Summary
The film Carrie is an American horror movie that premiered in 1976 by Stephen King. The movie revolves around a young girl called Carrie White; she is a teenager with no friends; in the beginning, she is shy and rarely interacts with others. Her domineering and religious mother shelters the latter. As a result of her shyness and composedness, she undergoes humiliation and belittling by her peers, a scenario that later makes her unleash her supernatural powers. The movie begins when it is nearing the end year, and poor Carrie White faces the difficulties of being a social outcast due to the nature of upbringing articulated by the mother, Margaret White. Carrie is purposedly less informed on the world aspects and knowledge bases due to her mother’s beliefs and aspirations. Margaret is a religious extremist who high disregards sin, especially sex and biological processes such as menstruation. However, she has not informed her daughter about what she believes in and the expectations thereof. However, Mrs. White’s fanatic beliefs are believed to have arisen from her own marriage experience where she disagreed with her husband who got engaged to another lady.
The only character at Carrie’s closest proximity and assistance is Mrs. Collins, the “Phys ed teacher,” who is Gin warned not to appear to be superseding Mrs. White’s beliefs which are recognized across the community and manner of upbringing her daughter. The unexpected event organized and attended by Carrie’s classmates leads to the punishment of some of the classmates who vow to execute revenge on Carrie. While Chris Hargensen insists that he must revenge in a similar incident like the one that led to the punishment, Sue Snell feels sorry for Carrie as she goes ahead to request Tommy Rose to take Carrie to the Prom in her place. Mrs. White is against this idea, though, and she feels that her daughter will fall subject to sin. Due to the pressure arising from the two competing sides, Carrie decides to devise her ways of escaping the fix and clearing the perceived mess.
Self-Esteem
The concept of self-esteem can be witnessed among various characters in the movie Carrie. Through the film’s protagonist, Carrie, the theme of low self-esteem is displayed. Carrie has low self-esteem as a consequence of bullying. Carrie’s ugly appearance and clumsiness are the main reason her peers always bully her in school daily. From as early as grade school, Carrie has been treated as an outcast and is always alone. The protagonist’s low self-esteem is seen in how she always keeps her head bowed to avoid eye contact whenever her classmates make rude remarks about her body. Further, the movie shows how Carrie’s self-esteem is damaged during the prom night. During the high school prom event, Carrie and her partner Tommy are misled to believe that they are the winners of the event. The two partners proceed to the stage and are crowned winners in front of everyone; they also sit on the thrones reserved for the distinguished winners. However, in their celebratory moment, two buckets filled with bad pig’s blood. The prank causes Carrie to be overcome by grief and shame as she runs off stage and almost falls. Carrie’s self-esteem is thus damaged and lowered.
Psychologists use the term self-esteem to describe how a person values oneself in any circumstance. Psychologists also claim that self-esteem is dependent on many factors such as; a sense of competence, a feeling of belonging, and self-worth. High self-esteem is essential because it allows people to feel motivated, positively perceive themselves, and establish stable social bonds with other people. In the film, however, high self-esteem has not been applied to the character Carrie. Low self-esteem has caused the protagonist to be clumsy, a social misfit, and lack self-worth.
Social Relationships
In the film, the protagonist does not have any good social relations with her peers. In school, Carrie is a target for bullying. The protagonist is labeled as ugly and disgusting. No one wants to be friends with Carrie; instead, the students in her school mock her and do unpleasant things, such as pinching her. Social relationships are supposed to be healthy and delightful for all parties involved. However, in Carrie’s case, all her social interactions are not pleasant, and humiliation is the resulting consequence. Chris, the film’s antagonist, appears to be the primary source of Carrie’s misfortune. Chris uses her superior social influence to encourage another student to commit all sorts of pranks on the film’s protagonist. For instance, Chris was responsible for leading other students in pranking Carrie and Tommy during the prom event. Consequently, Tommy was severely hurt, and Carrie was humiliated in front of everyone in school.
Psychologists regard social relationships as the bonds built by people who have constant interactions that have a significant meaning to each party. Psychologists claim that social relationships, incredibly informal ones are crucial in shaping a person’s behavior and field of thought. Social relationships are essential because they enable one to get emotional care during difficult periods. Also, through social relationships, one can feel joy and happiness. However, in the film, Carrie’s social relationships are the source of her misery and grief. Unhealthy social relationships exist between the film’s protagonist and her peers.
Gender Role Identity
In the film, the different genders play a significant role in Carrie’s life. In the locker rooms, Carrie has her first menstrual period. The protagonist does not comprehend what is happening to her and consequently fears that she might bleed to death. Carrie’s female counterparts, who are aware of what is happening to her, begin to laugh at her and mock her. They toss sanitary towels and towels and continue to mock her. The concept of menstruation is supposed to be introduced to women when they are young by their mothers or female guardians. However, Carrie’s mother fails to do so because her religious beliefs have led her to regard menstruations as evil. Consequently, Carrie is ignorant about the regular biological occurrence and is ridiculed and bullied as a result. Psychologists describe gender role identity as the body reactions, behaviors, and traits considered feminine or male masculinity. In the movie, Carrie’s mother has failed to fulfill her gender role, and as a result, her daughter suffers from not understanding the biology of her own body.
Conclusion
The film has depicted the tragic life of the teenage girl, Carrie. Several themes, such as bullying, have been effectively utilized in the film. The film gradually reveals the factors that stimulate or awaken Carrie’s telekinetic powers, which she uses to claim vengeance. The concept of self-esteem is depicted in the essay above, expounding on Carrie’s low self-esteem. It is also clear that the protagonist does not have any good relationships with her peers in school. The concept of gender role identity has helped to reveal how Carrie’s mother failed as a female parent in society. The concepts mentioned above have therefore effectively touched on the movie’s plot.
References
Carrie White. (n.d.). Stephen King Wiki. Web.