Thursday, June 2, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
Carrie by Stephen King
Note: This is in need of some severe editing (such as grammar and help getting the paragraphs to flow better).
Who's really the ugly one?
Analysis of the novel, Carrie, (and the 2 movies made based on the book)
Carrie. Stephen King fans and horror film buffs will know exactly what you are talking about when you say the name, Carrie. Carrie was the first novel published by Stephen King, a novel that launched a career that will likely never to be rivaled. The book is a classic, written in a style different from many of King's future novels. The book is an interweaving of news articles, interviews, court testimony, and flashbacks as well as 'real time' events. On first reading, it can be a bit confusing as it opens with the soon to be infamous prom night having already occurred but once one gets deeper into the novel, it is easier to follow, especially upon a second reading.
While there isn't a monster in the usual horror novel/movie fashion, there is a monster of another kind, a bully. Bullies are big news right now as schools and parents alike struggle to deal with what to do when a child is teased and picked on as teenaged suicides increase across the country as the result of mistreatment by bullies. Perhaps Carrie should become required reading for those who feel the need to pick on, belittle, tease, harass, and harm their classmates. A teen already is full of rising and falling emotions as their bodies adjust to the onset of puberty. A simple embarrassment can stick with you long after your friends and classmates have forgotten it even happened.
Nearly every women can tell you what that moment was like when they got their first period, even if many wish they could forget it. Some girls may experience a moment like Carrie, their period coming in a public and dramatic fashion, others possibly pointing and giggling. Some may be lucky and they are spared that embarrassment. For myself, I didn't have it come where all my classmates could see but I do remember the other girls finding out, one even shouting across the playground that I “got my period!” but as soon as the words left her mouth, she looked back over at me and said “See, no one cares.” I laughed then. I laugh now. While it can come, initially, in an embarrassing way, it is true. No one does care. It is natural and happens to most women by the time they have entered their teens. It is a sign of the onset of puberty and, much to the fear of parents across the country, that a girl, now woman, can become pregnant.
In Carrie, Carrie receives her first in the shower, causing her classmates to pelt her with tampons and maxi pads. Carrie was sixteen/seventeen. Very late for such an event to occur. What made this event even stranger was that Carrie no clue this was supposed to happen as she cried to her teacher, asking if she was dying. While it is unknown if her mother intended this, by keeping Carrie in the dark about the natural behavior of her body, Margaret White set her daughter and the town up to fall.
One has to wonder what caused Margaret White to go so overboard in the raising of her daughter, where her beliefs came from, and of course her culpability in the events of 'prom night'. Perhaps it was the miscarriage she suffered early in her marriage, so early it was likely she committed the 'sin of intercourse' prior to the wedding. Such an event can push even the slightest of unstable people completely over the edge. Whatever caused her behavior, there is no doubt that Margaret White abused her daughter, physically and emotionally. Carrie White was locked in a closet, long enough that a few times she even wet herself because she was not allowed out to use the restroom. She was told she was 'evil' for developing breasts and getting her period. Maybe deep down, Margaret White knew this would cause her latent TK powers to come to fruition. Perhaps she hoped to avoid what happened. Regardless of why she did not want Carrie to go through puberty, her behavior towards her daughter were most likely the main causes of prom night.
Think about it. If Margaret White hadn't treated her daughter in the manner she had, perhaps Carrie wouldn't have been as much of an outcast. She at least wouldn't have been shocked to the point of freaking out at the sign of her first period, giving her tormentors some more ammunition to use to pick on her. Bullies will use anything they can to make their victims feel lesser somehow. In the second film based on the novel, Carrie is excused from class as they start talking about Darwin, only adding to her label as an outcast. This is not to say such religious beliefs should not be honored but merely to point out only what set Carrie even further apart from her classmates. The second film takes place in modern times and it features an event from Carrie's childhood, the time the stones came. Margaret drags her daughter back into the house and can be heard ordering her young daughter into the closet while her daughter screams. Neighbors gather around the house. One even starts towards the door, perhaps to save Carrie. I have to wonder why no one reported her for abuse but perhaps when the stones fell that day, they decided to leave the Whites alone.
