Under the Dome

Imagine a group of children holding a magnifying glass on a sunny day over a colony of ants. Watching for amusement as they burn. Now imagine a group of beings from another world trapping an entire group of humans and performing the same practice. This is the concept of Stephen King's book, Under the Dome. A large impenetrable dome appears over the town of Chester Mills, and what follows is the devolution of community into a panic stricken, desperate and savage group of individuals who struggle for power and resources.

I really enjoy Stephen King, and this is by no means a review or a critique. Instead I'd like to talk about one of the themes that seems apparent in all his books: good and evil in humanity. More specifically, the corruption of what was once good.

As a psychology major I am very interested in understanding the series of events that create a person. So naturally, the degradation of society in Under the Dome, made me drool a little. They way people are slowly and subtly shaped and manipulated by others and the environment around them is so cool. King's rendering of the human condition is tangible and raw. It's real and evil.

I feel my own work is inspired by this human trend toward fallacy. Instead of relishing it and celebrating it like King does, I try to cover it up with excuses and hide it under explanations. It appears my work and I are in denial about our pessimistic view of society. Maybe I should spend sometime making work that explores my frustrations instead of my denials.