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Margaret Brigham-White, best known as Margaret White is the opening antagonist of the Stephen King multiverse.

She serves as the main antagonist of Stephen King's novel Carrie and its three film adaptations, and the posthumous overarching antagonist of The Rage: Carrie 2.

She is the seriously mentally ill and abusive daughter of John and Judith Brigham, the granddaughter of Sadie Cochran, the step-daughter of Harold Allison, the wife of Ralph White and the abusive and strict mother of Carrie White.

Novel[]

Backstory[]

Margaret was born and lived with her fairly well-to-do parents John and Judith Brigham in Motton, Maine. In the summer of 1959, her father was killed in a barroom shooting incident. Thus, to cope with the loss, she began attending fundamentalist prayer meetings, becoming a religious zealot, while her mother remarried to another man, Harold Allison. Margaret refused to leave her home until 1960, when she met Ralph White and moved to an apartment in Chamberlain with him.

The two were married on March 23, 1962, shortly after, but on April 2, 1962, Margaret was admitted to Westover Doctors Hospital for a suspected miscarriage. She would not tell her mother and stepfather what happened and only ranted her hyperreligious beliefs onto them. She last wrote to her mother on August 19, 1962 and later, became pregnant on December 1962, though she was convinced that she was afflicted with "cancer of the womanly parts". Her husband died on February 1963 and she gave birth to her daughter, Carrie, alone in her house on September 21, 1963.

On August 17, 1966, her house was deluged with stones from the sky, which were brought on by Carrie's telekinetic power after she punished her particularly hard.

Personality[]

""Oh Momma help me!" Carrie cried out. "Let's pray", Momma said softly. "For the last time." Her eyes fixed on Carrie's and there was a crazed, awful compassion in them. Momma leaned forward, and the butcher knife glistened in the darkness, coming down in a shining arc. Carrie, perhaps seeing out of the tail of her eye, jerked away, and instead of penetrating her back, the knife went into her shoulder to the hilt. Carrie's blood began to ooze from around the handle of the knife and slowly dripped onto the wooden floor."
―Carrie
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"God Won't Help You"

Margaret had a serious mental problem that made her devote her life to being a Christian who believed everything was sinful, even sexual intercourse, including within marriage. Her disorder was most likely a form of untreated schizophrenia that worsened as she aged and as a result of her untreated condition, Margaret lived a life of isolation and solitude. She had no friends or contact with any other relatives, but was stable enough to hide her deepest problems from the outside world and keep a full-time job working on the speed iron and folder down at the local Blue Ribbon Laundry in downtown of Chamberlain, Maine. While in the films, she works a part-time job as a seamstress in a clothing store. Margaret ultimately became extremely co-dependent on her daughter, Carrie who was trapped within the unhealthy and sick world Margaret had created for them both. Though Margaret had love for her daughter, her illness warped her perspective on reality and prevented her from loving Carrie in a responsible, positive way. Margaret occasionally had wild fits and broke into loud rants and tantrums if she ever caught Carrie doing something that she considered a "sin", which was basically anything that didn't have to with the Bible.

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Margaret preaching

Over time, Margaret berated and abused Carrie every day for sins the child may or may not have committed and she would often make the child repeat passages out of one of her many religious books or hit and beat Carrie with them. She would also scratch, punch, pull out her own hair or otherwise hurt herself in order to compel Carrie to agree with her and obey her ridiculous rules. Additionally, Margaret would even lock Carrie inside of a small closet filled with religious icons so she could "pray for forgiveness", whenever Carrie displeased her. So Carrie had to stay in the closet for hours on end until her mother decided to release her. It seemed as if Margaret punished Carrie for her own personal sins and took her own inner pain and frustration out on her own daughter. In all continuities, Margaret finally went off the deep end and tried to murder Carrie when she returned from the Senior Prom after killing her peers as revenge for a cruel prank involving pig's blood.

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Margaret getting ready to kill Carrie

As Carrie walked home, destroying the town of Chamberlain in her path, Margaret met her tragic end when Carrie used her hidden telekinetic powers to kill her mother. In the original story, instead of dying by being crucified by kitchen utensils, Carrie slowly stopped her heart, giving Margaret a heart attack.

