DUNE: Chapter Four Thoughts =========================== And so we continue with the reading of *Dune.* The Opening Quote ----------------- Nothing says the understanding of a term has changed like including the phrase "Master of Assassins" in a children's book. This quote doesn't feel like it's doing much more than introducing us to the characters we are to meet. There also may be the suggestion here that either it's a problem that Paul had no friends his own age or that Leto was a terrible father. I think we already knew the former was true, and I don't know that the later is. Perhaps the suggestion is that the others were more of a parent to Paul than Leto was. Thufir Hawat ------------ How many times must I tell that lad never to settle himself with his back to the door? -- The thoughts of Thufir Hawat, Mentat Master of Assassins Thufir suspects the Reverend Mother's trip was to punish Jessica for training Paul in the Bene Gesserit ways. He doesn't know about the test or that it threatened Paul's life. That seems a bit of a gap in his knowledge. This is the third character we've seen interact with Paul, and the second one here to test him. And, yes, the opening quote is suggesting that Leto is a bad father, or at least, an absent one. Paul wishes it had been Leto who visited him rather than Thufir. Parting with friends is a sadness. A place is only a place. -- Thufir Hawat Weather control exists in this future. It requires satellites from the Spacing Guild, and the ones they'd need for Arrakis are expensive. Though, you'd think the Spacing Guild would be all about anything that would make spice harvesting easier. Maybe the fear is that if it were too easy, it would increate the amount of spice, leading to the price for spice going down? Or, maybe the difficulty in producing spice keeps the producers under control somehow? There are bigger and wealthier houses than House Atreides. That raises the question why the Emperor saw House Atreides as a threat. It was said that the Duke was popular. Perhaps it's due to shear charisma. He is, after all, Paul's father, so a product of the Bene Gesserit breeding program. Speaking of which, is that true of all the Houses? Did the noble houses of the Imperium exist before the Bene Gesserit breeding programs, or were they set up by the founders of the Bene Gesserit for the breeding programs? The later there is very conspiratorial, but this is *Dune.* As the Duke's son, you'll never want for it, but you'll see the pressures of thirst all around you. -- Thufir Hawat The test from the Reverend Mother was a week ago. There is more from the Reverend Mother here. She is speaking about Arrakis. Jessica asks, again, if there is hope for the Duke. There isn't, but it's weird she's asking it again after having been told there wasn't. A world is supported by four things.... The learning of the wise, the justice of the great, the prayers of the righteous and the valor of the brave. But all of these are as nothing... without a ruler who knows the art of ruling. Make *that* the science of your tradition. --The Reverend Mother She closes her fist before she mentions the art of ruling, so it's pretty clear she's thinking on the more despotic end of ruling. Is she supposed to be right about that? That directly sets up the tyranny of both Paul and Leto II. If those are bad, then this is likely supposed to be seen as wrong. But does the book see their tyranny as actually wrong? It's something to watch for. Is there a reason why we're seeing this in the middle of a conversation with Thufir? Ah, it's so Herbert can have Thufir directly comment on it. And, boy, there is a lot here. And, it looks like the Reverend Mother wasn't suggesting tyranny. The Atreides are going to Arrakis because the Emperor ordered it and Leto thinks there is hope there. Though, Thufir told him he'll lose the planet. Commanding is not what it is to rule. She said a ruler must learn to persuade and not compel. She said he must lay the best coffee hearth to attract the finest men.... ...Then she said a good ruler has to learn his world's language, that it is different for every world.... She said she meant the language of the rocks and growing things, the language you don't just hear with your ears.... ...She said the mystery of life isn't a problem to solve, but a reality to experience. So, I quoted the First Law of Mentat at her: 'A process cannot be understood by stopping it. Understanding must move with the flow of the process, must join and flow with it.' That seemed to satisfy her. -- Paul recounting a conversation with the Reverend Mother Well, that's a lot. We get an introduction to ecology and systems thinking all in one go. That makes sense, since ecology involves systems thinking, but it's interesting to see it dumped here all at once. It's almost certainly the view of Herbert being spoken through the mouth of the Reverend Mother. Since the Reverend Mother introduces us to ecology, which is very definitely supposed to be taken seriously, it points to the human/ animal distinction also being something we should take seriously. But, how does that work? How can you refer to animals as destructive and still promote an understanding of