Margaret White (nee Brigham), was the daughter of Judith and John Brigham, the granddaughter of Sadie Cochran, the wife of Ralph White, and the mother of Carrie White. She is the secondary adversary of the book and films.

Contents 1 Background 2 Personality 2.1 Novel 3 1976 Film 3.1 2002 Remake 3.2 2013 Film 4 Appearances 5 Trivia

BackgroundEdit

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

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

PersonalityEdit

She has a serious mental problem in which everything is sinful, even sexual intercourse, including within marriage (her problem is most likely Schizophrenia). Margaret would occasionally have wild fits and break into loud rants if she ever caught Carrie doing something that she considered a "sin." It is still unknown, but Margaret may have acted as she did (kind towards others, spitefully towards Carrie) because she may/may not have considered her daughter, born as the result of a "strange marital rape" by her husband Ralph, to be an ill omen by God for committing sin.

Over time, Margaret berated and abused Carrie every day for sins the child may/may not have committed, and she would often make the child repeat passages out of one of her many religious books (or hit Carrie with them). She would also scratch or otherwise hurt herself in order to compel Carrie to agree with her. Additionally, Margaret would lock Carrie inside of a kitchen closet so she could "pray for forgiveness." Carrie stayed in the closet for hours until her mother decided to release her. In all continuities, Margaret tries to kill Carrie after she arrives home from the prom, and meets her end when Carrie uses her powers to kill Margaret.

NovelEdit

Margaret was a heavy-set woman with white hair pulled in a tight bun; she always wore black clothing and sported rimless bifocal glasses. In her early years, Margaret's father John Brigham was killed in a gun battle, and several years later she opened a fundamentalist church group. Margaret also despised her mother, Judith, and Judith's new husband Harold Allison, because Margaret believed that both were living in sin.

In 1960, she met the equally-religious Ralph. For some reason, both viewed any form of sex, even marital intercourse, as sinful. One night, they had premarital sex, and Margaret became pregnant. The two married on March 23 1962, but on April 3, Margaret fell down the stairs and had a miscarriage. She was admitted to Westover Doctors Hospital. Ralph told Margaret that they "slipped" and promised "never again." However, one night in 1963, Ralph tried to seduce Margaret, and she kicked him out of the house. After Ralph came back hours later, after heavy drinking at a roadhouse in Chamberlain, Ralph forced himself on Margaret and both engaged in intercourse in an "unearthly" form of marital rape. Margaret liked and loathed the event. A while later, her daughter Carrie was conceived, and Ralph was killed in a construction accident. Carrie was born seven months after Ralph's accident.

Margaret practically chastised Carrie right from her birth and began teaching the child that everything that one can think of is a sin, a result of her abnormal beliefs. Margaret's constant scolding continued from Carrie's childhood into her teen years. All the while, Carrie was repeated teased and bullied by her classmates at every school she ever attended. When she told her mother, however, Margaret would scold her again for committing sin and/or throw her into the closet.

Furthermore, when Carrie was almost three years old, she conversed with a young woman neighbor about her (the woman's) breasts, Margaret became very unhinged and started to scratch herself, howl and scream, shaking violently. She grabbed Carrie and dragged her indoors to give her a harsh reprimand for associating with their young neighbor. She also threatened Carrie with Ralph's butcher knife. As a result of this, rocks and hail fell on different parts of the Whites' house that day. No one could explain how it happened, but somehow, Margaret knew.

Carrie experienced her first period at sixteen and Margaret had never discussed menstruation with her prior to the incident. That same day, she was contacted about Carrie's ordeal from the school via telephone and violently berated the girl when she returned home. Margaret pushed Carrie into the closet, and Carrie became vulgar with her mother.

Then, when Carrie told her that she was invited to the prom, Margaret became incensed and threw her tea in Carrie's face. She told Carrie that boys only wanted sex from young girls like herself. Carrie, however, had heard enough about everything being sinful. She wanted a new beginning and saw the senior prom as a part of that change. Margaret still did not want Carrie to go and began slapping her. Margaret ordered Carrie to go to the closet to pray, but Carrie refused. Margaret then tried to hit Carrie again, but Carrie used her hidden telekinetic abilities to stop her mother's hand in mid-air. Margaret then deduced that Satan had began his work in Carrie, but the girl made it clear that it was her power.

