Ralph White is a minor yet pivotal antagonist of the Stephen King multiverse.
Serving as the posthumous overarching antagonist of the horror novel Carrie and its film adaptations.
He was the husband of Margaret White, the son-in-law of Judith and John Brigham, the stepson-in-law of Harold Allison, the grandson-in-law of Sadie Cochran and the father of Carrie White and Rachel Lang. He was not involved in raising Carrie, although all versions strongly suggest that it was through his blood that Carrie gained her demonic powers.
Quick Answers
What role does Ralph White play in the Stephen King multiverse?
How is Ralph White related to Carrie White in Stephen King's Carrie?
What is suggested about Ralph White's involvement in Carrie's upbringing?
How does Ralph White's bloodline impact the story of Carrie?
Who are the family members of Ralph White in the Stephen King multiverse?
Novel[]
In the novel, Ralph White was a construction worker who came into contact with Margaret Brigham in 1960. He married her two years later.
He was also a fundamentalist Christian and believed, as did his wife, that all forms of intercourse were "sinful". However, it seemed that Ralph did not go to the same lengths as his wife, who thought even marital sex was wrong. After one night of raucous drinking with the men, Ralph came home and, heated by the booze, seduced Margaret, resulting in the pregnancy of his daughter. Months after the conception but shortly before the baby was born, some men were killed in a grisly construction accident, including Ralph himself. Carrie was a posthumous child as a result.
1976 Film[]
In the 1976 film of Carrie, Ralph was only mentioned by name.
During the film, Carrie revealed at one point, that "he ran away". Margaret tried to convince her that her husband was tempted by "the devil" and taken away; Carrie, on the other hand, had a more realistic view of what transpired, feeling it was not a "devil" but most likely another woman.
1999 Sequel[]
23 years later, Ralph was mentioned again by a woman named Barbara Lang, the mother of Rachel Lang.
Barbara said, that Ralph was the father of Rachel. Rachel, herself possessing with similar powers like this of Carrie White, was also considered an outsider and outcast, although Rachel was more independent, outspoken and adapted to the world than Carrie was.
Meanwhile, a grown Sue Snell, the sole survivor of the The Black Prom tried to inform Rachel that she and Carrie were half-sisters and that they had the same father.
Trivia[]
- Ralph returned drunk and had sex with her in a bizarre form of marital rape that Margaret both hated and enjoyed.
- This resulted in the conception of Carrie.
- Although Ralph is dead, he is the one who raped Margaret, making him the true mastermind that set the events in motion.