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They're all gonna laugh at you!
~ Margaret White's most famous quote.
Sin never dies.
~ Margaret White
This isn't your fault Carrie. It's mine. You know the Devil never dies. He keeps comin' back. You've got to keep killin' him over and over again.
~ Margaret White preparing to kill her daughter Carrie in Carrie (2013).

Margaret White is the main antagonist of Stephen King's novel Carrie and all of its adaptations.

She is the abusive, fanatically religious mother of Carrie White, and is obsessed with instilling Carrie with her Puritanical version of Christian principles of modesty and chastity.

She was she was portrayed by the late Piper Laurie (in 1976), who also portrayed Adriana Petrescu in Trauma and Dorothy Rudd in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Patricia Clarkson (in 2002), who also portrayed Ava Paige in the Maze Runner franchise, Laura Winthrop in Law & Order, and Tammy 1 in Parks & Recreation, and by Julianne Moore (in 2013), who also portrayed President Alma Coin in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Parts 1 & 2, Mother Malkin in The Seventh Son and Poppy Adams in Kingsman: The Golden Circle.

Biography[]

The wife of the late Ralph White and the mother of Carrie White, Margaret lived with her parents, John and Judith Brigman, in Motton, Maine until 1960, when she moved to Chamberlain Center with Ralph White. The two married on March 23, 1962; shortly after, on April 3, 1962, Margaret was admitted to Westover Doctors Hospital for a suspected miscarriage. Five months later on August 19, 1962, she last wrote to her mother, and later became pregnant in December that year, though she was convinced that she was afflicted with "cancer of the womanly parts".

Her husband died in February 1963 in a grisly construction accident, and she gave birth to her daughter alone on September 21, 1963. On August 17, 1966, her house was deluged with stones from the sky brought on by her daughter's telekinesis after she punished the girl particularly hard.

Margaret White was very emotionally unstable and suffered from untreated mental illness. She was an extremely abusive and religious zealot who punished her daughter continually for any and all "sins", viewing her as a demonic child and showing no remorse over severe emotional and physical abuse. She also heavily believed herself to be continually under assault from evil forces.

In the novel's climax, Margaret was killed by Carrie, right after she stabs her daughter, which eventually causes her to bleed to death. In the movie, Carrie dies along with her mother as their home crumbled on top of them due to Carrie's telekinetic powers gone awry.

Media Portrayals[]

1976[]

In the original 1976 film adaptation, she is portrayed as being more attractive than her character in the novel. She is not overweight, like in the novel, and has wavy auburn hair and fair skin and talks with a slightly southern accent.

Margaret claims that Ralph was carried away by the Devil, but Carrie says that he actually left her for another woman. As in the novel, Margaret reveals that she had sex with Ralph twice: once prior to marriage (after which she wanted to kill herself), and once more after they were married, when he was drunk and forced himself on her, leading to the conception of Carrie.

Upon learning of her daughter's telekinetic abilities, Margaret becomes convinced that Carrie is a witch, and recalls Exodus 22:18 ("Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live"), which interprets as charging her to purify Carrie by killing her. While Carrie is at the prom, Margaret snaps mentally; she is seen pacing in the kitchen, then beginning to chop a carrot with a butcher knife, and continuing to chop the cutting board even after the carrot rolls away. After Carrie returns home after unleashing her powers at the prom (killing almost everyone there), Margaret, who has lit thousands of candles all over the house, tells her about the night she was conceived by marital rape, then stabs her in the back with the butcher knife while leading her in the Lord's Prayer. As Carrie tries to crawl away, Margaret makes a cross motion with the knife and stalks her through the house with a delirious look in her eyes. She corners Carrie and raises the knife to strike again, but the heavily injured Carrie telekinetically flings various kitchen elements from the drawers at her, impaling her. Margaret dies in the same pose as the statue of Saint Sebastian in Carrie's "prayer closet".

Carrie & Margaret White

Patricia Clarkson as Margaret White in Carrie (2002 remake).

Musical[]

The Broadway musical portrays Margaret to be a much more complex and sympathetic character who genuinely loves and wants to "save" her daughter. She shows remorse after beating and locking Carrie in the cellar following the shower incident. In the first act finale, "I Remember How Those Boys Could Dance", Margaret reveals that Ralph had sweet-talked and raped her, then left her while she was pregnant with Carrie.

