65 pages • 2 hours read
Heretics of Dune
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Symbols & Motifs
Nature
The motif of nature represents the protection and incorruptibility of an organic world against a cold and artificial modern world. Nature functions as a sanctuary, and when pitted against surveillance machines like the “life scanners,” the living outmaneuvers the mechanical. In his rescue mission, Birzmali chooses a pilingitam tree for the fugitives’ command post, and the living shelter effectively protects them from detection precisely because it is alive. He states, “The tree is a life form” (456), identifying humans with plant life as members of the same community. Algae also function as a protective shield by hiding the living among the living.
Additionally, Duncan learns from Tormsa, a member of the Fish Speaker guard, that by mimicking wild creatures in the forest, the Ixian scanners will mistake them for animals. Intimate knowledge and merging with nature save these characters’ lives and demonstrate how ignorant and far removed from the power of nature their enemies are. Tormsa explains, “They trust their machines and the motions they see. They are lazy. They fly high. That way, the search goes faster. They trust their intelligence to read their instruments and tell which is animal and which is human” (537). The trees, algae, and animals form a natural defense against the machines and do not betray the fugitives.
Nature provides not only a reprieve from danger but it is also a site of sanctuary. Throughout the novel, the tranquility of natural surroundings is juxtaposed against the brutal industrialization of the urban setting. Teg retires comfortably on his farm and relishes his work in his “research garden.” The pastoral imagery returns when he escapes his captors and a group of farmers rescue him. Teg is nourished with a simple bowl of soup when he rests in a stone building with wood-paneled walls. From his table, he has “a view of an enclosed and covered garden. Bushes heavy with red flowers almost concealed the stone wall that defined the garden” (547). The serene and comforting natural setting of the stones, wood, bushes, and flowers directly contrasts the harsh and brutalist architecture found in Ysai. Duncan comments, “The Harkonnens preferred squares and rectangles” (602), and in the capital city, Barony stands as a “great black rectangle” designed for “maximum stuffing with minimum expenditure of materials” (551, 602). Nature exudes warmth and sustenance, whereas Duncan describes Barony as a “black hellhole” where people disappear and never return.
The Harkonnen No-Globe
The Harkonnen no-globe functions as the hideout for Lucilla, Teg, and Duncan for months, and the group’s relationship with the space reveals their individual priorities and personalities. To Lucilla and Teg, the no-globe symbolizes the past, and it is described as “a fossil” that exudes “an acute sense of history” (316). Lucilla considers the space a “treasure house” and is eager to claim the no-globe for the Bene Gesserit. She spends much of her time in the no-globe’s library, and her motives are acquisition and political advantages. To Lucilla, the no-globe is like a territory with vital resources, such as the Harkonnen’s breeding records. In contrast, Teg responds with disgust at the objects in the rooms. To him, the objects represent “that Harkonnen compulsion to flaunt their uncaring sense of superiority to all other people and all other standards” (318). Teg interprets the space as one of domination and arrogance, and his attitudes reflect his character’s investment in modesty and fairness.
However, not everything about the no-globe repulses Teg. The space was also Patrin’s childhood secret, a chanced-upon hiding place where a young and lonely Patrin found solace and wonder. Teg interacts with the space with the love and empathy of a friend in mourning. He deduces that Patrin’s past was an “unhappy childhood” with false friends and “only people waiting to sneer at him” (318). Patrin had kept this place a secret because it “was more than a place of lonely security. It had been Patrin’s private token of victory” (318). Teg understands that in sharing this secret with him, Patrin considers him the most intimate and trustworthy of friends.
Finally, for Duncan, the no-globe represents insularity and captivity. Duncan comments that he has seen very little of the world beyond the Gammu Keep and the no-globe. Herbert writes, “In the shelter of the Bene Gesserit Keep, Duncan had not realized the nature of the planet around him. Later, in the no-globe, he had been removed from contact with the outside” (535). Duncan’s physical isolation mirrors the psychic barriers that block him from his original memories and his identity. In addition to not knowing much about his surroundings, he also knows very little about his past and existence as a ghola until Teg awakens his memory. The no-globe functions as a physical shelter but also emphasizes how sheltered and insular Duncan’s upbringing has been. Like Duncan, “the globe was a remarkable achievement, an enclosure cut out of Time, sealed away from everything external” (317). The no-globe is a figurative cocoon, and Duncan’s emergence from the shelter coincides with his broadened comprehension of the universe and himself.
Vincent van Gogh’s Painting
Vincent van Gogh’s painting, Cottages at Cordeville, symbolizes humanity and the beauty of passion and imagination. In Taraza’s room, Odrade often stares at the painting with wonder and appreciation for its survival throughout the ages. The Ixians’ restoration process included a “sense projector” on the frame, allowing Odrade to experience van Gogh’s feelings in each brush stroke. The painting is not only a symbol of van Gogh’s passion and creativity but also a reflection of Odrade’s longing to express her well of emotions. When Teg accuses her of not being wholly human, Odrade thinks of the rush of emotions the painting inspires as evidence of her humanity. In appreciating art and “the mad Vincent van Gogh” (185), Odrade demonstrates that she wishes to break free from Bene Gesserit’s sterile pragmatism to experience the rich emotions long repressed by the Sisterhood. Taraza keeps the rare painting in her room, suggesting that the Mother Superior also longs to release these passionate expressions prohibited in their organization.
The van Gogh painting also symbolizes Odrade’s struggles to locate her autonomy within the Sisterhood. When she first meets Sheeana and takes over her upbringing, she recalls the painting again and thinks, “This child is my canvas” (200). Odrade is tempted to unharness her emotions and raise Sheeana with the same love and passion that inspired van Gogh’s artwork and her foster mother’s devotion. However, Odrade struggles with her duty to serve the Bene Gesserit and her desire to love the child and asks herself, “Which of us paints the other?” (510). To Odrade, the painting also evokes her doubts about being able to exercise agency in the Sisterhood.
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