Under the Dome: Aliens?!

After reading a little further in Under the Dome more information has popped up about why the dome might be there. Before I mentioned Chef was behind the dome, and I still think he has something to do with it, but now the book suggests that aliens-yes, aliens- are behind the dome covering Chester's Mill.

We are introduced to the mysterious black box out in the orchard that may or may not be sending out radiation and may or may not be dangerous. When Barbie and Rusty touch the box, they both see these alien creatures laughing at them as if the townsfolk are ants under a magnifying glass. "Barbie saw them as soon as the shock passing up his arms faded. His first, strong impulse was to let go of the box, but he fought it and held on, looking at the creatures who were holding them prisoner. Holding them and torturing them for pleasure, if Rusty was right. Their faces-if they were faces- were all angles, but the angles were padded and seemed to change from moment to moment, as if the underlying reality had no fixed form." So I guess now the dome was created by aliens, according to the box. However, each character who came near the box had hallucinations that suggest Phil, the Chef, still has something to do with it, maybe. Joe had seen burning pumpkins, Norrie saw everything turned black, and the sun was gone and Bennie heard screaming. Rusty's girls mentioned stopping Halloween and stopping the Great Pumpkin. Seeing a pattern? Rusty saw the old dummy on the library's lawn wearing an old tee-shirt that said "Sweet home Alabama, play that dead man's song!" and the dummy was on fire. Jackie saw people burning and people screaming because they were on fire.

Coincidence? I think not. The Chef had mentioned Halloween and Halloween coming early. I still think he has something to do with this. At the end of the chapter, we are left with: "'Halloween is still five days away,' Claire said. Barbie said, 'I don't think so'".

What or who do you think is behind the dome? Comment and tell me!

Under the Dome: Theory Three or Something Weird is Going On

I'm now in the 600's (pages) in Under the Dome and let's just say things are getting pretty weird. I know I talked about Theory One: Big Jim is behind the dome, and Theory Two: Pink Stars; but now I feel there is someone else behind the dome. It almost sounds like Theory Two and this are connected.

I got the idea something else was going on shortly after making the Theory Two post. There are new characters we are introduced to, Aidan, a young boy, being one of them. Like the majority of the young kids we know of, Aidan experiences a seizure about, you guessed it, pink stars falling. Except, it wasn't just about pink stars falling. "'The pink stars are falling,' Aidan said. 'They make lines behind them. It's pretty. It's scary. Everyone is watching. No treats, only tricks. Hard to breathe. He calls himself the Chef. It's his fault. He's the one.'" (page 391) I was shocked to read "he calls himself the Chef" and "It's his fault." because we were recently introduced to a character named Phil who calls himself the Chef. And it was even more peculiar how it still related to pink stars falling. What's going on?

Let's look at Phil for a bit. Phil/Chef in the book runs the radio station in Chester's Mill, playing christian music. Although he's a meth addict, he seems nice enough(in a way because this guy is crazy, but I tend to find a good side in all characters) and is devoted to Christ. Except, he gets a little creepy with it. Note how in the seizures the kids mention something about Halloween, which is just around the corner now. "'Got your Halloween costume, kid?' Chef inquired. 'Yes...'(the kid was speaking) 'Who you gonna be?' 'Glinda,' the girl said faintly. 'although I guess I wont't be going to the party, after all. It's in Motton.' 'I'm coming as Jesus,' Chef said. He followed Ginny, a dirty ghost in decaying Converse Hi-Tops. Then he turned back. He was smiling. His eyes were empty. 'And I'm pissed.'" (page 673) Creepy, right? Chef is something else. After reading that, I looked back a few paragraphs at something that caught my attention before but I didn't really understand. But now I think I know what Chef was talking about. "'Christ is coming back on Halloween,' Chef said. 'Probably a few days earlier; I can't tell. It's already Halloween season, you know. Season of the (insert non-school appropriate word here) witch.' He handed Andy the pipe, then pointed with the hand holding the garage door opener. 'Do you see that? Up at the end of the gallery. Over the door to the storage side.' Andy looked up. 'What? That white lump? Looks like clay?' 'That's not clay,' Chef said. 'That's the body of Christ, Sanders.' 'What about those wires coming out of it?' 'Vessels with the Blood of Christ running through em.'" (page 672)I think that white lump with the wires is something that controls the dome. I could be wrong, especially since Joe McClatchy and his friends found something else that could be responsible for the dome, But it sounded peculiar with the wires running to It. Also, after Chef said he was going to be Jesus for Halloween, Chef said another interesting thing that could be dome related. "'All right,' Chef said. 'drive, but pass me that first.' he had given Andy the garage door opener for safekeeping. Andy handed it over. 'To the funeral parlor?' Chef looked at him as if he were mad. 'back to the radio station. That's where Christ will come first when he comes back.' 'On Halloween.'" (Page 673) This just sounds like foreshadowing, doesn't it? I strongly believe Chef has something to do with the dome. I don't exactly know how the seizures are part of it, but either this is Theory Three or something weird is going on.

Comment what or who you think is responsible for the dome!

