Christine

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of bullying, gender discrimination, cursing, illness, and death.

A Plymouth Fury, Christine represents a furious force. Once Arnie buys Christine, his key relationships become contentious. He fights with his parents for the first time, and tension develops between him and Dennis to the extent that Dennis notes, “[I]t was almost as if this car didn’t like me, as if it suspected me of wanting to come between it and Arnie” (343-44). Arnie fixates on Christine, and Christine obsesses over Arnie.

The car doesn’t want to share Arnie with anyone, so it strives to end his positive relationships. Isolated, he becomes susceptible to LeBay’s nefarious spirit, which the car fosters and carries. Before physically killing Arnie, the car and LeBay’s spirit wreck him. He develops a bad back and ages rapidly: “His face looked haggard and stunned. There were dark circles under his eyes” (465). Arnie embodies the destruction that Christine symbolizes, and Christine threatens to corrupt Arnie by making him a permanent vessel for LeBay’s toxic spirit.

Christine’s destructiveness doesn’t always directly harm Arnie or his interests. When Christine kills Buddy and his friends, the car is a protector. Because Arnie is unable to defend himself, Christine takes over and punishes his bullies.