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Blue Pills

Bitter blue capsules associated with Troy’s forgetting are now described by Thurman as drug-free checks on compliance.

Story so far

Troy received bitter pills intended to help erase the past, with effects that took time. His initial prescription called for a double morning dose followed by breakfast and dinner doses. Small blue capsules were dispensed in plastic cups at the end of the cafeteria line; their bitter taste persisted despite water. Troy later found them less effective even when he doubled his dose. His dosage was raised again to two pills, but he secretly spat them out. Holding the medication in his cheeks burned and dried his mouth.

A doctor withheld the capsules when Troy refused them, and pills prepared for Donald Keene were subsequently put away unswallowed. Paul Thurman now says the pills contain no drugs. According to him, stopping them changes urine color, while concealing them in the gums produces sores that expose noncompliance. This account challenges the earlier understanding of the capsules as the agents of forgetting.

Appearance

Small blue capsules, dispensed in a small plastic cup. Their taste is bitter, and holding them in the mouth causes burning and dryness.

Role

Initially treated as memory-suppressing medicine, the capsules are described by Thurman as a means of detecting noncompliance.

Relationships

Troy — He took the capsules, found their apparent effects weakening and began secretly spitting them out.
Donald Keene — Pills prepared for him were put away without being swallowed.
Paul Thurman — He claims the capsules contain no drugs and describes the bodily signs that reveal refusal or concealment.
Sources — 16 recorded facts, by chapter
Chapter 88
  • The pills given to Troy are bitter.
  • The pills help erase the past, but their effects take time.
Chapter 90
  • The medicine given to Troy comes in a small blue capsule.
  • Troy’s prescribed regimen begins with a double morning dose and continues with breakfast and dinner doses.
Chapter 94
  • The blue pill is handed out in a small plastic cup at the end of the cafeteria serving line.
  • The pill leaves a bitter taste that Troy finds water cannot remove.
Chapter 98
  • Troy finds that his pills are becoming less effective even when he doubles his dose.
Chapter 102
  • Troy’s medication induces forgetfulness.
  • Troy’s dosage is raised to two pills, matching the start of his shift, to relieve his pain.
  • Troy secretly spits out the pills rather than swallowing them.
Chapter 104
  • The blue medication burns and dries Troy’s mouth when he holds it inside his cheeks.
Chapter 112
  • The doctor withholds the two capsules after Troy refuses them and he consults another man.
Chapter 117
  • The pills prepared for Donald are put away without being swallowed.
Chapter 118
  • Thurman says the pills contain no drugs.
  • Thurman says stopping the pills changes urine color.
  • Thurman says hiding the pills in the gums causes sores used to detect noncompliance.
Character portrait