Abducted by Carrie Readalong Part 2

I had a great time listening to Carrie last weekend and I'm excited to take part in the discussion questions created by Midnyte Reader! 

1. There is a part quoted form "My Name is Susan Snell" when she stated that she is not really sorry that Tommy is dead anymore, because the idea of him was too perfect.  I was kind of shocked by this.  What do you think of this?

I wasn't shocked by her not feeling sorry for Tommy's death anymore, but not because of the reason that she gave. I think when a person lives through a tragedy on the scale that Sue did, all of the deaths become a numb space. Like sometimes the grief is so strong that your body can't even feel it. And yes, I believed that she loved Tommy and that Tommy loved her. I just took it as her feelings about his death was masked and mixed in with all that other grief to the point where she just couldn't feel it anymore.

2. Miss Desjardin talked to Carrie about her own prom.  And for Carrie, the prom was magical up to a point.  Did you have any glamorized feelings about your own prom?

Not really. I had originally planned to go to prom with one group of friends and then I changed my mind and decided to go to the prom with a different group of friends. Bad decision! The second group of friends all had dates and even though I knew and was friends with all of them, I still felt like the 5th wheel. I am glad that I went and I LOVED my dress. But if I could go back I would have gone with the other girls FOR SURE! 

3. When Sue was at home on prom night she said that she was still uncomfortable about her own motives and was afraid to examine them too closely in case she discovered selfishness.  Can you elaborate on this?

I always try to remind myself not to analyze things too closely because everything can get messy if you do. I'm thinking about volunteering at a food kitchen. Is this because I want to help others or is it because I need an ego boost? I'm thinking about telling my friend how I really feel about the choices she is making. Is this because I want to help her or is it because I want to get things off my chest and want to insert my opinions? See, messy messy messy! 

4. Do you think that Tommy could have fallen for Carrie?

Do I think that Tommy could have fallen for Carrie? Yes. Even with all is smooth talking that night, do I think that he had started to...no, not really. I think he was infatuated with the whole Prom thing and I do think he had a kind and caring heart and was impressed by her. I also kind of suspected that maybe Carrie's "uniqueness" had a little something to do with his sudden feelings for her. No matter how faint they were. 

5. Tell me what you think of the significance or symbolism of blood.  (Tommy pricked his finger, Mrs. White cut herself, Sue either got her period late or lost a pregnancy.)

I took the blood to be a symbol of sacrifice. And maybe that was too much on the surface because Mrs. White was always preaching about blood being a sacrifice, but I really felt it was true in the end. Carrie was sacrifice that the town needed in order to finally see the truth about their kids and how they were treating each other.  

6. If that prank had not been played on Carrie at the prom, what kind of life do you think she would have had?

My feelings on this question remind me of the ending of the Breakfast Club. When Molly Ringwald gives her big speech about how yes, they all had bonded that day but the truth was they probably would barely go beyond smiling at each other in the halls come Monday. If the prank had not been completed I do think that Carrie would have started to make friends and school wouldn't have been so hard afterwards, but I don't think she would have lead the stereotypical "prom queen" lifestyle. 

7.  What did you think of Billy and Chris's relationship?

They are a bunch of crazy psycho kids!!! Billy had some issues and saw Chris as nothing more then a piece of ass. Chris probably had some daddy issues that she was working out by getting into relationships with guys she could manipulate and then bit off more then she could chew with Billy. In a way though, by the end of the book I just figured they deserved each other.

Bonus question: Did you catch the mistake Stephen King made with regards to Carrie's dad?

YES! I caught it and then called and woke Kate up to see if I was right! The only reason I caught it was because even though they kept saying that Carrie's mom did not have powers, I kept wondering if maybe she was the reason that he had died. Or if maybe she was tapping into the Carrie baby's powers that were in her womb to have an "accident" occur. So when they all of a sudden made an off the cuff comment about Ralph being around when Carrie was alive I was like "Say What!?!"