User blog comment:ThatGuy456/A Guy's Thoughts: Carrie the Sentimental Stoic/@comment-5961377-20170721025854

Reposting this from my reddit comment.

Carrie is one of the most relatable characters in the show for me. A sentimental stoic, indeed.

I generally seem cold and apathetic, but anyone who spends enough time around me will know that I make an effort to reach out and talk to others, especially if they feel down.

Carrie and Gumball are superficially similar in several ways. They're both mischievous and like to take advantage of others for their own benefit, and generally like to goof off on crazy antics (like a Halloween party with the dead).

In most of the Halloween specials, it would seem that Carrie and Gumball have made plans together prior to the episodes, and they can both shamelessly work towards fulfilling their selfish desires even if it means lying and cheating. However, when it really matters, Carrie will not hesitate to do the right thing, even when it demands sacrifice (whereas Gumball would need a little shove, usually in the form of Darwin or Anais). Carrie cares about her loved ones and the world she lives in, regardless of the circumstances. When push comes to shove, she'll put others above her own needs and wants, exemplified by 'The Matchmaker.'

As for her apparent absence of disgust for A Pony's Tail, I find it strange that her nightmare consisted of the same kind of stuff. A little contradiction or repressed desires?

I don't think she's the kind of stoic that says 'pain does not hurt.' I think she just suppresses emotions to an extent. If you think about it, she's had a hard life. Born a ghost, no family except for a grandmother and a dad who got cursed, lack of a body, inability to eat, etc. That could explain the attitude. I think people who grow up with such difficulties tend to have a thicker skin and thus seem apathetic when presented with issues that would normally evoke an emotion. It might be trivial or even a flat out nonissue to them, compared to the stuff they've already/still dealing with.

And so this is where the softer side comes in. If you're anything like me (and I argue, like Carrie), you'd never want anyone you care about to feel as bad as you did. Thus you do your very best to help others. To be there for others because you spent so long alone. To comfort others with words you've always longed to hear. To grant happiness when you've never had a taste of bliss.