Stephen King's Carrie: Theme

            A theme is an underlying message of a story. Stephen King's Carrie holds many themes in its context. Most of them represent the attitudes, personalities, and decency of the average high school student. The moral standard that you should treat others the way you wish to be treated is reflected in Carrie through the characters of Christine Hargensen, Margaret White, and Susan Snell. .
             Christine Hargensen is Carrie's number one enemy, and she is usually the ringleader of the mean tricks played on her. Chris, for example, is the one who starts the rude chanting when Carrie gets her period for the first time at school. She ruthlessly throws tampons and sanitary napkins at Carrie as she stands helplessly in the showers after gym class. Chris is also behind the pig blood incident at prom. She and her boyfriend, Billy Nolan, dump buckets of pig blood on top of Carrie when she and her date, Tommy Ross, stand on stage after being announced the prom king and queen. Carrie's hatred for Chris grows throughout the story, and she finally wreaks vengeance. Although Chris and Billy fled immediately after pulling their stunt at prom, Carrie eventually finds them driving in Billy's car. Using her telekinetic powers, she spins the car out of control and it crashes into a local bar. "The gas tank split open, and fuel began to puddle around the rear of the car. Part of one straight pipe fell into it, and the gas bloomed into flame." (220) Christine Hargensen makes Carrie's life miserable at school, but she is not the one causing despair at home. .
             Margaret White, Carrie's mother, is an extremely religious woman who forces Carrie to believe and trust things she does not necessarily want to. When Carrie goes home and tells her mother about her period, "Momma" does not comfort her or explain anything to her. Instead, she screams at Carrie, telling her she is sinful, and she locks her in a closet where she is supposed to pray for forgiveness.