Dune: Final

Nicole Alibutod

Sean Pessin

English 114B

13 May 2012

Power 

         The book Dune was written by Frank Herbert and is still today one of great scientific novels written. Dune was written in the early 1960s, when drug experimentation was beginning to enter the mainstream society of America. The book explores the concept of drugs as a way of opening “perception.” Consuming mélange, which is highly addictive in large quantities, allows Paul to see through time and perceive the future. The drug Spice is found on the planet Arrakis. Without the existence of the drug Spice, there would be no sense of hierarchy. Obtaining the spice you have to have some type of power status. The higher status, the easier it is to obtain the spice. In today’s society you see how power comes to play. Having money determine your status in this world, the more money, the more money and power you obtain. The definition of power is: the ability to do something in a particular way. The importance of status is shown throughout the books. Power is the key to the people living in the Dune universe; they always need to be on top. With power it determines the hierarchy of the individual on these various planets.

        Spice is known to be like the Truthsayer drug according to the Reverend Mother. People take the drug to advance their capabilities to see falsehood. Many had taken it, yet died trying. The drug had become the main priority of the planets and will do anything to get rid of anything in their way. The need for spice led the war between the Atreides and the Harkonnens. The books show how each act on their desire to succeed the drug. With the battle you see how power comes to play, and to whoever wins the battle their status can rise up. Not only is spice the prize but also their reputation of whoever can be the greater power.

        The universe of Dune contains several planets where some live on and some that don’t. Each of the planets has something that differs among the rest, all that holds different resources. Many of these planets are treated like items in the market, leading to trades. The more power status you had the better the trade can turn out to be. Many of the decision making was up to the Great Houses of Landsraad. Seeing that the planets are being allowed to be trade off and sold can correlate to the times of slavery. We saw many of the African American race were being traded and sold because of the color of their skin to the White community. Being black put them on the lowest of low list on the hierarchy charts, putting the whites number one. And for those who are able to afford the planets are put in a higher position, especially if they were to obtain the planet. Those who cannot go through with the trade are seen as they are bit less of status to those who gain the planet.

         Dune’s universe utilizes a primitive government system that includes dukes and barons and in which religion has a very strong tie with everyday life and politics. As a symbol, melange represents the untapped potential of human perception and brainpower. Melange is a costly crutch, however. And this is where the power comes to play. The highest power in the novel is of the Padishah Emperor, Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV, ruler of the Dune universe. No one dares to go up against him because his powers are unknown on how great they may be. The Emperor is the one who is to give power to those living on the planets and is the one who sets all the rules. Where he gets his power is known by some unknown and some known, for example from the prison planet, Salusa Secundus.

        An important part of the hierarchy is of those in the military force. In today’s society we look up to those who are in the force. For those who are in the armed forces we as the “lower class” (compared to them) look up to them. They have a high status in the community, because we always assume what they do is for the greater good and have a close connection to the government. In the book we see many armed forces. One of the top armies in the book is known as the Sardaukar, led by the Emperor Shaddam. They are the army to be feared among the rest. The Sardaukar are violent people who have been exposed since they were young yet have the skills to kill all. Many who have tried to go up against them have always failed. Their victories represent their leader the Emperor to show others that he is unstoppable and has the power of no one else. Because of their victories, great strength skills and violent nature, no one dared to question the Emperor. The Emperor’s status to the universe is like God: untouchable and “worshiped” by all. No matter how scary an army can be, no matter how evil, those who bring some type of fear are seen on top of their game, because no one can fight against their status.

         Another person added to the top of the hierarchy list is the Reverend Mother. The Reverend Mother is the spiritual leader of the Benne-Gesserit. She is the one who serves as the emperor’s truthsayer (someone who can tell the emperor whether someone is lying or not). Her job is very important to the emperor, for without her many bad things can happen because of poor choices. The reverend is to go through school and learn these precious and important ways of being able to read people. Her being close to the Emperor gives her a position of a higher status. And the Emperor having her gives him yet another great advantage. Using her can give the Emperor insight and makes him two steps ahead of his enemies. The truthsayer was a cross of power of knowledge and tradition and of political power. Who can go up against someone who already knows your future, who is already two steps ahead from where you are? Having this person on your side makes you seem untouchable.

        Next we have the royal families: Atreides and Harkonnes. Looking at these families they are very different from each other but have one certain thing in common: to win against the other. The Atreides live on the planet Caladan and the Harkonnes on Geidi Prime. Their battle is simple: who ever can obtain the more spice and have Arrakis.

       On Caladan we have the Atreides household, Paul and Leto. Duke Leto Atreides is the head of the House of Atreides and the rightful ruler of Arrakis. The duke received Arrakis from the emperor in exchange for Leto’s own planet of Caladan, which was given to the duke’s mortal enemy, Baron Harkonnen. The duke is a wise, intelligent, and compassionate man, but he is ruthless when it comes to dealing with his enemies. And another to the house is Paul, the son of Leto. Paul is seen as the protagonist of the story. He is also the heir to the House of the Atreides. At the beginning of the novel, Paul is fifteen years old. He has been trained from birth to fulfill the role of duke. He is taught of the skills of combat and strategic thinking. Paul at first seems very shy but when broken into he is more than what meets the eye. He is believed to be “The One” the Kwisatz Haderach- the male version of the Benne-Gesserit.



