Under the Dome

After the townspeople of Chester’s Mill realize that they are totally cut off from the outside world, the kinds of currency available to them become limited and specialized. Money no longer has much meaning, for example, but food, propane, and information become vitally important. Big Jim Rennie understands this well, and it drives his decisions to cease alcohol sales, close the grocery stores, and shut down his methamphetamine operation: In the first two cases, he can leverage his power by doling out alcohol and food rations to those he deems sufficiently loyal; controlling the food supply specifically will garner him power over the entire populace. He also uses the closing of Food City as an opportunity to incite a riot, striking more fear into the hearts of The Mill’s residents and, thus, creating a crowd receptive to his tyrannical brand of leadership. He notes that “the fear he sees on most faces may not be such a bad thing” (438), as it allows him to assuage their fears in his role as leader. People value food, and with Rennie in charge of that resource, people inevitably value him.

Shuttering his drug operation means that he can retrieve the propane tanks to control the power supply to the rest of the town, as well.