Arrakeen Gender Personified

Gender identity is the interpretation of masculinity and femininity into archetypal forms. These forms are then used as a means of expression within the social and cultural worlds. Frank Herbert uses gender stereotypes to set up for the evolution of Paul Atreides into the Kwisatz Haderach, the pinnacle of Bene Gesserit teachings. Frank Herbert uses The Atreides line as a hallmark of both gender traditionalism and fluidity in their quest to redeem Arrakis in Dune.

As the main character and head of the Atreides family, Paul is at once praised by his allies and cursed by his enemies. Paul acts as a transgender figure within the story as they are the combination of both male and female energy. Paul is ruled firstly by his gender as a man, but then in order to fulfill a destiny awakens in the woman energy. When using his “powers” Paul uses both the male dominated mentat abilities and the female dominated Bene Gesserit abilities. By taking on both, he is taking on a sense of intersexuality (Burke). The Bene Gesserit see him as a poison, one of their own creation but also a mistake. He is alienated from those around him, and he sees his own mother and the Fremen as potential enemies or hazards. Even as the Fremen leader, he actively tries to avoid the Jihad, where the fremen turn into a conquering force against the great houses.Paul Atreides both mirrors the world around him and is separate from it. His powers as a Kwisatz haderach keep him separate and show him as a new entity, but he is still ruled by the preexisting biases of gender in the world. Despite becoming the Kwisatz Haderach, he is still seen and portrayed as masculine. He houses both male and female energies, but still governs as a king. He is much like the fremen in that they are also a product of their environment. They are both bound and shaped by it, but they cannot leave it.

Frank Herbert wrote Dune starting in 1965. He took the inspiration for the setting from the Oregon sand dunes. After witnessing how the dunes shifted and threatened the work of those near, he started writing the preliminary notes that would become Dune. The genre of Dune is that of a Space Opera, as that came into fashion around the 1930’s. Using these ideas, Herbert built the six book series following the son of a Ducal house and his traumatic rise to power. Herbert’s Dune is primarily ruled overtly by men but more so covertly by the women of the Bene Gesserit. The accompanying themes of political intrigue and military tactics help sell this series under the science fiction genre. Herbert also included fantasy elements such as unique powers, the voice and mentat computation, and monstrous animals, the Shai Hulud.

As the Protagonist, Paul Atreides is central to the plot of Dune. Gender is also central to the plot of dune as it suffuses every facet of the book, much like spice on Arrakis. Paul Atreides, has many titles, such as Muad’Dib, Usul, Lisan Al Gaib, Kwisatz Haderach, Duke, and lastly Emperor. These titles serve to show how the other characters viewed Paul. Paul acts as a vessel for the hopes and fears of the characters that knew him by these titles. Some of the titles are engendered and by extension Paul must act accordingly and seemingly to the will of others. When he was still a duke's son, he acted as heir apparent and was secondary to his father. Mentat doesnt come into play as much when it comes to Paul, as he is not publicly known as one. When his father died, he inherited the dukedom but the closest Atreides town is on Caladan. When Paul and his mother fled into the desert he took on the name Muad’Dib meaning sand mouse as a symbol for survival. This title did not carry gender in it as the desert treats all equally and does not disparage on the basis of gender. With the Fremen, Paul was initially known as Lisan Al Gaib which means savior. This term has a religious masculine and deified undertone. He took on the role of Usul as he rose to power in the fremen sietches or villages, and this is also accompanied by a masculine connotation. Paul's final title is Emperor, at least in the first book. He ascends to the throne for various reasons, but it is accompanied by again heavy male energy.

Paul Atreides shows both gender inherent to his character and status as the heroic protagonist and his gender expression changes throughout the story, both because of who he is in Dune and what he does. His inherent gender comes from his parents and the destiny that binds him. His gender expression is in his growth into the kwisatz haderach, or the culmination of both male and female energies in one person. The gender of the main character of Dune is a topic that is touched on very early in the book, as the Reverend Mother of the Bene Gesserit comes to Caladan and speaks with the Lady Jessica. She questions her as to why a male child was born, saying “You were told to bear only daughters to the Atreides”(Herbert 35). This is due to a prophecy that the union of bloodlines would bring forth a savior who would be male, and that a daughter would have been able to accomplish this, whereas a son would not. Instead the Lady Jessica gave birth to a son because it is what Duke Leto wished, and that son would become the savior anyways. Paul acts as the intersection between his father’s masculinity and his mother’s femininity (Erickson-Schroth, et al). He is the culmination of the Bene Gesserit vision to create a male who displays both Bene Gesserit and Mentat abilities. 