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Margaret's heart.

"I'm going to give you a present, Momma. … I'm picturing your heart, Momma. … It's easier when you see things in your mind. Your heart is a big red muscle. Mine thumps faster when I use my power. But yours is beating a little slower now. A little slower… slower."
―Carrie White


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Carrie stopping Margaret's heart

Carrie did this in self-defense for stabbing her with a butcher knife, hitting an artery. The knife/dagger caused Carrie's death because of Carrie's blood loss and Carrie's body shut down.

Physical Appearance[]

In the novel, Margaret is the 47 year old mother of Carrie, who has white hair and is morbidly obese.

In the 1976 film, Margaret has curly Auburn hair and is quite slim, but wears long dresses to hide her nice figure.

In the 2002 version, Margaret has Brown hair and wears very reserved outfits such as long skirts and dresses, and forces her daughter to wear the same.

In the 2013 film, Margaret has long, greying Red hair and is skinny. She is older than her counterparts in the other films, this version having her somewhere in her 50’s.

Biography[]

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 brutal gun battle and several years later she opened a fundamentalist church group.

Margaret also disliked her mother, Judith and her new husband, Harold Allison, because Margaret believed that both were living in sin. In 1960, she met the equally religious Ralph White. 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 were married on March 23, 1962, but on April 3, Margaret fell down the stairs and suffered a miscarriage. She was admitted to Westover Doctors Hospital. Ralph told Margaret that they "slipped" and promised it would never happen again. However, one night in December 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. Ralph's accident took place 7 months before Carrie's birth. At only a few months of age, Carrie's powers already began to manifest, as she cradled her bottle above her crib using only her mind. The event was witnessed by Margaret, who attempted to kill Carrie as a result. Margaret practically chastised Carrie from right to wrong 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 to her teenage years. All the while, Carrie was repeatedly teased and bullied by her classmates at every school she ever attended. When she told her mother, however, Margaret would scold her again for believing the others were right in "God's eyes", telling her she was committing a sin and or throw her into the closet. Furthermore, when Carrie was almost 3 years old, she conversed with a young girl next door about her breasts, Margaret became very unhinged and started to scratch herself, howl and scream, shaking violently she grabbed Carrie and shoved her indoors/back in the house to give her a harsh reprimand for associating with their young neighbor. She also threatened Carrie with a butcher knife. As a result of this, rocks and hail fell on different parts of the White's house that day. No one could explain how it happened, but somehow, Margaret knew. Carrie experienced her first period at age of 15 and Margaret had never discussed menstruation with her prior to the incident. That same day, she was contacted through a telephone about Carrie's ordeal from school and began to violently beat Carrie when she returned home from work. Margaret then tormented, slapped, pushed, pulled and threw 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 tea at her. She then 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 powers to stop her mother's hand in mid-air. Margaret then deduced that "Satan" had began his work on Carrie, but the girl made it clear that it was her power and not Satan. When Prom Night arrived, Margaret and Carrie got into another argument about the Prom. Margaret suggested that Carrie should burn her prom dress and pray for forgiveness with her, but Carrie refused. Margaret then started 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. Margaret and Carrie 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, Margaret had finally lost her sanity and managed to hide the 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 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/dagger. 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 then left the house afterwards.

1976 Film[]

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Margaret White

This version of Margaret is portrayed by Piper Laurie in the 1976 film. She had shoulder length curly auburn hair which appeared to be frizzy, a small frame, blue eyes, and appeared to be physically beautiful and shared the same characteristics as her counterpart in the novel.

