Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Dune, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Power and Violence
Free Will and Fate
Environment and Human Culture
Human Cognitive Advances
Summary
Analysis
The epigraph from Princess Irulan’s text “Muad’Dib: The Religious Issues” discusses the reality that politics are embedded within religion. Politics spread through religious training, education and discipline. Religious leaders are therefore always faced with the difficult issues of whether to sacrifice themselves for religious ethics or retain leadership and control by taking all opportunities to control the embedded politics.
In this epigraph, Princess Irulan demonstrates a shrewd grasp of religion as intrinsic to political workings. As per Lady Jessica’s previous warnings to Paul about mixing politics and religion, Irulan’s commentary serves to build suspense and foreshadow the tragedy of widespread death that accompanies Paul’s rise to power.
Themes
Paul succeeds in mounting and riding the sandworm that he has called with the thumper. After a brief solo ride, he is joined by many other Fremen who similarly hook themselves up onto the worm. Stilgar critiques Paul for his riding technique.
Stilgar’s critique suggests that he and Paul have formed a close relationship where honesty and teasing are allowed. The two men interact as equals.
Themes
Paul wants to ride the sandworm south to a newly established sietch that hides Fremen women and children, while Stilgar thinks that they should stop and set up camp for the night. Both men realize that the Fremen expect Paul to challenge Stilgar soon for tribal leadership, as Paul’s superior talents beyond all other humans is becoming increasingly more apparent.
The great leadership skills held by both Stilgar and Paul complicate their friendship. Fremen tradition demands that they fight to the death to determine who will command the Fremen. The two have held off such a challenge because they greatly value each other’s knowledge and talents.
Themes
While Paul and Stilgar debate what the tribe’s next move is, they hear a smuggler’s ornithopter flying nearby. The Fremen dismount the sandworm and hide. Paul decides to punish the smugglers for flying in Fremen territory—he and Stilgar set a trap using a fake spice patch to lure the smugglers in.
Paul seems to have taken de facto leadership of the Fremen; Stilgar doesn’t challenge his instruction because he knows that Paul has grown more powerful than him.
Themes
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