When Paul joins the Fremen, he gains a station equal to that of Duke, which he then becomes the leader through the belief that he is the Kwisatz Haderach, which was true. He switches from son of a duke, to lost duke, to leader of the Fremen, and then finally to emperor (Lorber). Starting out, he used his Bene Gesserit powers to stand out among the Fremen and his Mentat powers to strategize. To further put stock into the two-pronged approach to gender having to deal with birth and learning, Count Fenring makes a comment about Paul while at Feyd Rautha’s gladiator match. He says when comparing Paul and Feyd, Paul was “A most admirable lad, good union of breeding and training.” (Herbert 549) Following the nature and nurture model of childhood, this comment by Count Fenring gives merit to both, saying that both Paul’s inherent traits as well as how he was raised were equally important. This contrasts with Feyd Rautha, who while was said to be genetically blessed, underwent training from the Harkonnens which is inferior to the Atreides. Atreides is superior to Harkonnen in many respects, one being politically the rank of Duke being higher than Baron. Another is seen when comparing the two leaders. Duke Leto does not drug his mentat advisor and does not scheme against either the Baron Harkonnen or the Emperor. His loyalty is both a gendered trait that is stereotypical of males and his fatal flaw. Paul notes that “My father had an instinct for his friends,... He thought anyone who hated Harkonnens could not betray him.” (Herbert 703) This falls under the fallacy that “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” and showcases Duke Leto’s fatal flaw of trust. Doctor Yueh hated the Harkonnens but still betrayed Duke Leto. This can also be seen with Thufir hawat, who was likewise bent against The lady Jessica by Baron harkonnen. 

Paul is like his father in many ways. One being the tendency to compartmentalize relationships. When it came to his son, Duke Leto was as close to a doting father that one could expect. His love for his “wife” was also evident. However, when the relationship was that of duke and subject, he was very military like with his interactions. Paul models this split when he hears about the raid on the Sietch that claimed his son's life. In his words, ““My son is dead…and Alia is a captive…hostage.” He felt emptied” (Herbert 739) This line shows Paul as a father and brother. As a father, he had lost what at this point was his only child. On the other hand, Alia, his younger sibling is taken hostage by some of the same people that killed his father. His emotion is not apathy but one of loss. He becomes cold, which again is a male emotive stereotype following loss or hardship. This contrasts with his reaction to meeting his future wife. While there are many words to express love, the three or four words that do not are “There’s my key” (Herbert 769). When Paul Atreides saw the princess Irulan, his first thought wasn’t love. Instead he equated her to a key, or a way to unlock the future he needed. In this way she was little more than a political match, with love or affection not playing any part in the union.

Mentat is a title given to a predominantly male group that through training, are able to crunch numbers in their heads and analyze a great amount of data like a computer. In this way, Mentat is used as advisors to both the Duke Atreides and Baron Harkonnen. There are two known Mentat advisors, Piter who served Harkonnen, and Thufir Hawat who served Atreides. Paul Atreides also went under Mentat training, though it was not intended for him to serve as an advisor, His father the duke wanted him to be a duke with mentat training, believing it would make him stronger. Since a mentat is trained to look at data without bias and draw conclusions that would normally be hidden to most people, Mentat powers are akin to ultimate reason.

All known mentats in the stories turn out corrupt and addicts. Both Piter and Thufir are made addicts by Baron Harkonnen, and Paul is likewise dependent on the spice. A material dependence further shows a weakness in the male dominated power. Both Piter and Thufir are leveraged against the Atreides family. As Paul becomes Kwisatz haderach, he does not classify as a mentat anymore. So both mentats are shown as material dependent and manipulated. Calling them beasts wouldn't be a stretch in this regard as they are driven solely by their emotional or physical needs. 

