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Carrie (novel): the story on HearLore | HearLore
Carrie (novel)
The first three pages of Stephen King's debut novel were thrown into a wastebasket, destined to be destroyed before they could ever be read by the public. In the winter of 1972, King sat in his trailer in Hermon, Maine, feeling a profound sense of discomfort and apathy as he wrote about a girl menstruating for the first time in a shower. He believed the story was unmarketable, a waste of time, and fundamentally flawed because he was a man trying to write a woman's experience. After writing only three pages, he tossed the manuscript into the trash and decided to move on to other projects. The next morning, his wife Tabitha found the crumpled pages in the bin and rescued them from the garbage. She convinced him to continue writing, arguing that the story had potential despite his doubts. This single act of retrieval saved a career that would eventually define modern horror fiction. King eventually rewrote the novella into a full-length novel, but the initial rejection of his own work remains one of the most pivotal moments in publishing history.
The Shower Scene And The First Blood
The narrative opens in 1979 with a sixteen-year-old girl named Carrie White standing in a shower after physical education class, unaware that her body is changing in a way her mother has never explained to her. When Carrie White's first period begins, she panics, believing she is bleeding to death because her fanatical mother Margaret has never taught her about menstruation. The situation escalates when her classmates, led by a popular girl named Chris Hargensen, mock her and throw tampons and sanitary napkins at the hysterical girl. The gym teacher, Rita Desjardin, intervenes to comfort Carrie before sending her home, but the damage is done. As Carrie walks home, she unconsciously uses telekinetic powers to push a taunting child from his bicycle, realizing that she can make things happen at will. This moment of realization connects back to childhood incidents where stones fell from the sky in response to abuse from her mother. The story establishes the central conflict of ostracism and the terrifying potential of a girl who has been pushed too far by a society that refuses to see her humanity.
The Prom Night Revenge Plot
The climax of the novel revolves around a cruel prank orchestrated by Chris Hargensen and her boyfriend Billy, who plan to humiliate Carrie during the prom. Chris, who was suspended from school for refusing to comply with detention, decides to take revenge on Carrie after her father fails to reinstate her. Another girl involved in the incident, Sue Snell, asks her boyfriend Tommy to invite Carrie to the prom as a way of atoning for the locker room bullying. Carrie is suspicious at first but accepts the invitation, and for the first time, she finds herself accepted by her peers. Tommy finds himself curiously drawn to Carrie and realizes he is falling in love with her. When Carrie and Tommy are elected prom queen and king by a single vote, Chris, who is hiding in the wings, releases buckets of pig's blood to cover Carrie. The plan is to humiliate Carrie in front of the whole school, but the result is far more catastrophic than anyone anticipated. Tommy is hit by a falling bucket and knocked unconscious, and Carrie flees the building amid the laughter of the other students, unaware that many of them are reacting out of horror.
When was the novel Carrie by Stephen King published?
The hardback edition of Carrie was published on the 5th of April 1974. The novel debuted on the New York Times best seller list in December 1974 and remained on the list for 14 weeks.
What happened to the first three pages of Stephen King's Carrie manuscript?
Stephen King threw the first three pages of his debut novel into a wastebasket in the winter of 1972 because he believed the story was unmarketable. His wife Tabitha found the crumpled pages in the bin the next morning and convinced him to continue writing.
How many casualties were reported during the Black Prom in the novel Carrie?
The Black Prom tragedy resulted in 440 reported casualties and the destruction of the school's fuel tanks. The fire ignited by ungrounded wires and the subsequent explosion destroyed the building and killed Tommy.
Who rescued the discarded pages of Stephen King's Carrie novel?
Tabitha King found the crumpled pages in the garbage bin the morning after Stephen King threw them away. She convinced her husband to continue writing the story, which eventually saved his career.
What was the advance amount for the publication of Stephen King's Carrie?
The novel was approved for an advance of $1,500 which editor Bill Thompson convinced Doubleday to boost to $2,500. This amount was moderately high for an American debut novel at the time.
The aftermath of the prom night disaster is labeled the Black Prom, a tragedy that results in 440 reported casualties and the destruction of the school's fuel tanks. Carrie, in a state of shock and anger, decides to use her powers to humiliate the town that humiliated her. She seals the gym and activates the sprinkler system, inadvertently sparking some ungrounded wires that electrocute several of her classmates. The wiring sparks a fire that eventually ignites the school's fuel tanks, destroying the building in a massive explosion. Only a few staff and students, including Desjardin, narrowly escape. Tommy dies in the blaze, having never regained consciousness. Carrie's sanity snaps as she makes her way home, causing destruction as she goes. She opens a gas main, resulting in explosions that level Chamberlain's downtown, then tears down live electrical lines that kill those who have left their homes to investigate. Her powers cause many townsfolk, including Sue, to instinctively sense Carrie's presence as she approaches. The incident leaves the town unable to recover financially or emotionally, with many survivors relocating and the school's staff resigning from teaching.
The Mother Daughter Tragedy
The final confrontation between Carrie and her mother Margaret is a tragic cycle of abuse and violence that ends in mutual destruction. Carrie returns home to kill Margaret, who in turn lies in wait to murder Carrie. Margaret rambles about the night of Carrie's conception, a sin she believes is the root of Carrie's evil. She stabs Carrie with a kitchen knife, but Carrie uses her powers to stop Margaret's heart. Mortally wounded, Carrie makes her way to the roadhouse, where she sees Chris and Billy leaving town. After Billy attempts to run over Carrie, she takes control of his car and sends it into a wall, killing both him and Chris. Following Carrie's psychic signal, Sue finds the dying Carrie in the woods. Carrie believes Sue set up the prank at the prom, but Sue invites Carrie to search her mind via telepathy. Carrie sees that Sue wished her no ill will, and Sue, still tethered to Carrie's mind, experiences Carrie's final moments before death. The novel ends with a letter from an Appalachian woman about her four-year-old daughter, who has begun to exhibit telekinetic powers, suggesting that the cycle of power and abuse will continue.
The Publishing Industry's Gamble
The publication of Carrie was a financial gamble that transformed Stephen King from a struggling teacher into a full-time author. King's manuscript was given to editor Bill Thompson in November 1973, and Thompson convinced Lee Barker, executive editor of Doubleday, to accept it. In 1973, after much revision, advanced copies of Carrie were sent to salesmen to secure an advance. Eventually, the novel was approved for an advance of $1,500, which Thompson convinced Doubleday to boost to $2,500, moderately high for an American debut novel at the time. The hardback edition of Carrie was ultimately published on the 5th of April 1974, with a print run of 30,000 copies. Although Carrie was marketed as an occult novel, trade reviewers called it a horror novel, unusual for the time. The paperback edition sold well, and in its first year, the edition sold one million copies. The sales were bolstered by the 1976 film adaptation, totaling four million sales. The novel became a New York Times best seller, debuting on the list in December and remaining on it for 14 weeks, peaking at number 3.
The Legacy Of A Horror Pioneer
Carrie launched King's career as an author and established him as a horror writer who wrote about the supernatural, the dark, and the bizarre. Following Carrie publication, King underwent a six-month period of prolific writing. During this period, King wrote rough drafts for Blaze and Salem's Lot, the latter of which became his second published novel, being published in 1975. Both Carrie and its 1976 film adaptation brought King into the mainstream, and he has since become one of the most successful authors in the modern era, with his novels consistently becoming best sellers. For decades prior to the 1970s, horror literature had not been in the mainstream, and Carrie is credited as one of four novels to create a contemporary mainstream interest in horror literature. This interest was especially bolstered by the subsequent adaptation. Carrie has been influential among contemporary writers, with writers such as Sarah Pinborough, James Smythe, and Sarah Lotz claiming to be influenced by Carrie. The prom scene when Carrie is covered in pig blood has been referenced in pop culture, with examples including Monsters University, My Little Pony comics, and horror media such as It Follows, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Treehouse of Horror.