Carrie (1)

by Stephen King

Inspired by the ongoing re-reading of all Stephen King books by one James Smythe over at The Guardian (for his latest entry, Skeleton Crew, go here) I picked up the very first book Mr. King ever published, Carrie. This time around I want to read King's books more consciously, whereas the first time I practically ate them up. I will post this in parts, rather than at the end of each book, mostly because I think I might go into more detail than usual.

Here goes...

It is impossible to now read Carrie without having Sissy Spacek in mind. The (original) film version was so brilliant and my favorite book-to-screen translation of any Stephen King story (The Shawshank Redemption is the better film, granted, but almost more ambitious than the novella it was based on, so I think the two films are in different wheelhouses entirely). Also, I am pretty sure I am not the only one for whom the book Carrie has taken on the look of the film Carrie, even though in writing she is described as being chubby (obviously a problem film Carrie does not have).

The book kicks off with the infamous shower scene, followed by the uncomfortable talk with school personnel. However, before the first face-off with Margaret White (and yes, I picture Piper Laurie), we get a few flashbacks that the film left out, like Carrie as a pretty 3-year-old girl getting in trouble because she talked with the 'slutty' neighbor girl. This then led to ice and stones raining down on the White residence. Also, we read of the moment that made Carrie the laughing stock she would remain for the rest of her brief life - her first day of school.

She could still remember that day, the stares, and the sudden, awful silence when she had gotten down on her knees before lunch in the school cafeteria - the laughter had begun on that day and had echoed up through the years.

What a sad, sad childhood Carrie must have led, under the ever watchful eye of an oppressive religious zealot (and her deceased father was no better, apparently). And when she has the chance to finally connect to regular people doing something that she imagines to be normal turns her into a social pariah.

In the house she can only really escape when going to school, two to three hour worship sessions - held by Momma on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays - are the norm and her changing body and sexuality are never discussed, only 'dirtypillows' get an occasional mention. Good girls don't have them, of course, and Momma grew hers only after she had sinned (fornication!).

After her traumatic experience in the shower, with nobody to turn to with any questions about what is going on - her phys ed teacher could have talked to her, but opts to send her home instead - she now gets scolded, beaten and called a sinner by her mother. For now she is a woman.

"Get up, woman. Let's us get in and pray. Let's us pray to Jesus for our woman-weak, wicked, sinning souls."

That scene is where I am in the book at the moment. At this point, I have already stumbled upon two things that have recurring appearances in King works:

"Hey Jude" is playing in the background during an interview with Estelle Horan (the slutty neighbor girl from Carrie's childhood). The Beatles song is very prominently featured in The Dark Tower series.

The "Black Man", although rather abstract in this, gets a mention. Some version of him appears in many, many works by Stephen King.

To be continued...