Big Jim Rennie

[catnoel]

Finished under the Dome and really liked it. I would of happily liked to drill through that thing and kick Big Jim's @$$. Sai Steve once again captures the "thought process" and personality of his charecters with a almost scary clarity. I really enjoyed the book, it was a journey as with the Dark Tower Series. Big Jim kinda reminds me of my boss but on a smaller scale. Oh well!!Love the Discordia website as well. You know it would be cool on the Wii. Just a thought.

[JCKey618]

I personally would have liked Jim held responsible for all the ish he did. I.E., a show down between him and Barbara/Cox/The Government. It would have also been nice to see every one else's reaction to the revealing of all he dide.

Just thought about it, but how it DID end up makes me wonder what was the purpose of the part when a few of the town members read the newspaper Julia put up after the fire? I thought that was going to come back with some kind of significance.

[catnoel]

Yes it would have been great to see him exposed for all he did and brought to justice. I guess the way he actually ended up was okay too.

[Doc Wilson]

Jim and Jr were most excellent vintage SK villains, he makes you just long for the payback.

[guido tkp]

but...let us not forget...

neither big jim, nor jr. would have gotten anywhere...

IF HALF OR MORE of the town didn't 1) back them up 100% & 2) or, at the very least, not raise a question, a hand, a moment to stop/stem their takeover...

one misses the part of the ultimate villain...the everyday townsfolk(us), who, by their very lack of being really, truly involved, allowed everything to happen.

it's easy to sit back, wipe the sweat off our brow and say,"it was big jim, that bada$$ !"...when all those who stood (stand) by are just as liable for the way it all turned out.

[jcadams]

I thought that maybe the ones that had read Julia's special edition were the reason everyone listened to what Andrea had to say at the town meeting. It seems to me that if it had significance, that was where it played out. Any thoughts?

[Mobe1969]

but...let us not forget...

neither big jim, nor jr. would have gotten anywhere...

IF HALF OR MORE of the town didn't 1) back them up 100% & 2) or, at the very least, not raise a question, a hand, a moment to stop/stem their takeover...

one misses the part of the ultimate villain...the everyday townsfolk(us), who, by their very lack of being really, truly involved, allowed everything to happen.

it's easy to sit back, wipe the sweat off our brow and say,"it was big jim, that bada$$ !"...when all those who stood (stand) by are just as liable for the way it all turned out.

Nowhere near that simple. Even looking at a macro level, with our "democracies" (or bipartisan dictatorships as I like to call them) you don't have a real choice with who you get to lead you. It is like being asked if you'd like your left hand amputated or your right.

Plus how easy it is for people in power to manipulate those they lead. You don't have to look very far in every day real world to see how easy that is.

[mogget3]

I haven't read any of these posts,because I'm not even half way through,but I just want to say this: I HATE BIG JIM RENNIE!!!!!!!!!

[Dinosaur]

I don't think I've ever hated a character as much as Big Jim Rennie. I just wanted to be in the book I hated him that much. When Big Jim died I was extremely disappointed because I thought it would have been so fitting for him to be arrested and be exposed as the monster he was.

Junior I pitied a little, still disliked him though.

[randallFlaggfan1]

For future references, we'd all appreciate it if you utilized the SPOILER option. Thank you.

[M2H]

King really knows how to make characters either very unlikeable or very respected. Big Jim is a good example of King's "you love to hate" characters. Another one I could think was the nasty, abusive husband in Rose Madder.

[Kevrock]

Big Jim kinda reminds me of my boss but on a smaller scale.

Sadly, I concur here.


I don't think I've ever hated a character as much as Big Jim Rennie. I just wanted to be in the book I hated him that much.

Agreed. It was torturous reading page after page of his self righteousness. I probably read this book twice as fast just to get to his demise.

[BrentMc]

Big Jim was a terrible guy. I wonder if Stephen King was thinking of any real person when he created Big Jim...

