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The supernatural in Carrie is real and is expressed primarily through Carrie's supernatural powers. This power, telekinesis, is presented in a very realistic form in the novel, presenting us with a fear that is real as well as supernatural. For example, King accentuates the supernatural with realism with an excerpt from an article printed in the Tulane University Press that writes that Carrie's "ability to move objects by effort of the will alone comes to the fore only in moments of extreme personal stress" (5). The unique powers, while real, cannot be explained scientifically. This type of supernatural power isolates Carrie socially because they are so real they are horrifying and this synthesis frightens us.
The fantastical and supernatural are born from Carrie's natural experience and, apparently, heredity. We read that she was the unfortunate "victim of her mother's religious mania. We know she possessed a latent telekinetic talent" (89). This talent manifests itself on prom night in a horrifying way.
Carrie's supernatural powers are presented in a fantastical way in this novel and they are precipitated by the terrible prank that occurs at the prom. When the buckets of blood come crashing down, Carrie sits with a "bulge of terror rising in her mind" (133), realizing...
She begins to focus her power and, as a result, throws Miss Desjardin "out of her way like a rag doll" (136). When she remembers her power, she decides that it is a time to "teach them a lesson" (136). She giggles as she turns on the sprinkler system, closes, and locks all the doors. As a result, the main power switches exploded and light cables were "flowing a jerking and writhing like snakes" (127). Tommy was struck by the bottom rim of one of the buckets and he goes "swiftly down into unconsciousness" (127). The fire that originated from the electrical cords spread quickly out of control. We read that an Associated Press news release called the fire at Ewen "electrical in origin" (127), trapping over one hundred people inside the gymnasium. The explosion and subsequent fire could not be contained nor explained and the most queer aspect of the event is that water hydrants in the area were "vandalized, and water pressure from city mains in the area from Spring Street to Grass Plaza is reported to be nil" (128). We read that this is a result of Carrie's power as well. Furthermore, Carrie stops at the Carlin Street Congregational Church, where she prays and then commences to destroy the rest of the town. She wishes the townspeople to burn and wants the streets to "be filled with the small of their sacrifice" (147). This horrible scene is the result of Carrie's supernatural ability, which is frightening as well as captivating and believable.
Carrie is a fantastic horror story because it conveys an almost perfect balance between the supernatural world and the real world. Carrie is a teenage girl living in a world where she is the butt of jokes for her entire life. Her life is all too real for many of us. King masterfully combines this reality with Carrie's supernatural powers, which make the story captivating and…
Works Cited
King, Stephen. Carrie. New York: Doubleday Dell Publishing. 1974.
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