Tragic heroes and Perspective in "Carrie"

Stephen Kings first and iconic novel, "Carrie", is as much a chilling horror story as it is one about tragic heroes. Heroes may be too broad of a term for the characters of Carrieta White, Tommy Ross, and Sue Snell. Certainly, in the small world of Chamberlain, Maine, they were heroes in their own way.


Carrieta White (or Carrie) was a girl conflicted to belong and to ultimately destroy everything she touched. She was driven to a state of rage over a long period of time after years of bullying from girls at school. Underneath the latent rage was a sweet, vulnerable girl, and at times, a beautiful one, "She felt that her heart would break if he [Tommy] uttered so much as the wrong sound, and if he laughed she would die," (King, 1974, p. 127). None of her classmates would have pegged her as either of those things, but before the terror of prom night came to fruition, Carrie was a shining star, flashing brightly, and fading just as quickly: [Tommy to Carrie] "You're like Galatea [...] We read about her in Mr. Ever's class. She turned from a drudge into a beautiful woman and nobody even knew her," (King, 1974, p. 134). The tragic part of Carrie's character is the betrayal she feels at being humiliated at the prom during the King and Queen coronation, which she and Tommy Ross unexpectedly won. It was not the two buckets of pigs blood that drove Carrie White over the edge; it was the subsequent laughter that followed, largely mixed in with her horror over the sudden death of Tommy Ross.


Tommy Ross could have been pigeon-holed as a jock character, intent on popularity and chasing the hottest girl in school. He was all those things, but with a conscience. Not only did Tommy possess a moral compass, but he also displayed the ability to look ahead, to see past high school: "High school isn't a very important place. When you're going you think it's a big deal, but when it's over nobody really thinks it was great unless they're beered up," (King, 1974, p. 48). That is not to say that Tommy's character was above reproach, because he admitted to doing a despicable thing, possibly to grow closer to Sue Snell, or to put the Carrie White situation in perspective for her. When in seventh grade, Tommy relates how he kicked a bully in the stomach when he had already been passed out on the ground. Clearly, it was a cowardly act, but one he felt was not entirely merit less since his victim was a bully. However, he told Sue, Carrie had never harmed her and her friends, so why oh why pick on her so? Despite his good advice and good intentions, Tommy was the first to die on prom night, thanks to a quarter-full bucket of pigs blood striking him on the skull as it fell to the stage. What was most tragic of all about his character (and for Carrie) was that he had begun to love Carrie, even after knowing her for only a short while. This did not deflect from the love he felt for Sue, it was merely another woman in his life.


Sue Snell was as popular and beloved as Tommy Ross, but not as confident to stand alone in matters when it came to doing the right thing. All that changed after the shower incident with Carrie White. After whole-heartedly taking part in bullying Carrie, Sue felt actual remorse and wanted to make Carrie feel as though she belonged. Sue struggled with this, questioning if she was helping Carrie to abate her feelings of hypocrisy, or if it really was a selfless act. This sort of honest self-analyzation shows a certain maturity and morality in Sue. In the end, she gave up her own prom date (Tommy Ross) for Carrie, an act that had unintended consequences. The tragic part of Sue's character was that she lost her high school sweetheart, and most of her friends in during the hellish prom night.

During the story, King highlights different character perspectives that make for an interesting insight on what people see happening, and what 'really happened'. For example, Carrie reflects on her power as something unknown, and not really evil. Yet, her mother thinks of it as a devilish creation, stemming from the way she saw the power drive her grandmother insane. Also, it is interesting to note that once the blood came down on Carrie, most of the students watching were just as horrified and confused as she was. Really, to break the silence and to keep from going insane, they turned to laughter, and only so because the image of Carrie's bright eyes surrounded by all the red was a comic one. When she tripped on her way off of the stage, the laughter was easier to come by, and when a student tripped her, the laughter positively swelled. To Carrie, once the blood came down, there was silence and then she finally heard the expected laughter. It broke her heart, along with the knowledge that Tommy was dying right next to her. In her grief, she hurried off of the stage, only to stumble slightly. The final cap on the night was when a student cruelly tripped her and she fell to the floor, blood smearing everywhere. She even waited for someone to kick her while she was down, but that did not happen. Perspective is a funny thing, and not one easily written.

Using Point-of-View

The voice behind a story is called point of view.

Point of view is the perspective from which a story is told. There are a variety of ways to employ the use of point of view. For example, an author may choose an objective approach, using 'he' and 'she during storytelling', and using 'I' only in conversations. Such narration is known as third-person point of view.

Second-person point of view is when an author refers to the audience as though they are part of story, saying "You get up in the morning, and there you are, perfectly happy!" It is hard to properly use second-person point of view without interrupting the flow of the story, and so, it is rarely used in literature.

However, other authors might describe the story's events from a first-person point of view, using several 'I' statements to that effect. Popular novelist Stephanie Myer used the first-person point of view for two of her main characters in her series of Twilight books. One main character explained major plot points, and another main character went on to narrate the remainder of the last book in the Twilight series, Breaking Dawn.

In William Faulkner's short story, A Rose for Emily, point of view has an even more diverse outlook. His story is told in a plural point of view, also known as alternating point of view. The whole town narrates the story, with the word 'we' used to describe the collective narration of A Rose for Emily: "One of us lifted something from it, and leaning forward, that faint and invisible dust dry and acrid in the nostrils, we saw a long strand of iron-gray hair." Any point of view in a story that derives from the norm can be called alternating point of view, like when two types of narration are used in the same story, switching from third to first-person point of view.

Case Study: Delivering Bad News Tactfully

Delivering bad news is never easy, especially in a professional environment. When work performance slips, or even worse, when a person needs to be let go, communicating in such situations can be uncomfortable for both parties. Consider the case study and how the employee would have to be approached:

“You are a department manager in a mid-sized company that provides technology support services. You have ten employees who are required to maintain a high level of technical expertise and deliver excellent customer service. One of your employees, who has been with the company for two years, is performing at a substandard level and you have received numerous complaints from customers and coworkers. In addition, this employee has displayed confrontational behavior which has created a hostile environment. You must now meet with this employee and deliver an ultimatum regarding the need for immediate improvement or dismissal.”

First off, the employee might have different reasons for their decrease in work performance. Perhaps they had a death in the family, a bad break-up, or other personal problems to contend with. However, since the employee has been with the company for two years, they might simply feel a sense of entitlement that transcends to laziness. Before speaking with the employee, both states of mind of the employee should be taken into account. Therefore, planning for both variations of conversations would be prudent, (Michaels, 1983, p. 1307).

It is highly likely that the employee’s response would be defensive, given the subjects that are to be broached. The employee might say something like, “I was having a bad day,” or, “I have been an employee here for two years and I have never had complaints before!” To counter the employee’s various excuses, one might answer, “Regardless of any personal problems, they should be left at the door since every single human being has their own emotional dilemmas to contend with on a daily basis. If a death in the family, depression, or other serious issues are at hand, then after a few months of counseling, I will re-evaluate your professional attitude and performance.”

By following a conflict resolution style known as NORMS, a solution can be more smoothly facilitated. NORMS is an acronym that stands for, “ N-Not biased or personal interpretation; O-Observable, situation is seen and touched or experienced by staff; R-Reliable, two or more people agree on what took place; M-Measurable, parameters of conflict can be distinguished and measured; S-Specifics are not subjective, but objective and non-confrontational, (Huber, 2007). Maintaining an objective, calm attitude helps to alleviate unnecessary tension while keeping the path clear for the true problem that needs to be addressed.

References:

Huber, B. (July, 2007). Maintenance and Operations Conflicts. Rock Products, 110 (7),16-16. Retrieved September 8, 2007, from Academic Search Premier Database.

Intercultural Communications and You!

When communicating with other cultures, there are rules of etiquette to remember called the Ten Commandments of Intercultural Communication, (Hahn, 2005).

Although I am a stay-at-home mom, I plan on joining the workforce again in a few years. Once I begin my new job, observing the Ten Commandments of Intercultural Communication will aid me in facilitating and sustaining healthy professional relationships.

I. Be aware of differing social values;
II. Be aware of differing status symbols and how to demonstrate them;
III. Be aware of decision making customs: not all people like to make decisions quickly and efficiently;
IV. Be aware of concepts of time: not all people like to see time as money;
V. Be aware of personal space: people from different cultures have different 'comfort zones';
VI. Be aware of cultural context: people from certain cultures (called 'high-context cultures) rely less on verbal communication and more on the context of nonverbal actions and environmental settings to convey meaning. People from low-context cultures like the USA rely more on verbal communication and less on circumstances and implied meaning to convey meaning;
VII. Be aware of body language: learn the basic differences in the way people supplement their words with body movement;
VIII. Be aware of different etiquette rules or manners: what is polite in one culture may be considered rude in another;
IX. Be aware of legal and ethical behavior;
X. Be aware of language barriers: English is the most prevalent language in international business, but it's a mistake to assume that everyone understands it.

To say that the United States is a melting pot is an obvious statement. With that fact being recognized, it is still easy to see many people disregarding respect for other cultures. While I was a retail manager, I noticed many employees unjustly mocking customers or other employees for being different. Simply because they did not agree with or understand another person's religious, cultural, or personal beliefs, said employees felt it within their right to judge. I come from a bi-racial family that is mixed with African-American, Irish, Puerto Rican, French, with the list going on and on. I am certain more Americans have the same family history running through their veins, and simply are unaware of such lineage. 

The plethora of cultures present at my own family gatherings has made me more accepting of others. Language barriers can make communication more difficult, but a true professional or better yet, a true human being is willing to work around such minor details. There are many other cultures that rely on body language as the major factor in communication, therefore communicating with other cultures may be as easy as smiling warmly and bowing to acknowledge respect, (Hahn, 2005).

References:

Hahn, M. (2005, December 30). Ten Commandments of Intercultural Communication. Retrieved on July 28, 2010, from http://ezinearticles.com/?Ten-Commandments-of-Intercultural-Communication&id=120247