Carrie by Stephen King
GENERAL
1. Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read, and explain how the narrative fulfills the author's purpose (based on your well-informed interpretation of same)
- Carrie is a high school senior who lives with her mom in the city of Chamberlain. Her mother is a very religious woman and tries to protect herdaughter from committing any type of sin. It all started when Carrie was showering right after gym and she happened to get her first menstrual period ever. She had no idea what was happening to her since her mother never informed her about it. She believed she was bleeding to death and five girls began to tease her. Carrie fell to her feet in tears after being harassed and having sanitary napkins thrown at her. Ms. Dejardin ( p.e teacher) comes out of her office after listening to a bunch of commotion. She stops the harassment and dismisses everyone in the locker room. She helps Carrie to clean herself up and to pull it together. Carrie is sent home for the rest of the week. The principal latter brings in Chris's ( main girl leading the harassment) dad to let him know that her daughter is being punished with a weeks worth detention and will not be attending the spring prom. Her dad is a lawyer and tries to fight back with the principal but in the end Chris didn't get any less of her punishment. Sue feels bad for everything Carrie has been through in her life with the teasing and wants to bring justice to Carrie. Tommy (Sue's boyfriend) was encouraged by Sue to ask Carrie to prom. Sue wanted to give Carrie the best night of her life. Carrie accepts the invite and goes on making her dress and preparing everything. Her mother doesn't accept the idea that a boy asked her to a dance and goes even more mad about how her daughter is the devils child. The night of prom has finally come and it is time to get glam'd up for a good night out. Chris and Billy have conjured up an evil plan to sabotage the night for Carrie and Tommy. They planned out to have two buckets of pig's blood held up on top of the stage, for when the prom king and queen are named then the blood will spill on them. how ironic that Carrie and Tommy are crowned prom king and queen. The blood is spilled on them both and they are humiliated. One of the buckets fell and hit Tommy on the head, knocking him unconscious. Carrie is raging inside and runs out of the gym, she find the water hydrant's (3) and releases the screws. Causing the water pressure to go down. Carrie is on a rampage now. She returns inside and with her TK power she closes all the doors shut and turns on the sprinklers. The room is soaking wet. Because of the bands set up, water and electricity do not go together. It turns out that several students are electrocuted to death. The gym begins to catch on fire and all the students are stuck inside. Carrie somehow gets out and is on a killing spree now. She attacks several places in Chamberlain while on her way home to see her mother. She arrives home and kills her mother slowly, until there was no beat left. Her mother tried killing Carrie by stabbing her, and ended up stabbing Carrie in the shoulder. Carrie is now bleeding to death slowly. She leaves her home and heads to an open field and ends up lying there to her death. Sue goes out to find Carrie and try to help her, even though she killed her boyfriend and caused everything in town. Sue is there for the final moments of Carries life. The town has no real reason to keep going anymore. The town was blown up and many students died that night. The local businesses have stayed down since the harm was done. Since the night of prom the town has lost the reason to live and keep going.
2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.
The theme of the novel revolves around <i>revenge</i>. Carrie is vengeful towards everyone who gave her the worst of time.
3. Describe the author's tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).
The novel has an eerie mood to it. But it has a since of evil and is twisted. " I looked around and saw Joise Vreck holding onto one of the mike stands. He couldn't let go. His eyes were bugging out and his hair was on end and it looked like he was dancing. His feet were sliding around in the water and smoke started to come out of his shirt.
He fell over on one of the amps- they were big ones, five or six feet high- and it fell onto the water." (pg 178)
- This is an example of a scene were Josie was electrocuted to death. It feels twisted how he died.
" A sudden smothered sound that might have been a half-scream came from her mouth, and she leaned forward and pulled violently on the cord with both hands. It came loose with slack for a moment, making her think that Billy had been having her on all this time, that the rope was attached to nothing but thin air. Then it snubbed tight, held for a second, and then came through her palms harshly, leaving a burn.
The moment were Chris pulls the ropes to release the buckets of pig's blood to fall and smother Carrie and her date Tommy. The few seconds that she pulls violently, life is flashing before her eyes. How Billy is manipulative to her and now she notices what cruel act she is committing to Carrie. But she still follows through on this act.
4. Describe a minimum of ten literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthened your understanding of the author's purpose, the text's theme and/or your sense of the tone. For each, please include textual support to help illustrate the point for your readers. (Please include edition and page numbers for easy reference.)
Anecdote- " It was reliably reported by several persons that a rain of stones fell from a clear blue sky on Carlin Street in the town of Chamberlain on August 17th. The stones fell principally on the home of Mrs. Margaret White damaging the roof extensively and ruining two gutters and a downspout valued at approximately $25. Mrs. White, a widow, lives with her three-year-old daughter, Carriette. Mrs. White could not be reached for comment.
Dialect- Carrie; " Why didn't you <i>tell</i> me?" she cried. " Oh Momma, I was so <i>scarred! </i>And thr girls all made fun and threw things and-"<br />
This example is showing Carrie's humble way of speaking. Throughout the novel when Carrie speaks she appears to be very humble and monotone. It is until towards the end of the novel were she begins to express herself more.
Imagery- "She hated her face, her dull, stupid, bovine face, the vapid eyes, the red, shiny pimples, the nests of blackheads. She hated her face most of all." pg. 44
Carrie is giving a detailed explanation of how she looks.
Denotation- From <i>Ogilvie's Dictionary of Psychic Phenomena: "Telekinesis</i> is the ability to move objects or to cause changes in objects by force of the mind. The phenomenon has most reliably been reported in times of crisis or in stress situations, when automobiles have been levitated from pinned bodies or debris from collapsed buildings, etc." pg 44
CHARACTERIZATION
1. Describe two examples of direct characterization and two examples of indirect characterization. Why does the author use both approaches, and to what end (i.e., what is your lasting impression of the character as a result)?
2. Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character? How? Example(s)?
3. Is the protagonist static or dynamic? Flat or round? Explain.
Carrie is a flat / static character. She doesn't show much expression of emotions throughout the novel. Most of her emotions that are being expressed is when she uses her TK power and that reasoning for her power is because she is under stress or emotionally unstable.
4. After reading the book did you come away feeling like you'd met a person or read a character? Analyze one textual example that illustrates your reaction. After reading this novel I feel like I Carrie myself. As I was reading it felt like I was in novel myself just watching everything happened right before my very eyes. I did feel so very real. And I could feel the emotional pain/stress Carrie was undergoing. I found it hard for myself to stop reading because I just wanted to know what was going to happen next. In the end I was unhappy because even though Carrie dies, the ending just wasn't that intrresting. I was more bummed. Unsatisfied. I feel like it just wasn't a good ending
