How we cite our quotes: (Part.Paragraph)
Quote #1
[Miss Desjardin] hardly would have admitted the pleasure the act [of slapping Carrie] gave her, and she certainly would have denied that she regarded Carrie as a fat, whiny bag of lard. (1.51)
These are the kind of thoughts that you don't expect a teacher to have, because they'd never admit to having them. But Stephen King was a teacher, and we bet he had similar thoughts. Maybe he, like Miss Desjardin, feels guilty about them as well?
Quote #2
"That passes," Miss Desjardin said. Pity and self-shame met in her and mixed uneasily. "You have to… uh, stop the flow of blood." (1.65)
Here's a formula for you scientific types: pity + self-shame = guilt. But Miss Desjardin doesn't seem to totally understand why she feels guilty here. It's like she wishes she could have been around to mother Carrie better… or like she could have just waved a magic wand and made the whole school, and the whole world, better somehow.
Quote #3
"There are times," [Estelle Horan] says, "when I wonder if I might have caused [the rain of stones]." (1.176)
Here, Estelle takes responsibility for the rain of stones, which Carrie caused to threaten her mother. But her Carrie and Momma were arguing because Carrie saw Estelle sunbathing topless, so it's no wonder she feels responsible. However, the real blame lies with Estelle's mother, who put Estelle in the yard in a bathing suit just to bait Carrie's mother. Do these women never grow out of their petty teenage ways?