Fans of Stephen King’s 1974 novel, Carrie, have proposed a peculiar theory that suggests that Carrie White’s mother Margaret predicted the events of The Stand (1978). The theory explains that Margaret could have had the same telekinetic capabilities as her daughter, which led to her knowledge of the impending apocalyptic pandemic and the resulting aftermath. It's plausible due to the fact that the Stephen King universe is always growing and expanding to weave together his other works. In order to make sense of the theory that Margaret White predicted The Stand, it's important to look at two specific novels to draw conclusions: The Shining (1977) and Doctor Sleep (2013).

Carrie was King’s first published novel; it set him on an upward trajectory to become a legend in the horror genre. It was adapted for film in 1976 by director Brian De Palma and starred Sissy Spacek as the titular Carrie White. After Carrie—a teenage girl—has her period for the first time, her telekinetic powers start to develop. Her mother, Margaret White, is a vehemently religious woman who believes satan is taking over her daughter’s mind and body. When Carrie goes against her mother’s wishes and attends her high school prom, a popular girl named Chris Hargesen dumps pig’s blood on her. This humiliating event prompts Carrie to use her telekinesis to destroy the building and everyone inside.

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Carrie is not the only King character with extraordinary mental abilities. According to the fan theory, Danny Torrance of The Shining has a slightly lesser shine than Carrie White’s, which is uncontrollable and fueled by rage. In Doctor Sleep, Danny meets Abra Stone; she also has "the shine", which gave her strong telekinetic powers that only increased in strength once she was in her late teens, similar to Carrie. The theory ultimately suggests that Margaret White must also have a version of the shine, due to its supposed hereditary nature.

How Margaret White Predicted The Stand

In Carrie, Margaret White claims to receive messages from God about the end of the world, and sees a black satanic figure. Randall Flagg—from The Stand—travels throughout worlds, bringing destruction with him. He is often referred to as “The Man in Black”, which bares remarkable similarities to Margaret’s description of the man from her visions who will supposedly bring about the apocalypse. If she does have similar abilities to others in King's universe, it's quite possible that she mistook her visions as a message from a higher power. The theory also suggests that the god of the King multiverse may have sent her these visions to warn her, though it's highly unlikely.

The most probable case is that Margaret White does have some form of "the shine". In Doctor Sleep, it is revealed that Abra is Danny’s niece and, because of this blood relation, has similar gifts. The familial link could mean that Carrie gained her powerful "shining" capabilities from her mother. Margaret even pleads with her daughter to repress her abilities and pray them away, which may mean she also faced the challenges of controlling her own abilities. While Margaret never explicitly predicts the exact details of the events in The Stand, she was the first individual to mention a man that could be Randall Flagg and the end of the world. If the events of King’s novels go in chronological order, that means that Margaret's premonition manifested four years before it happened.

Ultimately, it is highly plausible that Margaret White predicted the events of The Stand, and the theory holds up. Stephen King’s multiverse is so expansive that the powers addressed in Carrie could connect to numerous other characters and stories, including The Stand's novel pandemic.

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