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Paradox
Definition of Setting
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or it can be an imagined... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the... read full definition
Setting
Explanation and Analysis:
Much like in Herbert's preceding novel, Dune Messiah is carried by the relationship between characters and their physical environment. The religious practices of the Fremen feature more heavily in Dune Messiah, and these are directly influenced by the Fremens' relationship with their desert environment. (This extends as far as simple language—note, for instance, Paul's practice of saying "gods below" instead of the common English colloquialism, "gods above." This expletive refers to the sandworms as gods, in the Fremen pantheon.
In Dune Messiah, the structural importance of the sand coating the planet's surface becomes paramount. Sand is an unstable substance, constantly shifting to hide or reveal the sandworms that lurk below the surface of Dune. This sand recalls the sands of time, tumbling from an hourglass, reminding Paul of the instability of the future—and prescience. Simultaneously, the shifting sands of Dune represent the planet's ever-shifting political systems, constantly in tumult. As the center of the spice trade, Dune is a thriving mecca; yet at the same time, it is a barren desert, inhospitable to all but the Fremen. In Dune Messiah, certain measures are being taken to ensure that the planet is more hospitable, but these are ill-tolerated, as are the Bene Gesserit's attempts to tamper with time and genetics.
Related Themes:
