The Messiah as Corruptor in Frank Herbert’s Dune
Frank Herbert’s Dune is arguably one of the best science fiction novels ever written. A
milestone of the genre, the work incorporates an intricate plot with a unique setting and
memorable characters. Dune is rich with thematic material, touching on such varied issues as ecology, economics, religion, and politics; ultimately, it is a novel about control, the consequences of power, and human nature. Any reading of Dune and its sequels inevitably arrives at an analysis of Paul, who begins the novel as the youthful ducal heir to House Atreides.
Trained both by his mother, a sister of the enigmatic Bene Gesserit School, and by the mentat Thufir Hawat, the human equivalent of a supercomputer, Paul is obviously quite gifted. Through some combination of his genetic makeup and his education, Paul has exceptional mental clarity, often seeing connections where others would see nothing; sometimes his abilities, especially his prophetic dreams, transcend rational explanation. Early on in Dune, House Atreides is pressured into a change of fief from their ancestral home of Caladan to the unforgiving desert planet Arrakis—the sole source of the spice melange which, among other things, promotes long life and gives the Imperium a means of interstellar transport. The victim of a “work of art among vendettas,” Paul’s father, Duke Leto Atreides, is soon deposed and assassinated by the Atreides’ hereditary rival, the Baron Harkonnen. Having managed to escape House Harkonnen’s clutches, Paul and his mother, Lady Jessica, find themselves lost in the desert wilderness and are soon
captured by a tribe of the indigenous Fremen. With the guidance of his mother, Paul works himself into the implanted ...
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...s character, Herbert asserts that in messiahs we must not look for domination,
but for inspiration.
Works Cited
Herbert, Frank. Dune. Berkley Publishing Company. New York, NY. 1965.
Herbert, Frank. Dune Messiah. Berkley Publishing Company. New York, NY. 1969.
Kucera, Paul. “Listening to Ourselves: Herbert’s Dune, “the Voice” and Performing the
Absolute.” Extrapolation. Vol 42, No 3. Fall 2001. 232–45.
Mulachy, Kevin. “The Prince on Arrakis: Frank Herbert’s Dialogue with Machiavelli.”
Extrapolation. Vol 37, No 2. Spring 1996. 22–36.
O’Reilley, Timothy. Frank Herbert. Frederick Ungar Publishing Co. New York, NY. 1981.
Stratton, Susan. “The Messiah and the Greens: The Shape of Environmental Action in Dune and Pacific Edge.” Extrapolation. Vol 42, No 4. Winter 2001. 301–16.
Touponce, William. Frank Herbert. Twayne Publishers. Boston, MA. 1988.
Paul's experiences in combat shatter his former misconceptions of war; consequently, he gains the ability to reflect on events with his own accord. His naive ideas are severely challenged when he first witnesses the ugly truth of war. "The first bombardment showed us our mistake, and under it the world as they had taught it to us broke in pieces"(13). Paul's first engagement in combat reveals that everything he was taught as a young recruit are lies; consequently, he can now form his own conclusions. Through the ongoing course of the war, Paul comes to grips with the reality of the situation. "They are strong and our desire is strong-but they are unattainable, and we know it"(121). Paul realizes that the soldiers former lives are all but distant memories. His maturing personality gives him the insight to see past the facade of war and expose it for what it truly is.
Every encounter Paul has with someone he creates a new identity to bond and connect with them. Throughout the play Paul creates multiple personas for himself, he realizes that he is an empty vessel with no past and only memories of what he has done during his different personas. Paul loses control over his multiple personas which cause them to overlap with each other. Which causes him to feel lost and in search of help, when Ousia offers this help he gladly takes it which end up putting him in prison and never to be seen in New York.
"Genre: Contemporary literature | Illiterarty.com." Illiterarty.com | Book reviews and blogs by Bridget. Web. 16 Feb. 2010. .
In her book, West of Everything, Jane Tompkins discusses the essential elements that define the genre. From her discussion, one can extract a working definition: the setting, th...
In Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Raskolnikov suffers a poverty-stricken life along with most of the other Russians. Most families during the time setting of this book are classified as lower class. The decisions they make are based solely upon how to improve their quality of life and social conditions. In Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka, Gregor works hard night and day in a job which he despises because he needs to earn money to support his poor, impoverished, dependent family. Gregor also sacrificed himself, believing it was best for everyone in his family. He didn’t want to overburden his family by reminding them of the insignificant, incompetent insect that he has become. With these decisions, Raskolnikov and Gregor made an effort to improve their living conditions for themselves and their families. Belonging in a lower class rank and wishing to...
Weeks, D. (1992) The eight essential steps to conflict resolution: preserving relationships at work, at home, and in the community. New York: Tarcher/Putnam.
All throughout the novel Paul makes a lot of choices and all those choices have a
In conclusion, the choices made by Paul's parents in the novel Tangerine, by Edward Bloor, affected Paul in several ways. The decisions they made included moving to Tangerine County, being neglectful towards Paul, and being dishonest when it comes to the truth of Paul’s blindness. Although some of their decisions influenced him severely, at the end, Paul became stronger and
Nordhaus, Ted, and Michael Shellenberger. Break Through: From the Death of Environmentalism to the Politics of Possibility. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2007. Print.
Paul believes that everyone around him is beneath him. He is convinced that he is superior to everyone else in his school and in his neighborhood. He is even condescending to his teachers, and shows an appalling amount of contempt for them, of which they are very aware.
The novel opens by introducing Paul’s father Geremio, his mother Annunziata, and Job. Geremio is a construction crew supervisor who struggles to improve his family’s condition, and even though he has been making progress, he still wonders how much more will be exacted from him. A religiously faithful man, he asks God for guidance: "Is it not possible to breathe God’s air without fear dominating the pall of unemployment? And the terror of production for Boss, Boss, and Job? To rebel is to lose all of the very little. To be obedient is to choke. O dear Lord, guide my path" (13). Geremio articulates the conflict he feels between Boss and Job, which rules his earthly life, and the struggle of his spirit. The pressures have not crushed his faith,...
In the beginning of the story, Paul seems to be a typical teenage boy: in trouble for causing problems in the classroom. As the story progresses, the reader can infer that Paul is rather withdrawn. He would rather live in his fantasy world than face reality. Paul dreaded returning home after the Carnegie Hall performances. He loathed his "ugly sleeping chamber with the yellow walls," but most of all, he feared his father. This is the first sign that he has a troubled homelife. Next, the reader learns that Paul has no mother, and that his father holds a neighbor boy up to Paul as "a model" . The lack of affection that Paul received at home caused him to look elsewhere for the attention that he craved.
Paul's father is a single parent trying to raise his children in a respectable neighborhood. He is a hard worker and trying to set a good example for his son. His father puts pressure on Paul by constantly referring to a neighbor, whom he feels is a perfect model for his son to follow.
Thomas, K. W. (1992). Conflict and conflict management: Reflections and update. . Journal Of Organizational Behavior, 13(3), 265-274.
The first point of view about whether parents should assume equal responsibilities when raising a child is that a child should be raised with all the care and love from both parents. Women and men should share their responsibilities because it is important for the children that both parents are involved and are able to collaborate with each other. Parents play a significant role in educating children and providing their basic needs. Consequently, a good...