         Next is the Baron Harkonnen is the leader of them all. His main goals are to murder the house of Atreides and gain control of the spice. He even also plans on becoming the emperor. Ironically, the baron’s plans drive Paul to become the leader of the Fremen and eventually leader of the universe. The baron is clearly seen as the novel’s main antagonist from his very first appearance. The baron is ruthless, ambitious, cruel, and so fat that he requires antigravity devices to suspend his bulk. He is an ugly creature. But Baron is not very different from Duke Leto Atreides. Both men are ambitious and ruthless. Leto, however, genuinely cares about his own men and family and regrets many of the tactics he must use to protect them, such as poisoning his rivals and raiding their supplies. The baron seems to delight in the intricacies of political warfare.

         When Jessica and Paul land on the planet Arrakis we see them venture out to a world unknown to them. And they finally come across the Fremen, the people who have the “bluer than blue eyes.” They are the native people on Arrakis. The Fremen are seen as the warriors of that planet. Some believe that they are far from great than the Sardaukar. They taught themselves how to be strong and fight off whatever they needed to fight off in the worst conditions ever just like those on the planet Salusa Secundus. If that were to be the case you can say that the emperor should have something to fear, because if they were to throw off his army, it will weaken his protection. The Fremen are people with strong values which shows that is what helped them get through all their rigorous training. The Fremen were the Sardaukars for Paul.

         Towards the end of Dune two years pass on Arrakis. Paul has become very powerful and inspiring to the Fremen. He is both their civil and religious leader, like Kynes, but his powers are far greater than of Kynes. Paul then has a child with a Fremen woman, Chani, the daughter of Kynes. His mother has also given birth to Alia, Duke Leto’s daughter. Paul teaches the Fremen to fight using a unique style called the “weirding way” and using the advanced fighting techniques of the Bene Gesserit. One day, the Fremen discover that the baron has abandoned his aid to Rabban, the nephew he assigned to rule over Arrakis. Paul and the Fremen make plans to raid the Arrakeen capital now that Rabban is cut off from the baron’s help.

         Upon discovering the power of the Fremen, the emperor himself comes to Arrakis, along with his Sardaukar and the Harkonnens. The Fremen attack the emperor, quickly dismantling his spaceships while destroying the Sardaukar. In the battle, Alia kills Baron Harkonnen, and Paul’s young son dies in a raid. Paul demands that the emperor step down. Paul asks to marry the emperor’s daughter, Irulan, so that he may become the new emperor. Feyd-Rautha also then challenges Paul and kills him in a duel. Powerless now, the emperor agrees to Paul’s demands, and Paul becomes the new emperor. And with that happening you see that the roles has certainly reversed, the Emperor being the grand power to now nothing. Paul has now become top of the status, the hierarchy.

          Towards the ending of the first book we see that there is the big battle against the Harkonnens with the Fremens and Paul. Paul’s rising to the emperorship and the Fremen’s regaining of control complete the reversal of status that occurs during the course of the novel. At the beginning of the novel, the emperor and the Harkonnen dominated the Atreides and the Fremen. The power structure of Dune has changed since Paul was on Caladan. Duke Leto is dead and now Paul is not only duke of Arrakis, but also the new emperor of the universe. The Fremen have regained control of their world and will soon turn it into the garden paradise they have long desired. Once this change occurs, however, we wonder how the Fremen’s culture will change—whether they will retire into easy lives of spice mining or follow their prophet into space.

          By marrying the emperor’s daughter Paul is in control and needs to be in control furthermore. By doing so, his status raises immensely. By marrying the top, he stays on top. And with his higher power he is to rule the people. All this has happened because for the fight over the spice on Arrakis. “The drug had him again and he thought: So many times you’ve given me comfort and forgetfulness. He felt again the hyperillumination with its high-relief imagery of time, sensed his future becoming memories—the tender indignities of physical love, the sharing and communion of selves, the softness and the violence.”(Herbert p.378) This passage occurs in Book II after Paul takes the drug spice, which significantly changes him. His senses become more critical, and he is suddenly able to “see through time.” Paul can now see infinite possibilities in future events, and he realizes his actions will cause a jihad (holy war) in the universe. Paul is also more sensitive to physical contact, particularly when he is with his love, Chani. Paul’s consumption of the spice is an important turning point in his development as a Kwisatz Haderach. Paul needs the spice to live and to fulfill his role as a Kwisatz Haderach. He needs spice to perform the mixture of gene pools that will ultimately save his species.

         When looking at the characters in Dune it is know that they are all tied to power. If there was no power mind set there would be no motives for the Emperor, Paul and Leto and the Baron. But because of the high demand there could only be one who was to obtain all. To whoever was to gain that power sets the hierarchy and to those who are not necessarily in the battle stay up with the hierarchy. The battle between the Atreides and Harkonnes, the Harkonnes and the Fremen, the Fremen and the Sardaukar, the Emperor and Paul all lead up in a big or small degree is of spice.