Miss Desjardin’s interaction with Carrie is similar to the girls in her class: she first responds with disdain, then realizes how helpless Carrie really is. This shows how many people at Ewen default to feeling contempt for Carrie before even taking time to understand where she’s coming from. This scene is also the second time Carrie’s telekinesis appears on the page, with the lightbulb bursting from her stress. This supports the excerpt from
The Shadow Exploded that links Carrie’s telekinesis with increased psychological stress—something she clearly suffers a great deal of.