2002[]

In the 2002 made-for-TV adaptation, Margaret is portrayed by Patricia Clarkson. She has a calmer disposition than the 1976 version and her past is only briefly hinted at; the film begins with her giving birth to Carrie in bed at home. Her husband isn't mentioned. On prom night, Margaret tries once again to persuade Carrie not to attend, but is sent sliding out the door by Carrie's powers; Carrie warns her to "watch your fingers", preventing her from being harmed physically when the door slams shut. Margaret sneaks out of the closet and spies on her daughter as she leaves in a limo with Tommy, heading for the prom. Following Carrie's return from the massacre, Margaret steps into the bathroom while Carrie is still in the bathtub washing off the pigs' blood. She calls Carrie a witch for destroying the town and tries to drown her in the bathtub while reciting the "bedtime prayer". Carrie then kills Margaret by causing her heart to stop.

2013[]

This version of the character is a mix of the 1976, 1988, and 2002 portrayals on account of being extremely abusive, complex and sympathetic, and having a calm demeanor respectively. While it closely resembles Piper Laurie's interpretation in evidence of the character dressing in black, Moore's portrayal of Margaret has her showing genuine love for Carrie and being the proprietor of a tailoring business. The 2013 Margaret also takes her self-harm to a new extreme, breaking her skin using sharp objects and scratching herself until she bleeds. As in the 1976 film, Margaret is pinned to the wall with various objects after she attempts to kill her daughter.

According to the 1976 film's sequel, The Rage: Carrie 2, Margaret's ex-husband Ralph, long before his death, had another wife, Barbara Lang, who had in the same way, given birth to her daughter Rachel, Carrie's half-sister.

Quotes[]

2013 film[]

Help. Help me! Help me, Lord. I'm dying. What is this? Cancer? Mother Mary, full of grace, protect me and guide me in my hour of death. It's a test. Cut it down. Cut it down. Shh.
~ Margaret Brigham giving birth to Carrie.
Oh, Lord, help my child. She's lost. (Carrie: Mama, stop it. Mama! I don't want to upset you.) So, you're a woman now. And God made Eve from the rib of Adam. And what, Carrie? Say it. (Carrie: No, Mama.) Say it. (Carrie: Talk to me. Please just talk to me.) And Eve was weak. (Carrie: I just want you to talk to me.) And the first sin was the sin of intercourse. (Carrie: And the first sin was the sin of intercourse. Why didn't you tell me, Mama?) And God visited Eve with a curse. And the curse was a curse of blood. (Carrie: I'm not gonna say that. That's not even in the Bible. It doesn't say that anywhere.) Oh, Lord. Help this little girl see the sin of her days and ways. Show her if she had remained innocent, the curse of blood would not have come upon her as it did on Eve. (Carrie: I'm not Eve, Mama. I didn't sin.) You showered with those other girls. You had lust-filled thoughts. (Carrie: Everyone has to shower, Mama. Everyone. That's just the rules.) You must be different, because He can see you. (Carrie: I don't want to be different, Mama. I want to be like them.) He can smell the sin on you. And He will punish you. I will not let that come down upon you. I will not. Lord have mercy. (Carrie: No. "The Lord is good. His unfailing love endures forever, and his faithfulness continues through all generations". Psalms 100, verse 5.) I'm going to keep you away from that school. (Carrie: You can't.) We'll pray. We'll pray together. To save our women-weak, wicked, sinning souls. (Carrie: You didn't tell me and they laughed. I didn't sin. You sinned.) I did not. I did not sin. Go to your closet. (Carrie: No, Mama.) Go to your closet and pray. You pray. (Carrie: No. No! No! Get off me! Mama! Stop it!) Go to your closet and pray for forgiveness. (Carrie: No!) You pray. (Carrie: Mama! Help! No, Mommy!) Come on. (Carrie: Please! Help!) You pray, little girl. Pray for forgiveness. (Carrie: Mommy, let me go! Let me out! Mom! God, you suck!) Help me. Help me.
~ Margaret scolding Carrie for showering at school (believing menstruation is a sin) and demanding she enter her closet and pray for forgiveness.

