Firestarter acts as a capstone for the first major arc in Stephen King’s writing career. By the time it was released in 1980, King had published a string of best-selling horror and suspense novels, five under his name—Carrie (1974), Salem’s Lot (1975), The Shining (1977), The Stand (1978), and The Dead Zone (1979)—and two—Rage (1977) and The Long Walk (1979)—under a pen name. King was seen as a publishing phenomenon, and Firestarter received the widest paperback release in his career. The novel’s portrayal of government overreach and the ethical implications of scientific experiments spoke to contemporary paranoias. More so, Firestarter is the culminating effort of King’s early work. It develops several of his early themes, such as governmental overreach and problematic authority, in a final reckoning before King turned to less sociopolitical subjects in subsequent novels.

Charlie McGee, a young girl whose adolescence causes a spike in her pyrokinetic abilities, is a variation on one of King’s most iconic characters, Carrie White of the novel Carrie. Both characters follow a similar arc. They begin hopelessly mired in their abilities, and conclude in an apocalyptic release of power, devastating real and imagined enemies. Both are also raised by single parents whose strict approaches prevent them from actualizing their ability until it is almost too late.