Also in the remake movie, the character of Chris said a simple three word sentence that got me thinking. “I hate her.” How could a girl who is such an outcast, she has no friends and talks to no one, cause such hatred? What did Carrie ever do to Chris that would lead her to hate her so much she stuffed her locker full of tampons as depicted in the movie. In the novel, her hatred leading to the events that set off prom night is a result of a punishment Chris received after harassing Carrie following her first period. Still, in the novel and in the films, Carrie seems to keep to herself, bothering no one and most likely just wishing to get through school. What could cause such hatred in Chris and the other students? Then again, what causes such hatred in the real life bullies? I don't think we will ever know And that is worrisome.
I posed this question to my mother and she said “Because she's different.” Different. This is true. Nearly all the kids one sees being picked on are 'different'. Picking on someone who is different because of a handicap is frowned upon. It seems, however, at least from my own experience, picking on someone because of how they dress or talk or who their family is or where they live is far more acceptable. Bullying is bullying and it shouldn't be as divided as it seems to be. Words are powerful weapons and if people want words like 'retarded' banned, then so should words like 'ugly' and 'gross' and 'scum', words kids who are teased in school hear often.
Right now, a movement known as 'It Gets Better' is making waves across the nation, letting scores of gay teens know that life can and will get better even if now it seems as though nothing is ever going to go right. This movement will hopefully make an impact on not only the lives of gay teens getting bullied but on the lives of all teens being bullied. Bullying has been going on for ages and likely will never stop. It is being brought to light even more so now with advances in technology letting us see and hear the consequences of such bullying on an almost daily basis as teens commit suicide when the bullying got to be too much.
Carrie's revenge against her tormentors is one that you aren't likely to see actually occur, at least not in the way depicted in the films or written about in the novel. She was pushed over the edge and when that last straw broke her back, there was no backing down. Even if nearly none of the people killed that night were directly involved in the 'pig's blood' incident, they did have blood on their hands after all the years they spent torturing Carrie.
Her mother, waiting at home, got a knife ready. It was as if she knew what was about to happen. Could she see into the future? Probably not but maybe she had seen what the kinds of powers her daughter had had done to other family members. Maybe that was why she wanted to keep her down and an outcast. Maybe she realized she should've done as she wished 17 years prior and decided to kill her daughter, regardless of how the night goes. Deep down, maybe Margaret White did not want this gene to carry on so she kept her daughter on a short leash, hoping Carrie would die, friendless and alone. Of course no one does know her exact motives but the fact she was prepared with a weapon prior to anything happening at the school, does make one wonder exactly what she knew.
In the first film made, the classic movie and probably what helped launch Stephen Kings career, the gym teacher, renamed to Miss Collins, asked the girls after their torture of Carrie, 'Did any of you stop and think that Carrie White might have feelings?' I think that is a fundamental question to ask all bullies. Do they stop and think about the other person? Probably not. Many humans are not empathetic towards others, especially if they are not related. We are all guilty of not thinking how our actions will affect other people. Most of us are also guilty of not standing up for someone being bullied. Perhaps we don't join in, maybe we don't laugh but how many people actually stand up and say 'Hey, stop there!'
I asked this question to a high school senior I work with. She replied with 'I ask him to eat with me at lunch.' She knew what I was talking about, however, even if she didn't sit idly by while another student was teased. There always is and always will be one kid who stands out or is considered to be an outsider. Maybe all these kids need is someone like my co-worker to do something as simple as sit next to them at lunch to get them through the day. Maybe it won't prevent a Columbine but it could brighten someone's day. I know it would've made my day better.
Who's really the ugly one?
Analysis of the novel, Carrie, (and the 2 movies made based on the book)
Carrie. Stephen King fans and horror film buffs will know exactly what you are talking about when you say the name, Carrie. Carrie was the first novel published by Stephen King, a novel that launched a career that will likely never to be rivaled. The book is a classic, written in a style different from many of King's future novels. The book is an interweaving of news articles, interviews, court testimony, and flashbacks as well as 'real time' events. On first reading, it can be a bit confusing as it opens with the soon to be infamous prom night having already occurred but once one gets deeper into the novel, it is easier to follow, especially upon a second reading.