It is also important to note that while the bene gesserit were plotting and scheming, the mentat had no such grand ambition. This is never questioned or brought up and there is no central figure in the Mentat organization. It is merely a way of training and is used to create advisors. Paul is noted as being the first leader who was also a mentat. This lack of group ambition calls into question whether the training robs them of their personal goals or drive. They are relegated to human computers, acting chiefly on the orders of others. Paul is likewise acted on his prescient ability and does what he has to do. The few steps he takes for himself are outside of his ability, such as taking Chani as wife/concubine. Paul becomes the emperor to avoid the negative outcomes, not because he is power hungry or feels like he has a right to it.

On the other end of the spectrum there is the Bene Gesserit, which is a group of predominantly female devotees. The group has religious undertones and all members fall under the authority of a priestess figure called the Reverend Mother. There are two reverend mothers in the story, one that advises the emperor and is the religious head of the organization. The other one is Fremen and is more of a personal or secular leader, not bound to the rest of the organization. They are able to tap into their emotions in order to use a power called the voice, which can force people to do what they say. They also have to go through a test to show that they can withstand pain when death is on the line. Testing is used to other the uninitiated to the point of calling them “beasts” With this emphasis on feeling and control over it, Bene Gesserit powers are akin to ultimate manipulation.

Despite having the title “Mother” the head of the order is not very motherly in how she does not seem to care about those under her. Most of the interactions with the Reverend Mother show her as a conniving schemer and highly judgemental. This follows a stereotypical “Karen” personality. Apart from being called the Reverend mother,, the Leader of the bene Gesserit, who is an Advisor to the emperor, is called the Truth Sayer. This seems to be in contrast to her personality and how she acts. She acts subservient to the emperor while actively trying to create a puppet Kwisatz haderach to take over his rule. This could be due to the belief that blanket omission isn't lying or blatant negative characterization. The title is misleading and lends her false credibility, which sets her up so that she can manipulate even the Emperor. 

The Bene Gesserit continue their religious trend by having what seems to be missionaries, called Missionaria Protectiva. They were active on Arrakis to plant the seed of belief that if and when the Bene Gesserit came to Arrakis, they would be well received. There is something strange about the missionary they sent to Arrakis however, since when Lady Jessica is talking with Shadout Mapes, she comments “ Great Mother! They planted that one here! This must be a hideous place!” (Herbert 90). This alludes that the woman in question was selected especially for Arrakis based on the inhospitable condition of either the planet or the people. By making a note to question the beginning of Bene Gesserit belief on Arrakis, Herbert is able to twist the practices observed on Arrakis as he sees fit. The existence of a second, more secular, Reverend Mother is proof of this offshoot. With a strong backing in belief and inner strength to the Arrakeen natives, missionaries were able to achieve a cultural fervor where the name “Jihad” is appropriate.

The first scene is regarding the Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother visiting Paul on Caladan. This is so Paul can undergo The Gom Jabbar test, which men do not usually undergo, or at least pass. This serves to both introduce the destiny of the main character and to show the male exclusionary practices of the Bene Gesserit, except when it comes to the main character. The vitriol leveled at the Bene Gesserit is largely to do with their manipulativeness. Thufir Hawat calls them Witches, as they can influence others with voice alone. As it seems entirely skill based and not overtly magical, no men can use it. This again does not count in the main character's case. Manipulation is not solely used by the Bene Gesserit, as Baron Harkonnen is shown to have manipulated both Doctor Yueh and Thufir Hawat. He does so through drugs, which makes him less of a man than Duke Leto or the Emperor, who rely on physical prowess.
The later half of the story revolves around the existence of the Kwisatz Haderach. This person is said to have knowledge of ancestral memory on both the male and female side. Another very important ability is prescience, or being able to look into the future and know something before it happens. This power is not without its dangers, one of which is daunting for a very specific reason. “We will see now whether I’m the Kwisatz Haderach who can survive the test that the Reverend Mothers have survived.” (Herbert 709) Paul undergoes the drinking of the water of life, which comes from killing a sandworm. These are baby versions of Shai Halud, so they are different and do not carry the same importance as a Maker. The baby sandworm is still inherently male with its phallic shape, though the water of life it gives is solely used in ascension ceremonies for the Reverend Mothers. It is also said to be virulent poison until a reverend mother changes it, usually for communal purposes in the Fremen culture. 

As Paul is born male and has not gone through the Reverend Mother training, he will only be able to survive if he truly is the Kwisatz Haderach. This is the defining moment when Paul is obtaining his powers and his new identity. Drinking the poison caused him to fall into a sleep, which is used to show transformation. The line “It is not necessary for her to change the Water” shows that Paul is fully the Kwisatz Haderach, who can see the future and is in touch with all of his ancestors both male and female(Herbert 719). Further description of what each gendered energy does is given in the lines “There is in each of us an ancient force that takes and an ancient force that gives” (Herbert 722) The ancient force that gives is the female force, while the male force is the one that takes. This can be seen in the view of women in Dune as mothers and nurturing. The male forces we have seen are only interested in taking from each other or taking from Arrakis. His lack of control in this process is seen in the line “I cannot give without taking and I cannot take without…” (Herbert 723) As Kwisatz haderach, Paul Atreides is bound by who he is as much as he was prior to becoming the Kwisatz Haderach if not more so. Even though he has set himself apart from those around him, he cannot act that way he wishes. So even though he has come to engage both ends of the gendered spectrum he cannot go past it, not like Alia or Count Fenring have.

    The meaning behind Kwisatz Haderack was started by the Bene Gesserit and is religious in nature. As a transcendent being arising from a male born of women, The Kwisatz Haderach symbolizes a savior, “And his word shall carry death eternal to those who stand against righteousness' ' (Herbert 776). Paul gives substance to the belief that the kwisatz haderach is a religious figure with godlike power and standing. However, Paul is not the only one with this ability or a similarly powerful ability. Both Alia and Fenring are in the latter category and both of his twin children are in the former. As it was stated, “Fenring was one of the might-have-beens, an almost-Kwisatz Haderach, crippled by a flaw in the genetic pattern– a eunuch”(Herbert 790-791) It is shown here that someone lacking male energy or a eunuch could not become the Kwisatz haderach. In this way Alia is also incapable of becoming the Kwisatz Haderach. Fenring is still seen as deadly, to the point where Paul can't see him using his prescient ability. The only other person that has messed with his ability is Alia. Both Fenring and Alia are separated from the people around them and are caught up in their own machinations, but because they are disconnected they are able to achieve special roles in Dune as characters. As Paul becomes more embroiled in his role as Kwisatz Haderach, he constantly has to question whether he is in the past, present or future. His main concern is shown in the quote  “I am a prey to the imperfect vision, to the race consciousness and its terrible purpose.” (Herbert 616). Calling the Kwisatz haderach powers ``imperfect” breaks down the carefully structured hierarchy of power that Dune has set up. He has to act according to the higher will, albeit with some minor exceptions, or else his entire future will collapse.The only power that seems to surpass the vision of the Kwisatz haderach is that of Alia, who is said to be an abomination and has lost their gender affiliation. This could be taken to mean that gendered power in dune can only go so far and that ungendered power in dune can surpass those preset limits. 

Dune has a political system that is patriarchal. The emperor and both Harkonnen and Leto are male. This is highly reminiscent of feudal times where the political landscape was likewise structured into male driven hierarchical systems. The only female in power in Dune is the Reverend Mother. This can be fit into the male driven society by calling attention to the religious undertone of the Bene Gesserit teachings. Relating the Reverend Mother to a Holy Mother figure  would make having a female figure, one who is even titled “Mother”, in power akin to nuns or even priestesses of ancient religions. The comparison is further solidified in the goal of the Bene Gesserit to bring about the birth of a gifted male “savior” figure. Outside of the one exception of religious females in leadership, the only other character that is near a position of power is The Lady Jessica, consort to the Duke Leto. It is clearly stated that she does not hold the title of duchess, which places her in the less than desirable position of consort. Jack Hand comments on this political system, stating that,“The Padishah Empire in Dune seems almost medieval in its reliance on political intrigue, marriages of state and force majeur as its instruments of power.” (Hand 24). The baron Harkonnen is shown to be the major force, The duke Atreides shows itself to be adept at politics, and the emperor and his daughter have the potential to symbolize marriages of state. The three political factions successfully make up the three cornerstones of medieval noble power.

Gender essentialism supposes that gender has inherent traits that are shared by most members of a gender. If a character is said to be female or male, then they would have a majority of the corresponding traits. Elizabeth Grosz’s view is found in the statement: “As any calligrapher knows, the kind of texts produced depends not only on the message to be inscribed, not only on the inscriptive tools—stylus, ink— used, but also on the quality and distinctiveness of the paper written upon” (Grosz 191). The meaning behind it is that the inherent traits make up the base of the personality, which are further shown in the self-inscription of characteristics people gain in life. How this translates in works of literature is more streamlined and uses preset traits which authors pull from to determine their character’s actions/reactions. Dune, with its large array of static characters, exemplifies essentialist traits. The gender of a character is imposed by the author who has full control and creative license to do so. In life gender is rarely that easy to define in a person, with each person judging their own and some judging others. Gender goes beyond what is readily apparent. When someone is born, gender is immediately attributed by others without full understanding or permission. Amy M. Blackstone theorizes that  “Appropriate gender roles are defined according to a society's beliefs about differences between the sexes.”(Blackstone) In literature, this gives us a view on the author's take on gender and the role it plays in society. The definition of Women and Men has lost physical meaning, and in lieu of this, humans attempt to define it not by using a set definition. Instead, they include differences in how people interact with each other, or the roles each person plays. Blackstone defines gender roles as, “the product of the interactions between individuals and their environments, and they give individuals cues about what sort of behavior is believed to be appropriate for what sex.” (Blackstone) Women in Dune, particularly The Lady Jessica, are almost solely defined by her ability to give birth. Judith Butler called this a split in the feminine subject (Butler 9). The view that the worth of a woman is dependent on her sex, rather than who she is, is sadly still prevalent today. Butler writes, “it would make no sense, then, to define gender as the cultural interpretation of sex, if sex itself is a gendered category.”(Butler 11) Under this notion, The Lady Jessica should not solely be valued based on her sex as it is not what makes her a woman. The insistence of judging people this way is a backwards view that was popularized during points in history when fertility was important and the continuation of lineages was the first concern among the royalty.

Fremen are the native population of Arrakis, the main setting of Dune. The Fremen are a patriarchal society where the strongest male is in charge. They do have their own Reverend Mother that acts as an advisor to the leader. They also participate in duels to the death, where the winner gets honor and any assets that the loser had. It should also be said that this includes any marital relations,“Usul, it’s our way that you’ve now the responsibility for Jamis’ woman here and for his two sons.” (Herbert 555), further cementing the Fremen as a male driven society. The Fremen have a spiritual attachment to the Sandworms in the desert, which they named Shai- Hulud. The name is Arabic that Herbert calls “Old man of the desert” which is another nod to masculine influence in Fremen culture (Herbert 652). The “Makers'' are used by the Fremen for transportation and Paul is still unproven as a Fremen until he rides one. The argument could also be made that since the worms are phallic shaped and are responsible for the drug that gives the Reverend mother her powers, this ties her back into the male hierarchy. Besides the existence of a Bene Gesserit advisor, the Fremen are bound by their fate to be dependent on the Bene Gesserit. This is shown in the line “It is said that a Bene Gesserit and her offspring hold the key to our future.” (Herbert 474). The Fremen dream is to have water back on Arrakis and not be in a constant state of survival. Fremen belief has this dream, tempered by their traditions and beliefs. One of their beliefs is that ‘“God created Arrakis to train the faithful’ One cannot go against the word of God” (Herbert 792). When asked by the Emperor if Paul sought to make Arrakis a paradise, his answer was that while there would be more water, he would not completely wipe out the traditional hardness of its people. A leader makes the best choice for his people.

How Paul was able to ascend the ranks of the Fremen so quickly was due to two factors. One was the pre-existing destiny that encompasses the whole book. The other is some words from Duke Leto. Specifically when he says “Play on the certain knowledge of their superiority, the mystique of secret covenant, the esprit of shared suffering.” (Herbert 71). When discussing the forces on Salusa Secundus, the world where the infamous Sardaukar are trained, Duke Leto lays out a step by step process for gaining the trust of tough fighters from inhospitable worlds. This matches the Fremen perfectly as it is seen that by surviving the desert and all its hazards, they are far stronger than the Sardaukar. Paul goes through this process in order to gain their trust, though it is never explicitly stated he is faking or is disingenuous.

