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The Duality of Nature in Frank Herbert’s Dune
Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel, Dune, is considered to be a classic of science fiction
literature and also serves as one of the novels primarily responsible for establishing the
genre of ecological literature. In describing the conception of the novel, Herbert states, “I
conceived of a long novel…about the messianic convulsions that periodically overtake
us. Demagogues, fanatics, con-game artists, the innocent and the not-so-innocent
bystanders-all were to have a part in the drama. This grows from my theory that
superheroes are disastrous for humankind. Even if we find a real hero…eventually
fallible mortals take over the power structure that always comes into being around such a
leader” (Dune Genesis). Herbert’s initial mission was to write an entertainment novel
based upon these principles, which create high drama.
Herbert felt, however, that a novel needed to make a profound argument besides
being merely entertaining. He found inspiration in this regard upon travelling to Florence,
Oregon to write an article about a project that was being performed by the US
Department of Agriculture. The USDA had been planting grasses in an attempt to control
the drifting sand dunes along the coast. The ecological matters discussed in Dune are the
product of the insight he gained into ecology on this trip. “I had already written several
pieces about ecological matters, but my superhero concept filled me with a concern that
ecology might be the next banner for demagogues and would-be-heroes, for the power
seekers and others ready to find an adrenaline high in the launching of a new
crusade…Ecology encompasses a real concern, however, and the Florence project fed my
interest in how we inflict ourselves upon our planet. I could begin to see the shape of a
global problem, no part of it separated from any other-social ecology, political ecology,
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economic ecology. It's an open-ended list” (Herbert, Dune Genesis). Frank Herbert uses
the background of a grand scale science fiction novel to introduce the audience to the
importance of nature. He addresses this ecological topic by discussing the physical
setting itself, the role of animals in a balanced ecology, and the stewardship of resources.
These separate categories are then used to demonstrate the duality found in nature.
Leonard M. Scigaj, an ecological critic, states, “Ecology is a matter of understanding
terms such as ‘interdependence’ and ‘reciprocity’ as applying to all facets of organic life
and inorganic matter. These terms are not, however, to be comprehended as abstractions
but as felt-relationships, extensions of the self in a lived totality” (Skigaj).
These are the ideas that ultimately took form as the novel, Dune. The story takes
place thousands of years in the future and follows the young Paul, heir to the Duke Leto
Atreides, as the family is uprooted from their watery homeworld of Caladan to take over
control of the desert planet, Arrakis. This new planet is the only source in the galaxy of
the spice Melange. As the planet’s sole export, Melange is the most important substance
on Arrakis. It is “the ‘spice of spices,’ the crop for which Arrakis is the unique source.
The spice, chiefly noted for its geriatric qualities, is mildly addictive when taken in small
quantities, severely addictive when imbibed in [large] quantities … Muad’Dib claimed
the spice as a key to his prophetic powers. Guild navigators make similar claims”
(Herbert, Dune xix-xx).
Arrakis is populated by two separate groups of people: the city-dwellers,
governed by the ruling class, and the Fremen who lead a nomadic lifestyle in the desert.
Because they choose to make their home in the desert, the Fremen have completely
adapted their lifestyle in order to survive. Paul experiences this for himself when the
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Atreides family is betrayed by a member of their own staff and attacked by a rival family,
the Harkonnens. The family and their most trusted attendants are scattered. Duke Leto is
captured and ultimately killed while his concubine, Jessica, and son, Paul, are left in the
desert to die. Paul and Jessica survive the desert for several days before being found by a
group of Fremen led by their chief, Stilgar. He allows Paul and Jessica to stay in his
“sietch” where they are eventually accepted as important members of the community.
Paul even falls in love with a Fremen girl, Chani, who becomes his concubine and bears
him a son. Jessica becomes the community’s priestess. The Harkonnen family, led by the
evil Baron, assumes control of Arrakis while Paul vows to exact revenge for his father’s
death.
In order to achieve this revenge, Paul assumes the mantle of messiah. Upon
joining the Fremen, Paul and Jessica learn of their religious prophecies foretelling the
coming of the Lisan al-Gaib, who will lead the Fremen in recapturing their planet from
the clutches of the emperor and the ruling class. Paul, under his new Fremen name,
Muad’Dib, steps into this role.
Although wildlife is limited on Arrakis, the desert does boast an interesting
species unique to the planet. Sandworms are massive creatures that range free throughout
the southern desert. The novel’s glossary includes this entry in reference to the worms:
“Sandworms grow to enormous size (specimens longer than 400 meters have been seen
in the deep desert) and live to great age unless slain by one of their fellows or drowned in
water, which is poisonous to them” (Herbert, Dune xxv).
