Dune Herbert Frank
Dune Herbert Frank
Can someone please interepret quote from Dune by Frank Herbert (I feel that there's a deeper meaning to it)
Paul said: "There is in each of us an ancient force that takes and ancient force that gives. A man finds little difficulty facing that place within himself where the taking force dwells, but it's almost impossible for him to see into the giving force without changing into something other than a man. For a woman, the situation is reversed."
What is Paul talking about? I don't really get what exactly the forces do. I feel that there is a gender role theme in this quote, am I right or wrong?
Only Frank Herbert can interpret his own quote. I can only give you my interpretation; which is what art is supposed to do. I'm not sure in which Dune book this quote is found but it seems that it's at the point that he is transforming into the Benegeserit (sp) Abomination (a man who can survive drinking the blood of the spice worm and become transformed).
The Benegeserit witches are women with extraordinary powers to predict the future and control people around them. This places women members of the Bengeserit in the top ranks of the governing structure although they still bow to male dominance in the society. Their power is solidified by alliances with ruling families as the concubines of ruling men. Not exactly the best way for women to achieve equality. I look at it as an evolving process within that society. Paul Leto (Muadib) comes at a specific time in that development and I believe he is articulating a subtle dynamic in the male female continuum. In the quote he speaks of the ancient force for taking which is natural for men and the giving force for giving which is natural for women. As long as men hold firm to the taking force they will manifests mostly if not entirely the masculine side of the human gender continuum. If they attempt to embrace the giving force, in any capacity, they start to move towards the feminine side of that continuum. Women, on the other hand, experience the opposite change. They start moving towards the masculine side. If we examine the lives and behaviors of average human beings in today's Western societies objectively, we can see masculine and feminine characteristics in most men and women with a mid range of characteristics that are neutral. These are demonstrated by behaviors that are softer for men and harder for women than what was acceptable even 25 years ago. These behaviors are contrary to the stereotypical behaviors associated with gender differences. I believe that Herbert was illustrating this normal manifestation of human behavior by having Paul Muadib describe what he was undergoing after drinking the blood of the spice worm. As a matter of fact Herbert alluded to that kind of "super" homo sapiens evolution when Paul's mother had to drink the spice worm blood to rise to the status of a Reverend Mother; while she was pregnant with Alia. Alia became another "super" homo sapiens. In a way a "super Reverend Mother" like her brother Paul.
I used Western culture as an example of the changes or "blurring" of gender differences because it has been in Western countries where a concerted effort has evolved to change stereotypical gender behaviors. If we compare differences between American men and women and men and women from other societies, we would probably see that the stereotypical surface behaviors would not always be similar. In some societies it is acceptable for men to exhibit what Americans consider feminine characteristics such as holding of hands or kissing on the cheek. Men in Turkey hold hands or men in some European countries kiss on each cheek in greeting. So individual societies do exhibit behaviors that are societally evolved.
Well, that's my opinion. Dune and Dune Messiah was a fascinating book which I enjoyed because of it's obvious references and use of Arab Culture and Islamic Traditions to frame the culture of an arrid planet like Arakis (Whoa!! Arakis/Arabia/Iraquis!!!). Just my mind going off on a tangent ; )
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