Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Dune Messiah, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Power
Religion
Guilt and Longing
Fate and Choice
Summary
Analysis
On Dune, an old man with blue eyes stands in his doorway staring suspiciously at Scytale. Semuta music—a music that could infiltrate a person’s brain and fill it with memories— issues from behind the old man. Scytale—who has taken on Duncan Idaho’s appearance—gives the greeting signal of the conspiracy. The old man asks Scytale if he knew his son. Scytale feels uneasy in this cul-de-sac of bleak houses built for veterans of the Jihad. The old man continues to question Scytale, and Scytale fears that there is some reason for the man’s caution.
This scene shows what Dune is like beyond Muad’Dib’s Keep. The cul-de-sac is a place stuck in a past time either before or during the war that started the Jihad. Semuta music issues from the houses, suggesting that these veterans have not been able to move on from their memories or from their old ways of life. Moreover, the houses are bleak, suggesting that while Muad’Dib gains power and prestige, the rest of the planet falls into poverty.
Themes
The old man asks Scytale’s name. Scytale responds “Zaal”—his given name for this mission—and the old man introduces himself as Farok, a veteran of the Jihad. Farok lets Scytale inside to a covered courtyard. Farok describes the life he lived in Sietch, and Scytale realizes that Farok joined the conspiracy because he lost his old life in the war. The background music changes, and Scytale notices a seated boy with empty eye sockets striking up a song about wind that swept the world and sky away.
Farok is a part of the conspiracy for another reason beyond those of its main members. Farok hates how Muad’Dib has changed the world since he gained power, revealing that the spread of Muad’Dib’s influence has not been for the good of all; it required a war that robbed many people of their comfort caused them to sustain long-lasting injuries, such as Farok’s son’s missing eyes.
Themes
Scytale senses wisdom and loyalty in Farok and follows Farok to some cushions. They sit. Farok describes how his son (the seated boy) lost his eyes. He then ascertains that Scytale is a Face Dancer and says that Scytale’s appearance reminds him of Duncan Idaho. In response to Farok’s query, Scytale says Face Dancers can choose their sex. Scytale politely declines Farok’s offer of refreshments and blesses Abu d’ Dhur—a mythological idol—an action which clues Farok into Scytale’s allegiance with Edric.
The versatility of Face Dancers hints at Scytale’s individual power as a member of the conspiracy. Scytale gains Farok’s trust by reminding him of his former compatriot in the Jihad, Duncan Idaho. In this way, Scytale uses his Face Dancer skills to get in with Farok even more than his fellow allegiance to the conspiracy does.
Themes
In riddled language, Scytale insinuates that he wants to talk about Muad’Dib’s Keep. Farok evades his inquiry and explains that he tried to get his son Tleilaxu replacement eyes, but his son didn’t want metal eyes. Scytale subtly steers the conversation back to Muad’Dib’s Keep. Farok says that he entered Muad’Dib’s Imperial Keep for the celebration of the Jihad victory. Farok complains about the celebratory feast, at which the soldiers spoke of war and had orgies with enslaved women. He tells Scytale that Muad’Dib and Chani’s private chamber is hidden somewhere deep in the Keep.
Farok’s perspective on Paul’s behavior after winning the Jihad casts him in an unflattering light. In Farok’s opinion, Paul behaved like a barbaric conqueror drunk on his victory—not like a just man ruling the universe for a just cause. In this way, Paul’s rise to power required him to resort to immoral behavior and compromised his reputation with many people.
Themes
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Farok says that Muad’Dib has a few trusted Fremen officials and disregards everyone else. Muad’Dib has a private landing strip on the inner wall and singlehandedly controls its activity. Disapprovingly, Farok says that Muad’Dib implants wave translators inside men so they can carry messages indecipherable by political cryptology. Scytale asks if the Fremen people objected to making the Muad’Dib their god. Farok says that the Fremen think of the Jihad as a source of wealth and strange adventure.
Farok’s description of Muad’Dib reveals that, although Muad’Dib exercises unified rule over much of the universe, he is actually very selective and private. He sends messages that he does not want everyone to read, he lives where he is inaccessible to the public, and he ignores most of his subjects. In this way, Muad’Dib’s unified rule requires that he keep most people in the dark.
Themes
While his son sings louder, Farok reminisces about Sietch. There, he owned simple possessions that held memories. He had no money, but he felt rich. He had two wives and had knowledge without having to think. When Paul Atreides came, hailed as the Muad’Dib, and called for the Jihad, Farok didn’t join. His friends joined, and returned with stories of wizardry, believing Paul was their savior. Farok says that he enlisted in the Jihad at last because he wanted to see something he’d never seen before: the sea.
Farok illustrates the culture the Jihad occasioned as one of consumerism and falsehoods. The current culture is characterized by divides between rich and poor whereas before, everyone felt rich even if they had nothing. Moreover, there was no absence of spiritual happiness before, but in the current state of things, people are bewitched by the idea that Muad’Dib is a God.
Themes
Farok’s son ends his song and starts another. Scytale asks Farok if he found the sea. After a long pause, Farok tells of the time he and his fellow soldiers witnessed a glorious sunset over the sea. The water made him sick when he drank it, and there were dead bodies and debris floating in the water, but Farok felt he understood the purpose of everything. Farok tells Scytale that the universe is unfinished, and that “The Mother of Chaos” lives in the sea. When he stepped out of the sea, he was cured of the Jihad.
Farok makes the claim that experiencing the “Mother of Chaos” cured him of the Jihad. The Jihad is fueled by peoples’ belief that Muad’Dib is a god, and therefore by the belief that the universe revolves around him. However, the chaos that Farok witnessed in the sea must have convinced him that the universe is incapable of order—and therefore that absolute power is impossible.
Themes
Scytale feels uneasy when he realizes that he can’t remember when Farok’s son stopped singing. Farok tells Scytale that every gate into the Emperor’s Keep is guarded. Scytale asserts that this conviction is the Keep’s weakness. Scytale feels that Farok’s son’s music transmitted all the vital information of the conspiracy into his brain.
Muad’Dib’s Keep illustrates the paradox of power: too much power is a weakness. Similarly, the strength of Muad’Dib’s Keep makes it vulnerable to invaders. This suggests that power, by attracting attention, creates its own downfall.
Themes
Farok says that they have the woman, and Scytale asks to see her. Farok’s son starts playing the violin, and a Fremen woman appears, heavily drugged with melange. Farok introduces her as Otheym’s daughter Lichna and says that his son overpowered her with semuta music to make her love him. As Otheym’s daughter leans over Farok’s son, Farok asks Scytale what he plans to do with her.
Lichna is drugged with melange—which gives the power to see the future—and semuta—which overpowers the user with memories of the past. These two drugs, representing two opposite powers, show how the perception of time can oppress and sway people in this universe.
Themes
Scytale raises his arm, and a needle darts from his sleeve and embeds in Farok’s neck. As Farok dies, Scytale goes over to the blind son and impales him with the needle. Changing his appearance to look like Farok, Scytale leads Otheym’s daughter away.
Even though Farok is a member of the conspiracy, Scytale deceives him and robs him of Lichna. This suggests that Scytale—while playing along with the conspiracy—possibly has his own motives and plans.
Themes