ecology, which would include how animals contribute productively to ecosystems? There is a cognitive dissonance there, but I'm not sure if it's the Bene Gesserit or if it's the author. Two things get set up here that will be important later: * There are more Fremen than the Imperium suspects, * Salusa Secondus may not be as rugged as it used to be. How long is a day? Thufir is heading to Arrakis a day earlier than Paul, and they are treating it like it's a long term parting. Yes, Arrakis is dangerous, but still. Maybe the threat of death is high enough they take good-byes more seriously? What is the now? -- Paul, wondering about nature Well, yes, that's going to be a pertinent question before too long. Sidebar: Humans, Animals, and Ecology ------------------------------------- I'm not sure where *Dune* comes out on the question, yet, but humans are animals. That doesn't mean we're thoughtless or destructive. It means we're alive and don't have cell walls. We have different capabilities and needs than other animal species, but there isn't a difference in kind at the kingdom level between us and other animals. We aren't a separate type of being that exists outside the tree of life. We also are a part of our ecosystems. We have a large impact on the ecosystems in which we live, but we aren't unique at that. Beavers engage in hydraulic engineering to create ecosystems that better suit their needs, as do the ants who engage in agriculture. There isn't a big difference in kind between the nitrous oxide given off by our cars, the penicillin given off by penicillium molds, or the oxygen released by plants. Living things take things out of the ecosystem they are in and put other things back into it. The difference with us is just one of scale, and even then there are other examples in the geological record that show we aren't completely unique in the scale of our impact. The big problem I have with the human/animal distinction is it excludes some people from the human community. Just like we are a part of the ecosystem, all of us are a part of the community. There is not a difference in kind between someone who could pass the pain box test and someone who can't. It may be diagnostic of differences in certain abilities, but that doesn't make those who fail less human or somehow less important. It doesn't mean they are OK to torture or they deserve less fulfilling lives. Creating a human/animal distinction is the first step in justifying atrocities. Now, my understanding is *Dune* supposed to be opposed to such things, so I think it's possible we're supposed to challenge that belief of the Bene Gesserit. However, having the Reverend Mother be the mouth piece for ecology and the human/animal distinction is weird if we're supposed to accept them as right on one out of them. But, maybe it will be shown that the cognitive dissonance between the two thoughts are part the problem that leads to the jihad. This is, after all, only chapter four. Gurney Halleck -------------- Gurney is carrying a lute-like instrument. I don't recall that making an appearance in adaptations of *Dune.* I suppose it only leads to questions that aren't worth going into in a two hour film. Still, it's a nice character touch. Gurney's inkvine scar is a thing. Apparently inkvines are used as whipe in the "slave cribs" on Giedi Prime, home of the Harkonnens. It leaves a red mark that causes pain over many years. Little wonder that Gurney will have little love for the Harkonnens. Paul likes Gurney Halleck the most of all the Duke's men. Mood's a thing for cattle or making love or playing the baliset. It's not for fighting. --Gurney Hallick, on not being in the mood for fighting This is a fair point. If people are out to kill you, they won't stop because you're not in the mood. The inkvine scar was a test similar to the test from the Reverend Mother. Presumably Gurney Halleck should be seen as a human, too. I'm the well-trained fruit tree.... Full of well-trained feelings and abilities and all of them grafted onto me–all bearing for someone else to pick. --Gurney Halleck, thinking about himself This is followed by Gurney remembering his younger sister who died in a pleasure house for Harkonnen troops. I suppose this links back to the similarity between the Atreides and Harkonnens. Maybe the Harkonnen's are worse, but they aren't different in kind. Both mold people into things that produce for them, rather than treating them as people in their own right. Maybe? It's a little unclear what prompts that thought from Gurney Halleck, so it's uncertain if the focus of that is the House or just being in a society in general. To paraphrase *Dangerous Beauty:* we are both players, singing for our supper. Character First Thoughts ------------------------ * Thufir: I'm old. * Gurney Halleck: It's sad Paul must grow up so soon. Conclusion ---------- Here are, I think the questions I'm left with: * How much should we read into the Reverend Mother clenching her fist when talking of how to rule? * Is the cognitive dissonance in the Bene Gesserit's view of ruling a problem the book recognizes? * Why is Gurney a fruit tree, and what are we to take from that? * Would things be different if Leto had visited Paul?