“His last thought before the darkness that comes to us all, chucks and humans alike: What happened?”

The suddenness of the Dome’s descent catches both animals and humans by complete surprise. These last thoughts of a woodchuck ambling between the border of Chester’s Mill and the outside world are of shock. He is cut cleanly in half as the Dome descends, foreshadowing the absolute barrier that now exists between the Mill and the world.

“Behind him, the town whistle whooped like the end of the world.”

Junior Rennie has not realized that the Dome has come down; he has been too busy with murder. It is only the sound of the whistle that signifies something has gone wrong. The fact that something has, indeed, gone terribly wrong is indicated in the simile. It may not be the end of the world for everyone, but it turns out that the whistle predicts the end of Chester’s Mill.

“He could now see the approaching flashers of a police car, but far ahead of it—as if escorting the cops by virtue of some higher authority—was a large black vehicle that looked like a rolling coffin: Big Jim Rennie’s Hummer.”

Barbie notes the looming and ubiquitous presence of Big Jim Rennie. He is more important, even, than the police, it would seem. The simile here (“like a rolling coffin”) foreshadows Rennie’s inevitable demise near the end of the book. This quotation also hints at Rennie’s religious fervor that eventually has him comparing himself to God.