101 pages • 3 hours read
Frank HerbertDune
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1965A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Symbols & Motifs
The Spice
The spice, or melange, is the most valuable and coveted substance in the universe of Dune. Harvested on the surface of Arrakis, spice is a hallucinogenic drug that allows users to glimpse visions of the future. These glimpses make space travel possible, meaning that the Spacing Guild is both addicted to spice for its drug-like qualities and for high prices it allows them to charge for space transportation. As such, many of the influential characters are addicted not to the spice itself but to the power and influence that it grants them via space travel. The spice is a metaphor for control: Whoever controls the spice, controls the universe. The Baron, a man who lusts after control and influence at any cost, is willing to sacrifice decades of income to take back Arrakis. Just like the Spacing Guild members who are addicted to the spice itself, the Baron is addicted to controlling Arrakis and enjoying the influence and power that such a position grants him. Spice is more than just a resource; spice—and whoever controls spice production—represents the real power in the universe, meaning that the fiefdom of Arrakis is hugely coveted. Many readers view spice as a metaphor for crude oil and the violent conflicts fought over its control, particularly in the Middle East.
The spice also represents the untapped potential of the human mind. Spice heightens the abilities of regular humans, especially those who have been trained. The Spacing Guild use spice to navigate through folded space, allowing the Guild’s navigators to set otherwise impossible courses for their spaceships. The Fremen’s Reverend Mothers use spice to link their minds and pass wisdom down across generations. When Paul is in the proximity of spice, his latent prophetic powers are heightened, allowing him to see the various paths of the future that stretch out ahead of him. The spice expands the abilities of these people’s minds, allowing them to achieve the seemingly impossible. It symbolizes the untapped potential of humanity.
However, these heightened abilities come at a cost. The spice is so addictive that the Spacing Guild is in thrall to whomever controls spice production. When Paul threatens to destroy the spice, the Guild are essentially held hostage. Likewise, the various futures that Paul sees in his spice-induced visions are often terrible, brutal, and violent. Furthermore, the violence is often a direct result of his actions. Either Paul sees his own dead body or he sees a holy war that spreads across the galaxy in his name. The spice allows Paul to see the future, but the future is not always positive. Paul must deal with the burden and responsibility for violence he may cause in the future. The spice is a symbol for heightened human abilities and a reminder of humanity’s capacity for violence and brutality.
Water
On the arid desert planet of Arrakis, water is scarce. The use of water as a metaphor occurs on several levels. On an individual level, water is a pure survival tool. Coming from a planet like Caladan where water is abundant, Paul is quickly forced to learn the importance of water to survival. The lack of water is a metaphor for his individual struggles to adapt to his new life: The hostile, dangerous planet of Arrakis is so unwelcoming that the water Paul once took for granted now consumes his every waking moment. His use of a stillsuit, for example, shows how even his clothing must become a water reclamation tool. On Arrakis, the scarcity of water is always an issue. Water represents life, so every individual dedicates themselves to acquiring and retaining as much water as possible. That Paul adapts so quickly to this lifestyle represents his uniqueness. Water teaches Paul how to survive in a hostile and unforgiving world.
Among the Fremen, the importance of water at a community level is also evident. Paul learns about the way that local Fremen people view water in a religious manner, as though it is the blood of the world they inhabit. Blood oaths become water bonds, burial rituals are designed to reclaim essential water, and the communal pool of water is represented by the same rings that are used to propose marriage. In the desert, water represents life. The way in which the Fremen integrate the scarcity of water on their home world into their culture reveals the importance of water as a metaphor. To the Fremen, water as a metaphor is a key aspect of their culture. They understand that water represents survival, so their bonds and rituals all reference water in some capacity. This use of a shared cultural metaphor reinforces the fundamental struggle of the Fremen people to endure and survive. To them, water represents the life and the success of the community.
On Arrakis, water also represents the potential for change. The Fremen people collect as much water as possible in hidden underground reservoirs because they hope to turn the planet into a more hospitable place. These hidden pools of water are investments in the future of the people and the planet. The reservoirs represent the hidden potential of the planet and of the Fremen people. Duke Leto is one of the only people who believes in the raw promise of his so-called desert power, but even he is unaware of the extent to which the Fremen have planned to completely change their world. Water is the key to a better future for the Fremen, and the careful, secretive way in which they store water is a metaphor for the slow and patient way they plan to improve their lives.
The Gom Jabbar
The gom jabbar is a needle laced with poison. It is used during a Bene Gesserit ritual in which it is placed next to a person’s neck and, while the person is subjected to terrible pain, used to kill anyone who flinches or attempts to withdraw. As such, the gom jabbar is a symbol of a person’s ability to master their emotions. The Bene Gesserit consider this mastery of one’s emotions to be an indication of humanity. Only humans can survive the gom jabbar, as only humans have complete control over their bodies and their emotions in moments of extreme stress or pain. Paul passes the Reverend Mother’s test with the gom jabbar, with his hand placed inside a mysterious box that causes horrific pain but leaves no mark. That Paul does not flinch or withdraw his hand shows that he is human; failure to pass the test would mean death. The gom jabbar symbolizes the threat of failure that constantly threatens Paul if he does not master his emotions. At the beginning of the novel, the threat is to Paul himself. If he does not control his emotions, he dies. Later, the threat is to his family and eventually to the entire universe. Paul must control his emotions or a metaphorical gom jabbar threatens to stab him in the neck and end life as he knows it.
The gom jabbar returns at the end of the novel when Alia uses it to kill Baron Harkonnen. This death builds on the symbolic meaning of the gom jabbar, as the Baron is a notably hedonistic and indulgent man. Rather than mastering his impulses and emotions, he indulges every whim. He is a careful planner and an intelligent man, but he refuses to deny himself anything. This impulsiveness and willingness to indulge illustrates his lack of self-control, especially when he snatches Alia in the hope of using her as a hostage. His impulsive action is immediately punished when Alia pricks him with the poisoned needle. The Baron’s death is an echo of the test that Paul passed. While Paul maintained control and discipline, the Baron did not. Paul survives and the Baron is killed. The gom jabbar becomes the symbolic difference between those who exhibit mastery of the self and those who lack the most human of disciplines.
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