As much as Paul is truly in charge of the Fremen, he still has to maintain order the same as any leader. The key example of power slipping from his hands is when dealing with Stilgar as second in command. Both are strong leaders and they are both respected by the people. But Fremen culture dictates that there is only one leader, and “The young men say if Usul does not call out Stilgar, then he must be afraid.”(Herbert 648). We see here that Paul is bound by the Fremen code. His answer is to change the Fremen code, which causes the Fremen way to change. The Fremen were seen as great fighters, and while their survival of the fittest created these types of warriors, it also culled great leaders. Paul saved Stilgar here, which is in contrast to how the Baron killed Duke Leto to remain in power. Paul chose a different way. Paul chose peace, even when it did not coincide with the expectations held by the Fremen. 
Gender studies in Dune aren't solely biased against women, although they do tend that way .  Jack Hand’s words on the matter are “It is the women of Dure who suffer most from this past-as-future effect, but not them alone.” (Hand 24) The men of Dune are also victims of stereotypes and follow a distinct pattern of traits. This trend first is called into question at the very beginning, when Paul is brought before the Reverend Mother. She tests him using pain to see if he will react solely based on his feelings, or if he will remain still under immense pain. This would determine if he was a beast or a human. One of the religious texts in the History of Dune states ”Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a man’s mind, '' which the Reverend Mother comments that it should be “Thou shalt not make a machine to counterfeit a human mind”(17) This is implying that if you are guided by emotions, such as choosing death over pain, then you are no more than a beast. We can infer that Duke Leto has not taken the Gom Jabbar test, death needle or pain box. We can infer this because The Lady Jessica brought Paul to the Reverend Mother at night, in secret. If that is the case then it would make sense that neither Baron Harkonnen nor Duke Leto has taken the test, meaning they cannot be deemed fully human. Instead the fact is that their humanity can be called into question and beast could be considered a gendered trait of men in power in Dune. Baron Harkonnen is seen to be ruled by his emotions, especially his hatred for the loss of Arrakis. Duke Leto is also compromised with his heightened sense of honor that doesn't allow him to keep his family safe, which could have been possible by rejecting the emperor’s decree to go to Arrakis.

    Lady Jessica and Duke Leto are prime examples of inherent gendering. Duke Leto throughout the story is very hard, commanding, and not prone to use tricks or subterfuge to get anything. He is the head of the house and is respected by everyone underneath him. His character is very static and unchanging throughout the book. The Lady Jessica is his consort, which is an important fact that is key to her gender role. The Lady Jessica is a foil to the duke in a very key way. She is Bene Gesserit, which means she is taught to manipulate others. The duke's straightforwardness and her subterfuge is shown in full when they have a disagreement in the earlier chapters. “”No.``The word rang flat and final, telling her she could use trickery to persuade, but open argument was useless. Still, she had to try, even if the gesture served only to remind herself that she would not trick him.” (80). Both of these traits are passed down into Paul Atreides, their son.

The fact that The lady Jessica is not a Duchess is yet another show of female gender roles in the time of lords and ladies. Beauvoir made the determination“Thus humanity is male and man defines woman not in herself but as relative to him” (Beauvoir 15) This idea of male-centrism is shown in Dune by The Lady Jessica status in relation to Duke Leto. When the relationship between her and the Duke is called into question, she tells them, “I'm the bound concubine of the Duke Leto''(85). The reason she was not a duchess was because, “As long as my duke remains unmarried some of the Great Houses can still hope for alliance.”(104). The Lady Jessica’s status and reason for it shows the rift between man and woman inherent in this political time period. In patriarchal or matriarchal societies, the power dynamics in marriages are skewed. Male leaders had to produce a male heir and also marry for politics, so if they needed a male heir and no politically advantageous marriages were available, they would get concubines. This would be a woman who would function as an heir maker. Beauvoir queries and asserts “But first we must ask: what is a woman?... “woman is a womb””(Beauvoir 13). This is a critique on the importance of the female sex being so closely linked with childbearing. Views such as these are found in societies where political marriages and bloodlines are seen as traditional. Hans Oliebos analyzed the entire dune series, in which they found that, “In the first four books reproduction is heavily tied to the Houses, (see 1.1.1), which makes it seems as if women’s only purpose is marriage and conceiving a child. Childbearing is even used as a political manoeuvre in the Houses, as a (potential) child can be used to form alliances through matchmaking.” (Oliebos). This is indicative of arranged marriages in olden times, which were to prevent future conflict and strengthening of alliances. Oliebos goes on to say, “This duality is also explored in Dune, as reproduction and motherhood seem to be controlled by others, part of political ploys, carefully constructed and manipulated by (breeding) programs. (Oliebos). The last point deals exclusively with Paul and the Kwisatz haderach. The Lady Jessica was truly given less than no choice in whether to be a mother or even a wife. She was with Duke Leto to birth a child for a political marriage, but Duke Leto instead had her give birth to a son, which would make any future union impossible. This male child would also end up being the culmination of the Bene Gesserit breeding program. The overall theme of birth and childbearing is seeking to achieve the union that is “Female properly aligned with male” (Herbert 472) The only showing of a true union of this type is in the main character. His parents' relationship fails on the count of Lady Jessica being a bound concubine. Paul’s marriage fails on the lack of love and his relationship with Chani fails for the same reason as his parents.

