Corruption In Stephen King's 'Under The Dome'

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In Stephen King's Under the Dome, a town's power is completely cut off resulting in the failure of most of their technological conveniences. Separated from the electrical grid and living off of generators as the result of the dropping of a massive, impenetrable dome of an unknown origin, the town quickly plunges into chaos and anarchy as its inhabitants scramble to hold on to the remnants of their past life King provides a remarkable social commentary supporting the idea that mankind, as a society, has grown increasingly reliant on the convenience of technology to the point where breaking that dependency can be catastrophic. Corruption plays a central role in the development of both the plot and the characters in the book. James Rennie, Chester’s …show more content…

Knowing the overwhelming lack of physical influence they have, due to the Dome’s indestructible nature, take complete control of the town’s internet connection and cellular reception. With this control, the Government remains prominent by holding hostage the townspeople’s only connection with the outside. “Comply, and your internet stays. Don’t, and say goodbye to the outside world.” This is all that was said to the inhabitants of the Dome, and all that was needed to be said for their full cooperation. Even without the looming presence of the Dome in the book, the statement remains true. Without a connection to the Internet, getting in contact with others living even a couple miles away can prove difficult, putting people in their own bubble, a significantly smaller bubble of influence than when connected to the Internet. This does not have a disastrous effect on a community, but without the Internet, the spread of cultures, ideas, and friendships is drastically inhibited. However, With the town of Chester’s Mill actually being cut off from the outside world the community struggles to remain connected with people on the other side of the Dome, largely disregarding the troubles that are taking place right on their front doorstep, and regressing from the town’s once civilized nature into something much more primitive and

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