[Doc Wilson]

Having just read Dreamcatcher I was struck by Kurtz' similarity to Rennie, almost like he was the prototype.

[Moderator]

Big Jim was a terrible guy. I wonder if Stephen King was thinking of any real person when he created Big Jim...


Steve was thinking of Dick Cheney when he created Big Jim Rennie.

[JohnDalglish]

Steve was thinking of Dick Cheney when he created Big Jim Rennie.

Hi,

Thankee, Ms Mod, I thought so.

His relationship wth Andy had a kinda CheneyBush feel about it.

Long day and pleasant nights

[aspergillus]

If he had Cheney in mind he nailed it IMO.

[Tery]

Steve was thinking of Dick Cheney when he created Big Jim Rennie.

Well, there ya go. he did a great job of using ol' Dick for a template. I hated Big Jim with a purple passion and I empathize with those who wished to go into the book and kick his arrogant butt. Fantastic job, great villain.

[renniewatcher]

I Think Many of you are Missing the Point which King intended in the Rennie character: a self-serviing self-righteous politician who sees himself as the only thing that's important and all others as subservient to him. If this were a reading assignment in a class in contemporary civic or political issues one of the questions the instructor might ask is "Do you see behavior in any of our civic leaders of today which reminds you of the Big Jim Rennie character?"
And in reality we would do well to really ask ourselves that, because when a really hard crisis hits our society, those real Big Jim Rennies will act just like King's fiction character.

[cherrybombe65]

Just another shining example of absolute power corrupting absolutely

[james2640]

WOW! I just finished the book moments ago and I am FURIOUS!!! How does Big Shitbag Jim Rennie make it through this book without having his head blown off! I had just told my friend that if Jim didnt die by the end of the book at the hands of Julia or Barbie I was gunna be p.o.ed.... and I am. Off the top of my head, I can't think of another character I have ever hated more in all the books i have read. I am sure I'm not the only one who wished death upon him, right? Or I should say murder, i wished gruesome, horrible murder on Jim. Its going to take me a few days to get over this one haha.

Anyways... What happened to Jim in the end? I think he either went crazy because he begins to realize how insane the dome situation truely was and that when he was alone, he was powerless. But I much rather (and believe) that he died when he was having the heart attack.. when he says he will lay down for one more minute, or maybe two--- (not sure of the exact quote) and then hears people breathing and sees them in the room. I think he was in hell at this point? or some form of hell. Where he was trapped in that fallout shelter forever because of the smokey soot filled air, with those people he had killed to torment him? .... i really hope somehow my copy of the dome was just missing a few pages where barbie shoots him with a shotgun.... point blank.. GOD I HATE THAT COTTON PICKIN MAN !

[TheDeceived]

Big Jim and J made my skin crawl. I could picture everything about Big Jim, the whole time I read I just had this image of that evil man in my head.

[randallFlaggfan1]

Big Jim Rennie and Junior are perfectly portrayed, IMO. They're prime examples of King's brilliant ability to create characters we LOVE to LOATHE.

[normanj]

The Cheney/ Bush analogy is the obvious one with Jim and Andy, but such relationships go way back to the days of puppet kings and the power behind the throne.

What I found most interesting about Big Jim (and he was an interesting, though disgusting, character) was his inner monologue about why he didn't take the money and run - how he got off on running things.

I do think Jim got what he deserved. Through Col. Cox, the outside world knew he was he was a crook and despot. Moreover, he lost control at the end, and in addition to power, Jim craved control.

[SilentScream]

God, I already disliked Big Jim when the book started and as it progressed, that dislike turned into pure hatred. With every page I turned, I rooted more and more for that guy to bite the dust already.

[nygiantsfan3342]

Stephen King's real talent is making us passionately HATE a fictional character. There is no Jim Renny, but there isn't a living person that I despise more that that imaginary tyrant.

Mr. King, sorry for that redundant adverb in the first sentence, but Big Jim deserved a extra level of hatred! :)