While there isn't a monster in the usual horror novel/movie fashion, there is a monster of another kind, a bully. Bullies are big news right now as schools and parents alike struggle to deal with what to do when a child is teased and picked on as teenaged suicides increase across the country as the result of mistreatment by bullies. Perhaps Carrie should become required reading for those who feel the need to pick on, belittle, tease, harass, and harm their classmates. A teen already is full of rising and falling emotions as their bodies adjust to the onset of puberty. A simple embarrassment can stick with you long after your friends and classmates have forgotten it even happened.
Nearly every women can tell you what that moment was like when they got their first period, even if many wish they could forget it. Some girls may experience a moment like Carrie, their period coming in a public and dramatic fashion, others possibly pointing and giggling. Some may be lucky and they are spared that embarrassment. For myself, I didn't have it come where all my classmates could see but I do remember the other girls finding out, one even shouting across the playground that I “got my period!” but as soon as the words left her mouth, she looked back over at me and said “See, no one cares.” I laughed then. I laugh now. While it can come, initially, in an embarrassing way, it is true. No one does care. It is natural and happens to most women by the time they have entered their teens. It is a sign of the onset of puberty and, much to the fear of parents across the country, that a girl, now woman, can become pregnant.
In Carrie, Carrie receives her first in the shower, causing her classmates to pelt her with tampons and maxi pads. Carrie was sixteen/seventeen. Very late for such an event to occur. What made this event even stranger was that Carrie no clue this was supposed to happen as she cried to her teacher, asking if she was dying. While it is unknown if her mother intended this, by keeping Carrie in the dark about the natural behavior of her body, Margaret White set her daughter and the town up to fall.
One has to wonder what caused Margaret White to go so overboard in the raising of her daughter, where her beliefs came from, and of course her culpability in the events of 'prom night'. Perhaps it was the miscarriage she suffered early in her marriage, so early it was likely she committed the 'sin of intercourse' prior to the wedding. Such an event can push even the slightest of unstable people completely over the edge. Whatever caused her behavior, there is no doubt that Margaret White abused her daughter, physically and emotionally. Carrie White was locked in a closet, long enough that a few times she even wet herself because she was not allowed out to use the restroom. She was told she was 'evil' for developing breasts and getting her period. Maybe deep down, Margaret White knew this would cause her latent TK powers to come to fruition. Perhaps she hoped to avoid what happened. Regardless of why she did not want Carrie to go through puberty, her behavior towards her daughter were most likely the main causes of prom night.
Think about it. If Margaret White hadn't treated her daughter in the manner she had, perhaps Carrie wouldn't have been as much of an outcast. She at least wouldn't have been shocked to the point of freaking out at the sign of her first period, giving her tormentors some more ammunition to use to pick on her. Bullies will use anything they can to make their victims feel lesser somehow. In the second film based on the novel, Carrie is excused from class as they start talking about Darwin, only adding to her label as an outcast. This is not to say such religious beliefs should not be honored but merely to point out only what set Carrie even further apart from her classmates. The second film takes place in modern times and it features an event from Carrie's childhood, the time the stones came. Margaret drags her daughter back into the house and can be heard ordering her young daughter into the closet while her daughter screams. Neighbors gather around the house. One even starts towards the door, perhaps to save Carrie. I have to wonder why no one reported her for abuse but perhaps when the stones fell that day, they decided to leave the Whites alone.
Also in the remake movie, the character of Chris said a simple three word sentence that got me thinking. “I hate her.” How could a girl who is such an outcast, she has no friends and talks to no one, cause such hatred? What did Carrie ever do to Chris that would lead her to hate her so much she stuffed her locker full of tampons as depicted in the movie. In the novel, her hatred leading to the events that set off prom night is a result of a punishment Chris received after harassing Carrie following her first period. Still, in the novel and in the films, Carrie seems to keep to herself, bothering no one and most likely just wishing to get through school. What could cause such hatred in Chris and the other students? Then again, what causes such hatred in the real life bullies? I don't think we will ever know And that is worrisome.