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • Piper Laurie's portrayal of Margaret earned her nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture.
  • Margaret's religion is suggested to be of her own making -- consisting mostly of elements from fundamentalism, but takes some Catholic and Orthodox concepts, like sainthood; this is made clearer in the 2013 film when Carrie suggests that her recount of the Fall of Man is non-Biblical, and in fact overemphasize sexual immorality with which Margaret is fixated on.
  • In the novel, Margaret has hallucinations of a mysterious "Black Man" and a burning "three-lobed eye"; both are references to the horrid deity Nyarlathotep from the Cthulhu Mythos by the late author H.P. Lovecraft or simply the demonic wizard Randall Flagg under one of his many known aliases.
  • Margaret was likely inspired by Augusta Gein (The mother of serial killer and graverobber Ed Gein).

Navigation[]

           Kingster KingVillain

Novels/Novellas
Carrie: Carrie White | Mortimer Snerds (Chris Hargensen, Donna and Mary Lila Grace Thibodeau, Helen Shyres, Heather Shyres & Tina Blake) | Margaret White | Billy Nolan | Ralph White
Salem's Lot: Kurt Barlow | Richard Straker | Marsten House
The Shining: Overlook Hotel | Jack Torrance | Hotel Caretaker | Grady Sisters | Lorraine Massey
Children of the Corn: Children of the Corn (Isaac Chroner & Malachai Boardman) | He Who Walks Behind the Rows
Rage: Charlie Decker | Mr. Decker
The Stand: Randall Flagg | Barry Dorgan | Bobby Terry | Harold Lauder | Julie Lawry | Lloyd Henreid | Nadine Cross | The Kid | The Rat Man | Trashcan Man | Whitney Horgan
The Long Walk: The Major | Gary Barkovitch
The Dead Zone: Greg Stillson | Frank Dodd
The Mist: Adrian Garff Mrs. Carmody | The Mist
Firestarter: Captain Hollister | Doctor Herman Pynchot | John Rainbird
Roadwork: Barton George Dawes | Sal Magliore
Cujo: Cujo | Joe Camber | Stephen Kemp
The Running Man: Damon Killian | United States of America
Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption: Samuel Norton | Byron Hadley | Sisters (Bogs Diamond) | Elmo Blatch
Apt Pupil: Kurt Dussander | Todd Bowden
The Body: The Cobras (John "Ace" Merrill, Richard "Eyeball" Chambers, Billy Tessio, Charlie Hogan, Vince Desjardins, Jack Mudgett & Norman "Fuzzy" Bracowicz)
Christine: Arnie Cunningham | Christine | Repperton Gang | Roland D. LeBay
Pet Sematary: Wendigo | Church | Gage Creed | Rachel Creed | Timmy Baterman
Cycle of the Werewolf: Lester Lowe
The Tailsman: Morgan Sloat
Thinner: Billy Halleck | Tadzu Lempke | Cary Rossington | Duncan Hopley | Gabe Romani | Gina Lempke | Richie Ginelli
Dolan's Cadillac: Jimmy Dolan
It: It | Bowers Gang (Belch Huggins, Henry Bowers, Marcia Fadden, Patrick Hockstetter, Peter Gordon & Vic Criss) | Alvin Marsh | Butch Bowers | Richard Macklin | Tom Rogan | Christopher Unwin | Webby Garton
Misery: Annie Wilkes
The Tommyknockers: Tommyknockers | Nancy Voss
The Dark Half: George Stark
Secret Window, Secret Garden: John Shooter
The Langoliers: Craig Toomey | Langoliers | Roger Toomey
Needful Things: Leland Gaunt | John "Ace" Merrill | Danforth Keeton III | Brian Rusk | Wilma Jerzyck | Nettie Cobb | Hugh Preist | Father Brigham (Father Meehan) | Reverend Rose
Gerald's Game: Gerald Burlingame | Moonlight Man | Tom Mahout
Dolores Claiborne: Joe St. George
Insomnia: Atropos | Crimson King
Rose Madder: Norman Daniels
The Green Mile: William Wharton | Percy Wetmore
Desperation: Tak | Sheriff Collie Entragian
The Regulators: Tak
Bag of Bones: Max Devore | Sara Tidwell | Roggete Whitmore
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon: God of the Lost
Dreamcatcher: Byrus | Mr. Gray
Black House: Charles Burnside | The Crow Gorg | Mr. Munshun
From a Buick 8: The Buick
Cell: Phone Crazies | Raggedy Man
Lisey's Story: Andrew Landon | Jim Dooley | Long Boy
The Gingerbread Girl: Jim Pickering
Duma Key: Perse | Undead Victims
Under the Dome: Jim Rennie | Junior Rennie | Phil Bushey | Leatherheads
1922: Wilfred James | Henry James | Shannon Cotterie
Big Driver: Lester Norville | Ramona Norville
A Good Marriage: Robert Bob Anderson
11/22/63: Lee Harvey Oswald | Frank Dunning
In The Tall Grass: Ross Humboldt | Cal Demuth
Doctor Sleep: The True Knot (Rose the Hat, Crow Daddy, Grandpa Flick, Barry the Chink & Snakebite Andi) | Andy Hallorann
Bill Hodges Trilogy: Brady Hartsfield | Morris Bellamy
Gwendy's Button Box: Richard Farris
The Outsider: The Outsider
Fairy Tale: Gogmagog | Elden | Petra | Kellin | Hana | Red Molly | Peterkin | Christopher Polley

