Stephen King’s first published novel, Carrie, a book that launched his career as a horror writer extraordinaire, has recently been re-issued with a new introduction by King himself.
What was it that made Carrie such a hit? Certainly it is an exciting tale told in a taut style. However, I think what makes this story so very strong is that is strikes a powerful emotional chord for two major reasons. The first is that it captures so perfectly and poignantly the feelings of an ostracized teenager. (The other reason for its emotional resonance is the depiction of Carrie’s religiously fanatic and sexually repressive mother but that will be discussed in a future blog.)
Childhood can be an ordeal for the child who just doesn’t fit in. There are innumerable reasons why some kids stick out as King’s fictional Carrie does. I have read that children who are bullied are often “those who are different in weight, ethnicity, or clothing†from the average that is around them. I have also read that the inability of some people to be able to read and respond to the non-verbal cues of facial expression, body language, and vocal tone, a deficit that is probably genetic in origin, is a large contributing factor to the creation of the pariah child. (I believe I suffer from this problem).
While some children are perpetually bullied, all children are teased and tormented by their peers at some time or other. What’s more, almost every child acts as a bully at least sometimes.
Thus, the story of Carrie touches a responsive chord in almost everyone although it has a special resonance for those, such as myself, who were the frequent targets of childhood taunts.
What’s more, people may feel an uneasy identification with Carrie’s tormentors and that identification helps to draw them into the story. Almost every child has teased and enjoyed a sadistic pleasure out of it as well as a smug sense of security in being with the superior – because normal – crowd.
Of course, Carrie is not about teasing among small children but that among teenagers. High school can be an especially brutal time for the disliked kid as it is the period in which sexuality begins to bloom and popularity takes on an overwhelming importance.
I don’t want to spoil Carrie for anyone who has not yet read the novel or seen the film. However, for the purposes of this essay I must state that the worst harassment of Carrie takes place in a girls’ locker room when other females set upon the hapless Carrie in a very cruel manner.
Sometimes we can make so much of gender differences that we ignore the truth that most negatives – and positives – are common to us as human beings. In at least some cases, gender does not influence the behavior as much as it does the explanations for that behavior. Girls who harass may be called catty and boys who harass may be said to be aggressive. The truth is that the tendency to target those who seem odd is a quintessentially human failing and the terror of being so targeted a quintessentially human fear.