Offworlders do not understand the sandworms or their role in the Arrakeen
ecology, but they do respect the worms because of the danger that they present. This fact
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is best represented in the scene in which Paul accompanies his father, Duke Leto to
inspect spice mining operations. The mining occurs in the open desert and the sandworms
are always drawn to the activity. Because of this, all the mining machines must be able to
fly and several must remain airborne at all times to keep a lookout. As soon as wormsign
is spotted, all of the machines are meant to take off and fly away safely, carrying the
spice that they have successfully mined along with them.
On this particular occasion though, something goes horribly wrong and in order to
save the workers, the mining machine must be left behind. The scene that follows depicts
both the enormity of the worms and their destructive power. “A gigantic sand whirlpool
began forming there to the right of the crawler. It moved faster and faster. Sand and dust
filled the air now for hundreds of meters around … A wide hole emerged from the sand.
Sunlight flashed from glistening white spokes within it. The hole’s diameter was at least
twice the length of the crawler, Paul estimated. He watched as the machine slid into that
opening in a billow of dust and sand. The hole pulled back” (Herbert, Dune 121). This
scene effectively demonstrates the destructive power of the worms and the respect that
they demand. When Paul asks how a worm can be taken, Liet Kynes, the planetologist,
describes the worms as fearsome creatures that are nearly indestructible. He states,
“’High voltage electrical shock applied separately to each ring segment is the only known
way of killing and preserving an entire worm. They can be stunned and shattered by
explosives, but each ring segment has a life of its own. Barring atomics, I know of no
explosive powerful enough to destroy a large worm entirely’” (Herbert, Dune 113).
The only people on Arrakis who fully understand the role that the sandworms
play in the planet’s ecology are the native Fremen, who call the creatures Shai-Hulud.
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Although they mine and sell the spice melange, the ruling government officials do not
know that it is a product of the giant worms that roam the deserts.
Because of its powerful attributes, Melange is extremely important to several
different groups. The Spacing Guild, which holds a monopoly on space travel and
transport, achieves interstellar travel through the spice. Each ship’s pilots require the
prescient properties of Melange in order to plot a safe course through space. The
governing families on Arrakis need the spice to remain fiscally stable. Although it is
extremely valuable, the spice remains the only product that is exported from the planet
and must be dealt with accordingly. Any mismanagement of mining operations could
result in a shortage of the spice, which would be devastating for the Arrakeen economy.
It was Liet Kynes’ father, Pardot, who discovered that the spice is a by-product of
the Sandworm life cycle. This is the source of one of the Sandworms many names, the
Maker. Excretions made by “little makers” and exposed to water below ground form a
pre-spice mass. This is then brought to the surface by an explosion brought on by the
build-up of gases created by the chemical reactions occurring within the mass. It then
becomes Melange through exposure to the sun and air. In the novel, this process is
described in full at the death of Liet Kynes. “Then he heard the sand rumbling. Every
Fremen knew the sound, could distinguish it immediately from the noises of worms or
other desert life. Somewhere beneath him, the pre-spice mass had accumulated enough
water and organic matter from the little makers, had reached the critical stage of wild
growth. A gigantic bubble of carbon dioxide was forming deep in the sand, heaving
upward in an enormous ‘blow’ with a dust whirlpool at its center. It would exchange
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what had been formed deep in the sand for whatever lay on the surface” (Herbert, Dune
272).
Upon discovering the interdependent relationship between the Makers and the
spice, Paul finally understands their importance on the planet. In writing about this
relationship, Susan Stratton, a professor of English at the University of Calgary, states
that “[Paul] discovers that the most feared creature on the planet is also the source of its
most prized commodity, the spice Melange. Herbert demonstrates effectively with the
simplified ecology of the planet Arrakis how important and surprising the connections
among things in an ecosystem can be. Eradication of the terrifying sandworms would
mean an end to the precious Melange” (Stratton).
The desert itself is dangerous, even without taking into account the presence of
the dangerous sandworms and the lack of water. Sand creates an aggressive environment
and makes it almost impossible for other vegetation to grow. The Duke Leto realizes that
Arrakis is very different from his previous home and must be dealt with differently. In an
address to his most trusted men he states, “Our supremacy on Caladan depended on sea
and air power. Here, we must develop something I choose to call desert power. This may
include air power, but it’s possible it may not” (Herbert, Dune 88). Paul himself
discovers true desert power in the men who walk its sinks and basins. He tells Gurney
Halleck, “You heard my father speak of desert power. There it is. The surface of this
planet is ours. No storm nor creature nor condition can stop us” (Herbert 409). Gurney
realizes that this statement is in reference to the Fremen that Paul has adopted as his
people.
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The planetologist Liet Kynes is the most knowledgeable character in the novel
in regards to the ecology of Arrakis. However, even he is unable to escape the dangers of
the desert. After being abandoned in the desert to die, Kynes finds himself unable to cope
with the harsh surroundings. The rational part of his mind is able to function and discern
the proper course of action, but his body is rendered useless by the burning sun. The
desert offers no quarter to any man, even this man who loves the planet so much and has
created plans to develop it.
These plans to rehabilitate the desert climate of Arrakis are not without precedent
in reality. Studies performed throughout the world in several different deserts have found
success in just such rehabilitations. One such study published in the Journal of Coastal
Research evaluates the efforts in a belt of coastal dunes on the Tyrrhenian coast of Italy
after 95 years. The scientists conducting this study found that different types of dunes
were less difficult to influence than others. The most easily rehabilitated type of dunes
was that of “open sands with annual vegetation growing along drift lines” (Angiolini,
Landi, and Ricceri 1130). Within this particular study, this is the most similar type of
desert to that found in Dune.
Another study, performed in the southeastern fringe of the Tengger desert in the
Shapatou region, finds similar rehabilitation possible through revegetation. The scientists
investigating this study chose two previously established dunes and monitored the natural
growth that occurred over a four-year period. Their results indicated that the established
lichen layer provided enough of a foundation to significantly increase the level of
moisture in the soil crust (Jia, Li, Su, and Zhang).
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This is precisely the method that the Fremen intend to use on Arrakis in order to
rehabilitate the planet. The plan was created by Pardot Kynes, Liet Kynes’ father, and
detailed a concentrated effort by all the inhabitants of Arrakis to drastically alter the
landscape. In speaking of it, he states that “’Our first goal on Arrakis is grassland
provinces. We will start with these mutated poverty grasses. When we have moisture
locked in grasslands, we’ll move on to start upland forests, then a few open bodies of
water—small at first—and situated along lines of prevailing winds with windtrap
moisture precipitators spaced in the lines to recapture the wind steals. We must create a
true sirocco—a moist wind—but we will never get away from the necessity for
windtraps’” (Herbert, Dune 268).
Similar methods have been employed in reality and have shown success in such
arid climates as Central Australia. One study documents these findings by stating,
“artificial water sources have, in some cases, created wetland environments that are
similar, at least in some regards (e.g., vegetation types), to natural waterholes. Three
direct effects of artificial water sources were … the creation of wetlands that supported
some native species of plants and animals; the range expansion and increase in
abundance of native animals that required a reliable supply of drinking water; and an
increase in the breeding ranges of some species of terrestrial invertebrates” (Bowland,
Box, Davis, Duguid, Kimber, and Knapton).
This plan holds the key to the largest Fremen secret. The native culture, despite
their desperate need for all the water they can find, has spent years in the collection of
whatever drops of moisture they can spare. They have several pools of water hidden
throughout the desert and, once they finally have enough, they will begin irrigating the
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surface of Arrakis. This reserve is more than a functional practicality; it is a symbol. “The
pools convey the strength of tribal solidarity in the realization that no individual's need
outweighs reverence for this symbol of tribal salvation” (Stratton).
The Arrakeen desert is a completely desolate environment and the Fremen’s
greatest desire is the planet’s rehabilitation. Despite this fact, they realize that the desert
is essential to the continued survival of the planet. Because water is poisonous to the
Sandworms, a portion of the desert must remain as their habitat. The Fremen realize this
and make accommodations in their plan to allow for it.
Herbert’s greatest argument is found in his portrayal of the importance of the
good stewardship governing existing resources. The lack of water on Arrakis is its
defining characteristic. Every aspect of life revolves around this problem, from the
location of living spaces to the style of clothes that people wear. Herbert uses dire
circumstances in his novel to make the situation real for today’s readers. “If water was
not so easily available, we would go to great lengths to acquire it and we would safeguard
it with our very lives because we are made of it … and yet it is so easily available that we
take it for granted and treat it badly, which is a scandal if we think of the implications”
(Askew 2).