I posed this question to my mother and she said “Because she's different.” Different. This is true. Nearly all the kids one sees being picked on are 'different'. Picking on someone who is different because of a handicap is frowned upon. It seems, however, at least from my own experience, picking on someone because of how they dress or talk or who their family is or where they live is far more acceptable. Bullying is bullying and it shouldn't be as divided as it seems to be. Words are powerful weapons and if people want words like 'retarded' banned, then so should words like 'ugly' and 'gross' and 'scum', words kids who are teased in school hear often.
Right now, a movement known as 'It Gets Better' is making waves across the nation, letting scores of gay teens know that life can and will get better even if now it seems as though nothing is ever going to go right. This movement will hopefully make an impact on not only the lives of gay teens getting bullied but on the lives of all teens being bullied. Bullying has been going on for ages and likely will never stop. It is being brought to light even more so now with advances in technology letting us see and hear the consequences of such bullying on an almost daily basis as teens commit suicide when the bullying got to be too much.
Carrie's revenge against her tormentors is one that you aren't likely to see actually occur, at least not in the way depicted in the films or written about in the novel. She was pushed over the edge and when that last straw broke her back, there was no backing down. Even if nearly none of the people killed that night were directly involved in the 'pig's blood' incident, they did have blood on their hands after all the years they spent torturing Carrie.
Her mother, waiting at home, got a knife ready. It was as if she knew what was about to happen. Could she see into the future? Probably not but maybe she had seen what the kinds of powers her daughter had had done to other family members. Maybe that was why she wanted to keep her down and an outcast. Maybe she realized she should've done as she wished 17 years prior and decided to kill her daughter, regardless of how the night goes. Deep down, maybe Margaret White did not want this gene to carry on so she kept her daughter on a short leash, hoping Carrie would die, friendless and alone. Of course no one does know her exact motives but the fact she was prepared with a weapon prior to anything happening at the school, does make one wonder exactly what she knew.
In the first film made, the classic movie and probably what helped launch Stephen Kings career, the gym teacher, renamed to Miss Collins, asked the girls after their torture of Carrie, 'Did any of you stop and think that Carrie White might have feelings?' I think that is a fundamental question to ask all bullies. Do they stop and think about the other person? Probably not. Many humans are not empathetic towards others, especially if they are not related. We are all guilty of not thinking how our actions will affect other people. Most of us are also guilty of not standing up for someone being bullied. Perhaps we don't join in, maybe we don't laugh but how many people actually stand up and say 'Hey, stop there!'
I asked this question to a high school senior I work with. She replied with 'I ask him to eat with me at lunch.' She knew what I was talking about, however, even if she didn't sit idly by while another student was teased. There always is and always will be one kid who stands out or is considered to be an outsider. Maybe all these kids need is someone like my co-worker to do something as simple as sit next to them at lunch to get them through the day. Maybe it won't prevent a Columbine but it could brighten someone's day. I know it would've made my day better.
New Blog
Here's hoping I can keep up in this one this time.
What is this blog?
Basically, what it comes down to is, I read a lot of books but I really don't keep a record of what I have read or what I started reading but never finished. So my hope is that with this blog, I can keep track of what I've read by going back to high school in a way and doing analysis (analysis'? analysi? whatever) on the books that I've read. Now, I won't be doing plot synopsis or anything like that but more what the author was trying to tell the readers of his or her book, the hidden subtle messages. Some may well end up being more like a review then anything else but I think it will help me in the end to remember the books I've read and further help me discover more books that are similar in nature.
Thanks!
Jen
What is this blog?
Basically, what it comes down to is, I read a lot of books but I really don't keep a record of what I have read or what I started reading but never finished. So my hope is that with this blog, I can keep track of what I've read by going back to high school in a way and doing analysis (analysis'? analysi? whatever) on the books that I've read. Now, I won't be doing plot synopsis or anything like that but more what the author was trying to tell the readers of his or her book, the hidden subtle messages. Some may well end up being more like a review then anything else but I think it will help me in the end to remember the books I've read and further help me discover more books that are similar in nature.
Thanks!
Jen
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