrie’s Massacre Was A Highlight

Just as I wasn’t expecting to get so many perspectives on Carrie White’s story, I also didn’t realize how much epistolary writing there would be in King’s first book. King slowly reveals what happens the night of Carrie’s prom through a series of reporting about the incident, whether it’s from books, news clips, or interviews. This was a highlight of the novel for me, and I appreciated how well-paced King’s reveal was. Even though I knew what to expect, I felt like the reporting gradually built suspense and kept me on edge the whole time.

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I’ve rarely seen horror books handle epistolary writing as well as Carrie, and I think it did a great job of keeping readers slightly removed from the title character and situation at hand. Like the various perspectives, it also showcased how skewed coverage of a tragedy can be. These additions to the novel proved another pleasant surprise upon reading it for the first time.

5 Stephen King Puts Thought Into The Science Of Telekinesis

Carrie Takes A Deeper Approach To The Phenomenon Than I Expected

The reporting on Carrie’s telekinesis added context to her story, but it also offered scientific insights into this phenomenon. So many stories about telekinesis don’t dig too deeply into the lore behind it, so I wasn’t expecting Carrie to either. However, King goes much deeper than I anticipated. He even unpacks the genetics behind telekinesis, comparing it to a real condition like hemophilia. This made Carrie White’s power feel more grounded in reality, despite them being fictional.

In addition to exploring the genes that might cause telekinesis, the reporters within Carrie take a scientific approach to the questions surrounding Carrie White’s condition. They attempt to pinpoint other incidents where her powers emerged, and they try to connect these events. They also question what would happen if more children had this ability. I almost wish King explored that question further in some sort of sequel or spinoff to the 1974 novel.

4 Carrie’s Home Life Was Way Harder To Read Than The Bullying

The Incidents At Carrie’s School Dominate Conversations About The Story

I knew Carrie was driven to the book’s massacre by bullying, but I didn’t realize what a large role her home life played until reading King’s novel. Both the bullying scenes and the abuse from her mother were difficult to stomach, but I found the latter much harder to read. Perhaps this is because I expected the bullying — or it could be because this subject is covered to a similar extent in other media. King doesn’t hold back when it comes to the trauma Carrie faces at the hands of her mother, however, depicting the harsh realities of such abuse.

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Everyone knows about Carrie’s period incident at the beginning of the book, and the pig blood trick at prom dominates conversations surrounding the story. The more gruesome moments between Carrie and her mother aren’t as frequently talked about, so I wasn’t prepared for these scenes — or how difficult they’d be to read. They certainly added more context to Carrie White’s story, and they further made sense of her actions later on. I just never realized the amount of hardship Carrie faced.

3 Religious Trauma Plays A Far Greater Role In Carrie Than I Realized

So Much Of The Story Hinges On This Theme

I knew religious trauma was a theme of Carrie before diving in, but I don’t think I realized what a massive role it played in King’s story until I read it firsthand. Many of Carrie’s problems in the 1974 novel stem from her mother’s religious fanaticism, which she pushes onto her daughter. It’s so extreme that she believes Carrie’s period and puberty are the result of sin, and she forces her daughter to feel guilt over normal teenage experiences. This is a large part of why Carrie struggles to form connections with the people around her.

Even when Carrie rebels against her mother and goes to prom, she continuously has thoughts that highlight how much Margaret’s ideology has affected her.

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Even when Carrie rebels against her mother and goes to prom, she continuously has thoughts that highlight how much Margaret’s ideology has affected her. Perhaps one of the most tragic moments in King’s book is when Carrie laments that her mother was right after getting pig’s blood dumped on her. She views this as some sort of punishment for acting out, driving home just how twisted Margaret imparting her guilt on her daughter truly is. The fact that she’s willing to kill her own daughter only makes things more tragic.

2 Carrie Doesn’t Just Destroy The Gym & High School During Prom

She Takes Down A Large Part Of Chamberlain

Fifty years after the book’s release, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t know how Carrie ends. However, I didn’t know the extent of Carrie’s massacre in King’s novel until I finished it. I was aware that Carrie killed numerous people at her school, as I knew that the pig’s blood incident and subsequent massacre started at prom. I didn’t realize that Carrie went on to destroy much of Chamberlain, punishing the town she grew up in alongside her classmates and teachers.

The range of Carrie’s destruction is far greater than I anticipated, but it feels like a fitting ending to the book.

The range of Carrie’s destruction is far greater than I anticipated, but it feels like a fitting ending to the book. It makes the climax even more suspenseful and tragic, as so many more people are affected by her rage. It also makes sense that Carrie lashes out to this extent. After all, she holds in so much anger and sadness throughout her life, that it all comes pouring out after prom — and it’s enough to level an entire town. It isn’t that shocking, but I still wasn’t expecting this scope.

1 I Finally Learned How Carrie White Dies

This Part Of Stephen King’s Novel Was Somehow Never Spoiled For Me

Although I knew about Carrie’s massacre at the end of King’s novel, I never actually learned how Carrie White died — not until I read the book for myself. Truthfully, I wasn’t even positive she did die at the end of the story. I suspected as much from conversations about the book and the reports included within it. And Carrie’s death proved somewhat shocking, at least when it comes to Sue Snell’s role in it. It didn’t surprise me that her mother would stab her, nor was I taken aback by Carrie’s final revenge on Billy and Chris.

I was surprised that Carrie and Sue shared one final interaction, however, which allowed them to see into each other’s minds. This was an intriguing way to close the book, focusing on the two most important characters and their odd relationship with one another. Stephen King does a solid job closing out the book this way, then diving into the aftermath of the massacre. And I’m glad I can finally discuss how Carrie ends, as I’d been in the dark about parts of the conclusion before.

Carrie

Carrie by Stephen King is an incredible supernatural horror book that is both scary and sad. Published in 1974 by Doubleday, this 304-page book was King’s first published novel.

Carrie follows 16-year-old Carrie White, who is relentlessly tormented by her peers for her abnormal religious background and lack of fashion sense. Carrie’s mother Margaret is cold and critical of her daughter, constantly accusing her of going against God. After Carrie is bullied for getting her first period in the shower of the girls’ locker room, the school gym teacher disciplines the mean girls, headed by Chris, and threatens that they will not be able to go to prom if they keep up their bad behavior. Sue, a different popular girl, feels bad for Carrie and instructs her boyfriend Tommy to ask Carrie to prom. Though wary, Carrie agrees, unaware of what Chris has planned for her. At the same time, Carrie begins to realize that she has developed telekinetic powers, much to her mother’s dismay.

Carrie by Stephen King is iconic for its portrayal of teen life and for one of the most horrific and sad scenes in book history. Carrie not only features a unique premise but also a suspenseful plot that keeps you on the edge of your edge and even rooting for Carrie as she exacts her revenge. While adapted into two films, a musical, and a future miniseries, this horror book is the most iconic form of Carrie’s story.

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