Under the Dome- Theory two

Continuing to read the book, I found another possible theory that would explain why the dome is there, or at least help explain part of the mystery surrounding the dome. It's a little more out there and random, but I think it makes a little sense. Keep in mind that the book is horror with a little fantasy(the dome) so a number of things can be possible. There are a small group of kids so far who have had seizures. Mostly Janelle, but her sister Judy and a kid named Rory had one too. During Janelle's seizure, she mentioned how they had to stop Halloween, and mentioned the great pumpkin. Rory, a farmers boy, had a seizure and mentioned the exact same thing. I thought this was odd and directly related to the dome for some reason. I think the seizures give abstract hints about events. Janelle had a nightmare/seizure once; when her dad woke her she was mumbling about how there is a golden baseball and that it's a bad golden baseball. Of course her father told her not to worry, the baseball is good, not knowing what she was talking about. Then he remembered how they have this golden retriever, Audrey, who barks when Janelle has her seizures. The dad thought there was some sort of connection. However, in the next chapter, we learn that Big Jim has a golden baseball trophy. Coincidence? I think the dome is connected somehow. Either way, the event was strange and got me thinking. Judy had a seizure too and was talking about pink stars. "'She said 'The pink stars are falling. The pink stars are falling in lines.' then she said, 'It's so dark and everything smells bad.' Then she woke up and everything was fine.'"(Marta, the baby sitter, was describing to the mother what happened.) pg.389 I'll admit that I cheated on this theory a little; I had seen an episode of under the dome farther along than where I am in the book where pink stars are mentioned a lot. I do think that, as random as this is, these seizures go hand and hand with the dome-and pink stars.

Comment where you think the dome came from!

Under the Dome: Predictions

A little more than a third into the book, I've made a few predictions here and there about what's going to happen. The big Question is obviously where in the world did this giant dome come from? At first I thought that it was the government conducting a secret experiment while saying that the dome is "an act of terrorism" (I never thought it was terrorism from another country in the first place). However, now I have a hunch that Big Jim, the town's second selectman, has something to do with it.

Big Jim was a shifty character from the beginning, manipulating others in order to get what he wants. Even though he's the second selectman, he pretty much runs the show around the small town of Chester's Mill. I like to think of him as a little dictator. He keeps ordering the chief of police to hire more "cops" (Since a handful of the real cops were caught outside the dome Big Jim had him hire some brutal teenagers to help control the crowds)."More? We've got eighteen already, counting the part-timers and the new deputies." (Chief Randolph)pg. 352 Since Big Jim keeps requesting more cops, I believe he is trying to ensure his power by using force. The new teenage "cops" are brutal and break the law while on duty, and certainly do not care about the citizens' safety.

Also, something that caught my eye, is that when the U.S government was going to shoot a missile at the dome, Big Jim seemed as if he didn't want it to work. Of course, he played it cool, though. "Randolph looked at him curiously. 'Didn't you want it to work?'" Big Jim grimaced as his shoulder twinged. 'Of course, but I never thought it would...'"pg.352 It almost sounds as if Big Jim was thinking 'Sure, we'll try this to make you guys happy'.

Big Jim and his allies also stole a large amount of propane tanks from various places around the town. Now since the power was cut off, the only thing giving the town electricity is generators that most of the business have since the town's power company isn't the best.The generators that practically keep the town running run on propane. So if Big Jim stole a bunch of tanks, then perhaps he is planning to use them to stay in power when everyone else runs out of propane. To me, it sounds as if he expects the dome to stay for a long time. Think about it: If the town runs out of propane, there is no electricity. Big Jim would be the only one with a surplus supply. So in theory, he would control the town, rationing propane the the others while everyone is trapped under the dome.

Comment who you think is responsible for the dome!

Under the Dome: Characters and Conflict

I'm reading Under the Dome by Stephen King and one thing I noticed right off the bat is the large amount of characters and how each of them deal with the main conflict-and other smaller ones. Obviously, the main conflict in the novel is the mysterious, giant dome that seemed to have popped out of no where covering the town. The reader is introduced to the conflict within the first couple pages along with a handful of characters to remember. Each character is unique, which I love, and seems important in some way to the overall plot. The main characters seem to be Barbie (Dale Barbra), Julia, Big Jim and the rest of the selectmen, and Junior. During the time the dome came down, we learned about everyone who died from driving/crashing a plane into it, and any unfortunate farmer  who was on the town border(there was decapitations and such).

Like I said, each character deals with the main conflict in different ways. Big Jim manipulates people to keep control over the town with the dome still separating Chester's Mill from the rest of the world. Barbie, a fry cook and army veteran recently promoted to colonial because of the dome, genuinely has everyone's best interest at heart. Julia, a small town reporter, also has everyone's best interest and tries to keep the town informed about events happening regarding the dome. Junior, Big Jim's son, only cares about himself and that nobody finds out about his recent murders. Chief Randolph is loyal to Big Jim and pretty much does whatever he says- good or bad. Overall, the side characters want to get out of the dome and are mainly concerned for their own safety.

Help for the Haunted

I read the book "Help for the Haunted" by John Searles. The book overall was a decent read and I enjoyed it more as the book progressed.
 One thing that stood out to me was the character development. Sylvie Mason is a young girl who's parents help possessed people- and were murdered. In the beginning, Sylvie seems more shy and keeps to herself a lot due to her parents recent death. When Police investigators are ready to put a guy on trial that Sylvie said was the murderer, she says that she really wasn't sure if it was that guy after all, she just felt like the investigators were pressing for an answer so she gave them one. Now that her case is back at the beginning, the clock is ticking for her to find the real killer. As Sylvie tries to piece together that past and present, she learns to deal and love the small things about her reckless sister, who takes care of her. She also becomes braver, not doing anything her parents would have wanted her to. She peeks into the book that made her parents look like fakes, talks to her uncle that her parents never spoke of, and goes on to discover the truth. By the end of the book, she learns to have a better relationship with her sister, becomes braver, and isn't as miserable now that she knows her parents' killer.
Here is a link to further describe the book:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/review-of-help-for-the-haunted-by-john-searles/2013/09/22/1f953afc-1952-11e3-a628-7e6dde8f889d_story.html