Hell Hath No Fury…
Carrie is a pretty iconic female in the horror genre. She is also a symbol for the struggles of everyday life of adolescent girls.
Most of us can really relate to the hardships she had to deal with such as puberty, a repressive mother, mean girls and the desire for the boy you like to ask you to prom.
The film starts on the field and moves into the in the locker room where Carrie thinks she’s dying. She’s not dying, but that first period could be described as “mother nature” trying to murder you if you didn’t know any better. There is genuine fear in her eyes, and her peers use it as an opportunity to bully once again. Watching all of the girls standing around her laughing, while throwing sanitary products at her as her world became distorted, put a scary thought in my mind.
Yes this is a film, but how many other girls go through this torment on a daily basis?
The saying that kids are cruel is undeniably true, and it defiantly was in Carrie’s case. School only seems survivable if you conform to what the majority regard as “cool”. If you don’t fit into that box, then everyone seems to forget that you’re a human being who has feelings. Carrie’s classmates don’t take a moment to think about how what they are doing to her can shape the rest of her life.
Carrie’s shower scene ultimately rests on the shoulders of her overbearing mother. She has not done her job as a parent if she hasn’t prepared her for the trials and tribulations of life. Religion is something that seems to have repressed many women for many years. Margaret White projected her religious views and own fears onto her daughter, which created a sheltered and god fearing girl. By not helping Carrie deal with such a difficult time, we are shown another instance in the film where women tear each other down.
When Prom rolls around, it looks like Carrie could have a glimmer of happiness. That happiness doesn’t last. Carrie’s humiliation is taken to another level. Unfortunately, this is her final straw.
The bloodbath of an ending sees her finally embracing her dark powers. I think that the telekinesis represents us wishing we had the power to control how others view us and the embarrassing situations that we all deal with in school. If only she were able to make them see the person she really was…then her destruction (and the destruction of others) could have been avoided.
In my opinion, the story of Carrie isn’t directly about feminism. It’s about the hardships of adolescence and the lack of sisterhood and support between women.
Carrie was, is and should continue to be iconic to women from all generations because of the strength and resilience she had for many years, but also as reminder that “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned”.
Follow Us!