The possession of water is the largest indicator of wealth on the desert planet. “In
Dune, water defines the difference between the rich and the poor and between life and
death. It is luxury or salvation from death. Palm trees and conservatory and slopped water
convey wealth. Water reclaimed by stillsuits, reclaimed from dead bodies, captured in
dewcatchers and windtraps emphasizes the precariousness of Fremen existence in their
environment” (Stratton). As the highest-ranking members of the governing class on
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Arrakis, the Atreides family arrives on the planet with no fear of ever lacking the water
they need. Paul’s mentor, Thufir Hawat acknowledges this fact, but also tries to instill in
his charge an understanding of the situation. He tells him, “‘you’ll learn a great concern
for water. As the Duke’s son you’ll never want for it, but you’ll see the pressures of thirst
all around you’” (Herbert, Dune 29). This promise is realized the moment the family
arrives on Arrakis.
Perhaps the best example of the vast gap between the classes occurs at the dinner
party thrown by the Duke and his family for the influential members of Arakeen society.
When describing the preparations for the occasion, Herbert states that “beside each plate
on the long table stood a flagon of water. There was enough water along the table, the
Duke estimated, to keep a poor Arrakeen family for more than a year” (Herbert, Dune
124). The reader then learns of a custom that is particularly degrading for the poor who
cannot afford water. Upon entering the party, guests dip their hands in a water basin,
splash it all over the ground and then throw down a towel to soak it up. These towels are
then taken outside, where the beggars have gathered for the chance to receive whatever
drops of water can be squeezed from the towels.
The Duke, disgusted and enraged by this practice, orders that it be abolished
completely and sets up a new one in its place. He instructs his servants to move the basins
of water to the front door where any beggar who calls during the meal may have a full
cup of water (Herbert, Dune 125). The serving woman he charges with this task is angry
and dismayed by the Duke’s decree because she had “planned to sell the water
squeezings from the foot-trampled towels, wringing a few coppers from the wretches
who came to the door” (Herbert, Dune 125). This further demonstrates the extreme state
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of draught that is endured on Arrakis. The beggars who have next to nothing will pay
anything they can to receive even a few drops of water squeezed from a dirty towel.
In his previous life on Caladan, Paul was distantly aware of the measures to which
the people of Arrakis took to survive. He knew that they wore something called a stilllsuit
to reclaim the body’s own water and the fact “that people could want so for water they
had to recycle their body moisture struck him with a feeling of desolation” (Herbert 29).
Once on Arrakis though, the garment is explained to him fully. It is designed to
completely seal off the body, eliminating any waste. It absorbs perspiration and reclaims
the salt for future use. A filter worn across the face reclaims moisture for a person’s
breath while urine and feces are also processed. Everything cast off by the body and
generally deemed waste is reclaimed and processed for consumption as water. The
planetologist, Dr. Kynes, states, “’with a Fremen suit in good working order, you won’t
lose more than a thimbleful of moisture a day” (Herbert, Dune 107). Paul immediately
grasps the importance of these stillsuits conceptually, but it is not until later in the novel
that he fully understands the role that they play.
Once Paul and his mother are forced out of their privileged lifestyle and into the
desert, the importance of water conservation is suddenly thrust upon them in a very direct
way. Almost immediately upon encountering Stilgar and his troop of Fremen, Paul is
challenged to hand-to-hand combat and bests his opponent. Upon accomplishing this,
Paul discovers the Fremen mindset that regards water as the single most important aspect
of life. As soon as Paul wins the fight, the other man’s body is rushed to a chamber where
the watermasters immediately set to work in saving what water they can from it.
According to Chani, the act of recovering the water of the deceased is not only perfectly
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normal, but natural. “‘It’s the rule. The flesh belongs to the person, but his water belongs
to the tribe … except in the combat. … Combat water belongs to the winner. It’s because
you have to fight in the open without stillsuits. The winner has to get his water back that
he loses while fighting’” (Herbert, Dune 305). When Paul expresses his revulsion at
drinking water reclaimed from the body of a dead man, Chani is unable to understand. To
her, water is water, a priceless commodity, regardless of its origins.
Within the Fremen culture, water is not viewed as a possession, but rather as
something they have been granted stewardship over. Each man carries rings on a chain
around his neck indicating the amount of water that is his personal share. Paul receives
his first watercounters in a very ceremonial manner, which reflects the reverence and
respect that the Fremen feel towards water. Paul is instructed to kneel as Chani addresses
those gathered saying “’To Paul-Maud’Dib goes this portion. May he guard it for the
tribe, preserving it against careless loss. May he be generous with it in time of need. May
he pass it on in his time for the good of the tribe’” (Herbert, Dune 310).
