Carrie: Themes | SparkNotes

Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.

The Curse of Blood and Original Sin

Margaret presents the world to Carrie via the lens of her cautionary tale about sin, informing her adolescence until the curse of blood unlocks Carrie’s TK ability and offers her some freedom. Margaret outlines the trajectory in clear terms, some of which are stereotypical markers of debauchery. The examples she cites range from blood to boys and cars, to roadhouses and whiskey, with all of these leading to sex. It is not until prom night that she also admits to Carrie, and with great fervor, that she (Margaret) is also guilty of the sin of lust.

According to Margaret’s beliefs, which are deeply rooted in her religious fundamentalism, no one comes into the world free of sin. Women are the bearers of this curse, and it can manifest via their menstruation. Because of her “devil’s power,” no woman is more cursed than Carrie in Margaret’s opinion, and this disdain goes into full force when Carrie gets her period for the first time. Margaret’s parents did not adhere to this belief system, and Margaret’s husband was dead by the time Carrie was born, so it was strictly Margaret’s idea to refrain from telling Carrie about the “curse” of blood and to isolate her from the rest of the world in order to avoid the “sin” of intercourse.

Coming of Age

Carrie’s coming-of-age is marked by extreme violence. Carrie begins menstruation and becomes a woman in one swift, violent episode, and it is not just the physiological incident that bestows maturity upon her. As she grows to understand her mother, her peers, her emotions, and her powers, she becomes a woman in a fuller sense of the word. Though Sue’s path is very different, it does run parallel to and ultimately intersect with Carrie’s, and they experience their biggest moments of personal growth together.

High school seniors are on the cusp of adulthood, and senior prom is the final symbolic celebration of their growth before they graduate and head out into the world. Carrie and Tommy hold court at the prom and admire each other’s youthful beauty, which is juxtaposed with their grown-up formal clothing. Meanwhile, Carrie learns that she can enjoy talking with new people and that her company can be enjoyable to them, giving her hope for her future as an adult. Prom is the one place where Carrie can enjoy the present moment with her peers and believe for a second that her future could be a normal one. However, this hope eventually unravels after the pig’s blood prank when Carrie identifies and utilizes her telekinetic powers to their fullest extent, wreaking havoc and destruction in her wake. For the first time, Carrie fully understands the power she is capable of.

Atonement for Sins

Throughout the book, characters feel, or are made to feel, regret over their actions and must atone for them. In addition to the original sin through which she was born, Margaret has also committed what she believes is “the sin of intercourse” twice, the first instance being outside of wedlock. She spends her entire adult life atoning for these sins via prayer and penance. Margaret believes that the only way to expiate, or make amends for, the sin of blood is through bloodshed, and her final attempt at atonement for her sins occurs when she overcomes what she perceives to be her weakness and attempts to kill her daughter. Carrie’s mother has forced Carrie to atone for her entire life, but Carrie’s final act of atonement, an apology to her mother, is voluntary.

Sue seeks atonement for her actions via proxy when she convinces Tommy to ask Carrie to prom. Prior to that she examines her own motivations for wanting atonement. Sue’s autobiography is her final act of atonement, as she uses it to shed light on the Carrie whom she knew as an attempt to persuade others to empathize with her.

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