Lady Jessica is not solely a supporting character. She is seen as being against Paul in two ways. She acts as the secular religious leader of the Fremen and using her influence she whips them into a frenzy. Paul notices it and is left with the thought “She is bringing the jihad. She bore me; she trained me. She is my enemy.” (Hebert 520) Left unchecked, The Fremen would rampage across the galaxy. Lady Jessica acts as a catalyst of this because she has suffered at the hands of Baron Harkonnen and seeks to make him pay. This shows gendered traits in female rage. She is willing to destroy the peace that Paul is fighting for in order to get revenge. Lady Jessica also acts as a traditional influence in Chani’s relationship with Paul. As Chani’s position matches her own, it is strange that Lady Jessica does not have a closer relationship with her. Her view on Chani is summed up in the question “What can his desert woman do for a Duke except serve him coffee?” (Herbert 698). As Chani is not born noble, Lady Jessica sees no merit in their union. This shows her traditionalist views on marriage.

During childhood, kids are soaking in everything around them and using their experiences to define who they are. This makes them very sensitive to outside influences. In the case of gender roles, Eccles expounds on the influence of parental guidance and its effect on a child’s impressionable views. Towards that end, she writes the following:“parents distort their perceptions of their own children in gender role stereotypic activities…, and that these perceptual biases influence the children's own self-perceptions and activity choices.” (Eccles)  The meaning lies in the ability for the parents' views on gender stereotypes to influence the activities and upbringing they give their child. This in turn can shape the child's own gender stereotypes and perception of both themselves and others. Herbert’s Dune is no exception to this theory. When Paul was young, Duke Leto carried out Mentat training on Paul without his knowledge or permission. Mentat’s are stereotypically male. This shows that Duke Leto changed Paul’s training around his preconceived notions on gender. The parental attitude in Dune is one of survival of the line. The Atreides line is almost snuffed out in one night, with everyone believing Paul and Lady Jessica were dead. The survival of the line is also important to the Bene Gesserit, as they seek the Kwisatz Haderach. As it is ventured in the book, “Who could tell yet what rules of parenthood prevailed here?... the drive to seek immortality through progeny. The fertility drive of the species had overpowered them.” (Herbert 472). Lady Jessica finds herself to be pregnant with Alia at a time when it is very unsafe. She questions why she is keeping the baby instead of prioritizing her own survival. She realizes her values have shifted as she is “afflicted” by feelings of motherhood. The two schools of thought on this are nature vs nurture. The so-called nature of motherhood deals with the biology of the female sex having a chemical predisposition to seek to be mothers. The flip side of this idea is nurture, where those assumed to be female are taught throughout their lives that reproduction and then motherhood are positive experiences they should seek out. The social and economic aspect of motherhood act as guides to push non-conformists by using fear tactics (Chodorow). How Lady Jessica reacts could be a response to familial loss causing her to put her baby’s life in a place of higher importance.

Alia, Paul Atreides Sister, is another powerful member of the Atreides family. She was born after the Duke’s death, so the male influence in her life came from Paul himself. She was also subjected to the poison used in the Fremen Bene Gesserit Ritual, giving her the powers greater than a Reverend Mother at birth. Alia exhibits high levels of intelligence and wisdom from a very young age. When undergoing the Fremen reverend mother ritual, the old Reverend Mother saw that the lady Jessica was pregnant, immediately showing alarm and saying “This changes both of you! Holy Mother, what have we done?” (Herbert 576). This sets her apart from all of the previous women that went through the ritual as they were physically ready and chosen for the task. Alia was forced to go through it and had no sense of normalcy before she gained the powers of a reverend mother, which interrupted any preclusion of gender through social learning. Alia takes a unique role in the story, being an amalgamation of seemingly contradictory energies. The Kwisatz haderach has access to both male and female energy while Alia is a child so therefore is a genderless blank slate who also has mother energy from becoming a reverend mother before birth. As such, Alia is wise beyond their years and acts emotionally mature. This gives them an air of wrongness that shows in their meeting with the Emperor.  