Margaret was shown to be very religious and very creepy. Her clothes and her hair were very witch-like and she had a very religious background. Margaret was very evil and abusive to her daughter, Carrie. She locks her in the closet and orders her to pray for "forgiveness" when she learns about the shower incident, because she said it was a "curse" for Eve's disobedience offering Adam the fruit and creating the original sin. When Carrie reveals that she has been asked to go to the Prom and that she said yes, Margaret tells her not to go, which forces Carrie to throw her on to the bed. Margaret first discovers Carrie's telekinetic powers, when she slams all the windows shut trapping her in and Carrie tells her she is going to the Prom. For the mere reason of having telekinesis, she then tells her she is a witch and that witches should die, according to God. After Carrie returns home from the Prom, Margaret then tells Carrie that before she was born, she was raped by her father, Ralph and after gaining her trust, she stabs Carrie in the back. Margaret then makes a crazy and wicked smile, as she follows Carrie down the stairs, ready to kill her, as though she was on some sort of mission. Before she has the chance to do it, however, Carrie sends several knives towards Margaret, pinning her against the doorway and killing her instantly, thus ending her life once and for all.

She then screams in pain and agony as Carrie crucifies her, so that she won't recover from her attack and continue to try to kill her. While this happens, she then shows a creepy smile, after letting out a big, painful death scream, Margaret dies. Her death then causes Carrie to destroy the house with both of them in it before killing herself on the way.

1988 Episode[]

In the episode of The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh,

2002 Remake[]

Carrie & Margaret White

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

Patricia Clarkson portrayed Margaret White in the 2002 film remake.

This Margaret is much calmer, but she also tries to kill Carrie for the same reasons, too. In this version, however, she doesn't try to kill Carrie with a knife. Instead, she tries to drown Carrie in the bathtub of her home after Carrie returns from the prom ordeal, forcing Carrie to use her telekinesis to cause Margaret's heart to stop to save her life, where Sue later finds her with Carrie in the bathtub on the brink of death.

Her appearance here was conservative blouses, long skirts, stockings or long socks, and high heels with long wavy brown hair in a ponytail and brown eyes and appeared to always look angry.

Several weeks later, Carrie visits her grave for the first and last time before leaving town with Sue. Still, Margaret's death continues to haunt Carrie afterwards during her journey to Florida with Sue.

2012 Musical[]

She is portrayed by Marin Mazzie.

2013 Film[]

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Julianne Moore as Margaret White

Margaret White is played by Julianne Moore in the 2013 adaptation.

This portrayal of Margaret is a mix of the 1976, 1988, and 2002 portrayal on account of being extremely abusive, complex and sympathetic, and having a calm demeanor respectively. While closely resembling Piper Laurie's version in evidence of dressing in black, Moore's version is less attractive, as she looked physically tired and deranged with long wavy red hair that is flyaway and frizzy. Although abusive towards Carrie, the 2013 Margaret is depicted showing genuine love towards her and also owns a tailor shop in this adoption. Moore's version of Margaret also self-harms to the extent of breaking her own skin and scratching herself until she bleeds. She was born in 1966, according to grave marker at the end of the film.

Margaret dies the same way as the original Margaret, with house-hold objects stabbing her and being crucified. She doesn't, however, die in this position like in the original movie. Carrie brings her down and cries because of what she has done, while Margaret is still alive. Margaret dies later in her arms, but Carrie does not bring her to the closet her original film counterpart did.

2024 Comedy[]

Anne Tolpegin played Margaret White. Her heart is big and pink shaped like a heart, it beats slower, while Carrie's thumps faster.

Appearances[]

Gallery[]

Margaret White (1976)[]

Trivia[]

  • She shares similarities to Mrs. Carmody from The Mist and Barbara Lang from The Rage: Carrie 2, as they are all deeply religious.
  • She also shares similarities to Dahlia Gillespie from the Silent Hill video game series, as they are both fanatically religious and they both abused their own daughters.
  • She is likely based on Ed Gein's mother, Augusta, who inspired Norma Bates from Robert Bloch novel, Psycho.
  • Margaret (at least, the novel's original depiction of her) shares many similarities - primarily her physical description and religious ideation - with Sylvia Pittson, the fanatical preacher of Tull in The Gunslinger, leading some to suspect that Margaret and Sylvia could be Twinners.
  • Despite being the main antagonist, she wasn't revealed to be the true villain until the very end.
  • Like Barbara Lang, she too suffers from mental illness, however, unlike Margaret, Barbara is more laid-back, as she does not abuse her daughter, Rachel as much as Margaret abuses Carrie.
  • Her death in the 1976 film and the 2002 film won the golden chainsaw award in dead meat’s kill count.
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