Short Stories
Cain Rose Up: Curt Garrish
The Mangler: Bill Gartley | The Mangler
The Boogeyman: The Boogeyman
Trucks: Westway Refrigerated Truck | Bulldozer
The Ledge: Cressner
Jerusalem's Lot: Philip Boone | James Boon | The Worm
Quitter's Inc.: Mr. Donatti | Quitters Inc.
The Crate: Crate Beast
Crouch End: The Children | The Goat with a Thousand Young
The Monkey: The Monkey
The Raft: Lake Blob
Word Processor of the Gods: Richard Hagstrom | Roger Hagstrom
Gramma: Gramma Bruckner
The Night Flier: Dwight Renfield
Low Men in Yellow Coats: Harry Doolin
Blind Willie: Raymond Fiegler
Why We're In Vietnam: Ronnie Malenfant
Lunch at the Gotham Café: Guy

Films
The Shining: Overlook Hotel (Lloyd, Lorraine Massey & Hotel Caretaker) | Jack Torrance
Creepshow: Creepshow Creep | Crate Beast | Nathan Grantham | Richard Vickers | Upson Pratt | Wilma Northrup
Cat's Eye: Cressner | Mr. Donatti | Quitters Inc. | Troll
Maximum Overdrive: Bubba Hendershot | Camp Loman | Happy Toyz Truck | Ice Cream Truck | M274 Mule | Vending Machine
A Return to Salem`s Lot: Judge Axle
Creepshow 2: Creepshow Creep | Creepshow Bullies | Lake Blob | Sam Whitemoon | The HitchHiker
Sleepwalkers: Charles Brady | Mary Brady | Sleepwalkers
Pet Sematary 2: Gus Gilbert | Renee Hallow | Clyde Parker | Zowie
The Mangler Trilogy: Bill Gartley | The Mangler | Lin Sue | The Mangler Virus
The Rage: Carrie 2: Rachel Lang | Mark Bing
Creepshow 3: Creepshow Creep | Rachel
The Dark Tower: Randall Flagg
It: Part One: It | Bowers Gang (Henry Bowers, Vic Criss | Belch Huggins & Patrick Hockstetter)
Pet Sematary (2019): Ellie Creed
It: Part Two: It | Henry Bowers | Tom Rogan
Doctor Sleep: The True Knot (Rose the Hat, Crow Daddy, Grandpa Flick, Barry the Chink & Snakebite Andi) | Overlook Hotel (Jack Torrance, Hotel Caretaker & Lorraine Massey)
The Boogeyman: Boogeyman

TV Series
The Stand: Randall Flagg | Harold Lauder | Julie Lawry | Nadine Cross | The Rat Woman | Trashcan Man
The Shining: Overlook Hotel | Jack Torrance | Hotel Caretaker | Lorraine Massey
Storm of the Century: André Linoge
Rose Red: Professor Joyce Reardon | Ellen Rimbauer
Under the Dome: Big Jim Rennie | Junior Rennie | Phil Bushey | The Kinship (Christine Price & Dawn Sinclair-Barbara)

Other
The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer: Ellen Rimbauer

See Also
The Dark Tower Villains

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