During the audience that captive Alia has with the Emperor, his Truthsayer/Reverend Mother exclaims “That child is an abomination!” towards Alia (Herbert 750). This shows that Alia is no longer human and not comparable to any others that came before her. To further emphasize this point, she even surpasses her brother, Paul, which is shown in the last chapter when she says “Even you cannot do that, my brother.” (Herbert). As Alia is not seen as a reverend mother and yet more powerful than the Kwisatz Haderach, Alia sits outside of the Mentat and Bene Gesserit dichotomy whereas Paul is the pinnacle of it. 

Paul speaks on his view of their relationship, when she is captured he says “Though we deem the captive dead, yet does she live. For her seed is my seed and her voice is my voice. And she sees unto the farthest reaches of possibility. Yea, unto the vale of the unknowable does she see because of me.” (Herbert 741) This excerpt is found in the foreword of its chapter. This carries a different meaning than if it was found in the actual body of the chapter. This is taken from the point of view of Paul Atreides. Alia seems to have a more powerful sight than Paul, though he sees her power as a product of his. He played no active role in what she went through so this seems to be a biased view by Paul. He could be attempting to bestow hope by calling back to the fact that they are family, or a way to connect them both emotionally even when they are physically far apart. He is ascribing Alia importance relative to himself. Using words like “because of me” takes agency away from Alia and relegates her power to a byproduct of his. Alia occupies a different social position due to their power as well. Alia speaks very bluntly even when in the presence of the emperor. He does not seem to care, as their comments are mostly at the baron's expense. When first setting eyes on baron Harkonnen, Alia says “So here he is… He doesn’t appear much, does he.” (Herbert 747). Alia does not seem to balk from using her venomous tongue against Baron Harkonnen. Unlike her brother, who has to carefully craft the words to guide him towards his future, Alia breaks any and all rules as she creates her own reality. In this case, she speaks to the baron as if he were a senile fat old man and does not care of the proper etiquette. As this is a male driven society, female voices are silenced. It is not just done by the emperor to the truthsayer, but also between Duke Leto and The Lady Jessica. The fact that Alia is not silenced shows that Alia is not seen as primarily female. Following the childhood model of gender, before a person comes of age, their gender expression is still in flux. The chemicals that aid in the physical representation of gender have yet to make their mark on the body, leaving it a blank slate apart from genetics. This before stage is where Alia is in this book, as they encapsulate the agender impermanence of youth.

Gender is at the heart of Dune, and each is given its own sway over the main character. Elizabeth Grosz’s gender essentialism is prevalent in the characters of Duke Leto and the Lady Jessica. Duke Leto embodies masculine stereotypes, while the Lady Jessica embodies feminine stereotypes. Paul Atreides is the nexus between his Bene Gesserit mother and his father, the Duke. He shows this mix when he ends up a leader much like his father, with the wile and subterfuge given to him by his mother. All in all, Frank Herbert wasted no ink in making it very clear the importance of gender in telling a story and building a world. The message seems to be “One cannot be complete without both masculine and feminine qualities” which is shared by Elizabeth Grosz in her words; “It involves not a death of man or of God but the generation of a new productivity between and of the two sexes.” (Grosz 210) Whether the one in charge was a powerful man such as the emperor, or a powerful woman such as the reverend mother, all gender exclusive hierarchies were built on foundations of sand. Leaders are dependent on the support of the governed. The governed are not all one gender, therefore one gender cannot lead them. Muad’Dib’s right to rule is founded in his noble birth, which was the result of selective breeding, and his skill with leading the fremen, the world's strongest warriors. Paul doesn't break down the system, he just supplants it. From here, the rest of the books build off of this overwhelmingly rich text to fully flesh out the universe that is only lightly traveled in these pages.




Works Cited
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