Carrie: Symbols | SparkNotes

Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.

The Black Forest Cuckoo Clock

The clock is a symbol of Carrie’s home and all of the drudgery that her life there entails as well as what it will continue to include after Carrie graduates if nothing changes. The clock and its relentless cuckoo are a constant presence in Carrie’s life, reminding her of how slowly time moves and marking the anxious minutes as she waits for Tommy to come and rescue her, at least temporarily, from her dismal home. In Carrie’s house, which is filled only with religious art, the clock is the one item that is decorative as well as utilitarian. There is little to do but count the minutes as the days shuffle along, with little but the rising and setting of the sun and the company of the cuckoo to distinguish one day from the next.

The Butcher Knife

Margaret invokes the angel’s fiery sword several times throughout the book, but it is her late husband’s butcher knife that is the true implement of justice in her world, and it is omnipresent in Carrie’s life. Margaret tries to kill Carrie with this same knife when she is a baby displaying early signs of TK, and later threatens to cut Carrie’s eyes out with it after she catches her looking at the girl in the white bathing suit. Carrie recalls this incident in Section 5 after she buys the fabric for her prom dress. Margaret sharpens the knife as she waits for Carrie to return home from prom and then plunges it into Carrie’s shoulder. The stab wound is not the main reason for Carrie’s death, but the knife remains stuck in her shoulder until she dies. The knife is Margaret’s power, and though she wields it constantly throughout the story, she does not unleash it until the very end, and it never lets go.

The Sewing Machine

The sewing machine symbolizes Carrie’s independence. With it she has at least some small amount of control over her clothing, but for prom, she takes her sewing skill and her growing desire for a more normal life to another level. At the prom, Frieda Jacob expresses surprise that Carrie made her own beautiful dress, the first compliment about Carrie’s skills rather than her appearance. Carrie’s sewing machine is a constant companion at home, and unlike her mother, the cuckoo clock, or The Unseen Guest, it does not observe her or speak to her. The sewing machine does what Carrie tells it to do, and it is the first area where she can exert power. She uses her mind to make the sewing machine whir right in front of her mother, a subtle nod to Carrie’s growing independence. Ultimately, she uses it to make the red dress that her mother hates, and the dress elevates her status among her peers.

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