Dune Themes

Pardot Kynes says that the purpose of ecology is "understanding consequences" (30.11). Now, that's a bit different from the definition you'd find in a dictionary, but it's a definition that helps...

Human beings have an obsession with wondering about the future. Are we destined to play a specific, predestined role in history, or do we have free will? Do the tarot cards reveal truths about our...

Dune just can't make up its mind about traditions and customs, can it? Take Duke Leto, for instance. He stops the Harkonnen tradition of selling slop water to the beggars and institutes a tradition...

Every child wants to be a grown-up, but no child wants to do the growing up. Why? Because it's hard, that's why. But if you think you have it bad, just trying growing up as Paul Atreides. Paul was...

If we had to describe Dune's theme of power in one word, we'd use "energy." Why? Energy is required in any system to produce any form of force or power. In physics, energy produces the force that...

If the box office take for The Avengers of $623 million is any indication, people love superheroes. Love them. And this love of superhuman qualities mirrors a side of humanity Dune taps into with i...

Have you ever seen the list of things the Tasmanian Devil on Looney Tunes eats? It's pretty extensive (source). And that's what the Tasmanian Devil and politics have in common: they consume everyth...

Fear comes from a variety of sources in the Dune universe. It's actually scary just how many things the characters must be fearful of in their day-to-day existence. At the same time, fear isn't som...

You know what we love here at Shmoop? It's when an author does the heavy lifting for us. It's just super nice of them. Here's Frank Herbert discussing the importance of family: "And I learned, from...