The Fremen are shocked to discover that Paul and Jessica are carrying two large
jugs of water in their packs and refer to this as “wealth” (Herber, Dune 293). Paul and
Jessica, hailing from a water planet, had originally considered this quantity as a measly
portion, the barest necessities for survival. They try to explain this to their companions by
describing the world that they come from. Jessica tells the Fremen, “’Where I was born,
water fell from the sky and ran over the land in wide rivers. There were oceans of it so
broad you could not see the other shore. I’ve never been trained to your water discipline.
I never before had to think of it this way” (Herbert, Dune 294). She eventually decides to
give those who are in need a small portion from their wealth. Even this gift is ascribed a
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great deal of worth and is expected to be repaid at field rates of ten to one (Herbert, Dune
303).
Another example of the preciousness of water in this community occurs at the
funeral ceremony held for the man that Paul has bested. As different members of the
community speak on behalf of the deceased, Paul finds himself crying. When others
notice, there are shocked whispers of “’[Paul] gives moisture to the dead!’” (Herbert,
Dune 309). People begin to touch his face in wonder and remark, “’I felt the gift’”
(Herbert, Dune 309). This incident is instrumental to both Paul and Jessica in
understanding the community they are to become a part of. In writing about Jessica’s
reaction, Herbert states “nothing on this planet had so forcefully hammered into her the
ultimate value of water. Not the water-sellers, not the dried skins of the natives, not
stillsuits or the rules of water discipline. Here there was a substance more precious than
all others—it was life itself and entwined all around with symbolism and ritual” (Dune
309).
This extreme example of regulation is used to caution readers and make them
aware of a possible future. The sand dunes of Arrakis contain salt, an indication that,
several thousand years before, it was a lush planet with open waters. By indicating that
Arrakis was once a planet similar to Earth, Herbert calls his readers to action. All of
nature is represented on Arrakis by water. It is a precious commodity and must be
cherished and protected by those granted stewardship over it. The value that Herbert
personally places on this effort is indicated in his dedication: “To the people whose labors
go beyond ideas into the realm of “real materials”—to the dry-land ecologists, wherever
they may be, in whatever time they work, this effort at prediction is dedicated in humility
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and admiration” (Herbert, Dune). This quote also indicates his perception of individuals
and their roles in the ecological world. He believes that it is his duty as a writer to raise
awareness, but this role is less important than that played by the scientists working
practically in the field of ecology. The Fremen dedication to the renewal of Arrakis is an
example of the universal dedication required to care for a planet and calls the reader to
aspire to reach this level of dedication.
In many cultures, efforts of conservation are concentrated in areas such as forests
and mountainous areas that are universally considered beautiful while deserts are
generally excluded from this category. However, Herbert makes the case in Dune that all
nature fulfills a purpose and must be preserved because of this. While it is the Fremen’s
greatest wish to change the landscape of Arrakis and create a lush environment for future
generations, they also realize that portions of the desert must remain. The desert forms
the only possible home for the sandworms, without which the spice would cease to exist
and the planet’s economy would be destroyed. It is this duality of nature depicted in
Herbert’s Dune that makes it a significant work of ecological literature.
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Works Cited
Angiolini, Claudia, Marco Landi, Cecilia Ricceri. “Evaluation of Dune Rehabilitation
after 95 Years by Comparison of Vegetation in Disturbed and Natural Sites.”
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Askew, AJ. “Water: A personal matter.” Australian Journal of Water Resources. 15.1
(2011): 1-5 Web.
Bowland, A.E., J.B. Box, J. Davis, A. Duguid, R.G. Kimber, A. Knapton, R.E. Read.
“Central Australian waterbodies: The importance of permanence in a desert
landscape.” Journal of Arid Environments 72.8 (2008): 1395-1413 Web.
Herbert, Frank. “Dune Genesis.” Frank Herbert.com. The Herbert Limited Partnership,
2007. Web. 18 November 2012.
Herbert, Frank. Dune. Philidelphia: Chilton, 1965. Print.
Jia R.L., X.R. Li, Y.G. Su, P. Zhang. “Carbon fixation by biological soil crusts following
revegetation of sand dunes in arid desert regions of China: A four-year field
study.” CATENA 97 (2012): 119-126. Web.
Scigaj, Leonard M. "Prana and the Presbyterian Fixation: Ecology and Technology in
Frank Herbert's Dune Tetralogy." Extrapolation 24.4 (Winter 1983): 340-355.
Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Daniel G. Marowski and Roger
Matuz. Vol. 35. Detroit: Gale Research, 1985. Literature Resource Center. Web.
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