When prom night arrived, Margaret and Carrie got into another argument about the prom. Margaret suggested that Carrie burn her red dress and they both pray for forgiveness, but Carrie refused. Margaret then starts to scratch and punch herself in the face, but Carrie used her power to slide her mother out of the room. After that, she left for the prom, while Margaret loudly prayed in another room.

Mother and daughter did not see each other again until much later in the evening, when Carrie returned home, dripping with pig's blood from head to toe. Meanwhile, Margaret had finally lost her sanity and manage to hide Ralph's knife under her dress. When Carrie saw her mother, and vice versa, both were shocked to realize that one wanted to kill the other. Margaret then told Carrie about how she (Margaret) considered killing herself after having intercourse for the first time, her miscarriage, and how Carrie was conceived due to marital rape. She took out her knife and told Carrie that she tried to kill her twice before during the first few years of her life, but didn't because she was "weak." As Carrie fell on her knees, Margaret stabbed her child in the shoulder with the knife. Carrie returned the attack by using her powers to slow her mother's heart to a crawl. She spoke to her mother, saying that she would give her darkness and send her to "whatever God lives there." While Margaret attempted to recite the Lord's Prayer, her heart came to a complete stop. Carrie left the house afterwards...

1976 FilmEdit

This "Margaret," as portrayed by Piper Laurie, had reddish-brown hair and a small frame. She shared the same characteristics as her "novel" counterpart. During the scene where Carrie and her were talking about the former's being invited to the senior prom, Margaret only threw her tea in Carrie's face and refused to let the child talk, even though Carrie tried to convince her mother that her date, Tommy Ross, was a good boy. When Margaret tried to close the kitchen windows, Carrie shut them via her powers. Frightened, Margaret reasoned that her child had been taken over by Satan, but Carrie convinced her that it was her power at work, not Satan's.

Later, during the prom night argument, Carrie pushed her mother onto her bed twice using her powers before leaving to go to the prom. Carrie told her mother to stay there until she left, but Margaret replied by citing Exodus 22:18: "Thou shall not suffer a witch to live."

The "film" Margaret died while attempting to kill Carrie by stabbing her with a hidden knife, after she told Carrie how she was conceived. Margaret followed Carrie throughout the house until she was backed into a corner. When her mother attempted to make the final blow, Carrie used her telekineses to pin Margaret to the kitchen doorway with knives and other utensils, even causing one to "strike" her in the heart. Margaret cried out for a while afterwards before leaning her head to the right and dying. Carrie was overcome with grief over using her abilities to murder the woman whom she both hated and loved.

2002 RemakeEdit

Patricia Clarkson portrayed Margaret White in the 2002 film remake. This "Margaret" more closely resembled the novel's Margaret than Piper Laurie's version but is much calmer, slightly more loving and less abusive. This Margaret was even killed in a similar fashion, with Carrie causing her heart to slow down to a stop.

2013 FilmEdit

Margaret White will be played by Julianne Moore.

AppearancesEdit

• Carrie
• Carrie (1976 film)
• Carrie: The Musical
• Carrie (2002 film)
• Carrie (2013 film)

TriviaEdit

• She shares a similarity to Mrs. Carmody and Barbara Lang. They are all deeply religious. But she is also simialr to Disney villain Judge Claude Frollo as they to are deeply religious however Frollo doesn't go as far as to abuse Quasimodo
• She also shares similarities to Dahlia Gillespie from the Silent Hill videogame series as they are both fanatically religious and they both abused their own daughters.
• Like Barbara Lang she too suffers from mental illness but Barbara is more laid back than Margaret as she does not abuse her daughter as much as Margaret abuses Carrie.
• She shares a similarity to Richard Macklin, Alvin Marsh and Oscar "Butch" Bowers. They all abuse their family members.