Dune Part 2, Chapters 23 - 29
Paul and Jessica wait for the sun to set. They exit the tent at nightfall using Fremen tools, and they begin to make for the closest rock formations as they watch Harkonnen’s attacking Atreides assets far off in the distance. In another part of the desert, Thufir Hawat encounters the fremen with a small force of Atreides men. The Fremen inform him of the Duke’s death, but they confess that they have little information about Paul. Thufir remains unaware of the true traitor, and instead, he begins to believe that they had been betrayed by Jessica. Thufir is immensely impressed by the ability of the Fremen warriors, as he watches them ambush and kills the Sardukar with seeming ease. However, before they can proceed much further with the Fremen, the Sardukar mount an offensive action of their own that results in Thufir being captured.
Paul and Jessica are picked up by Duncan Idaho, who brings along Dr. Keynes with him. Duncan takes them to an abandoned research facility that is guarded by Fremen, all of whom defer to Keynes and call him Liet. Paul and Jessica have a private audience with Keynes, and Paul begins to elucidate his plan of action. At first, Keynes treats Paul as a teenager, but this soon becomes deference as he comes to appreciate Paul’s ability and character. Paul requests that Keynes help him by collecting evidence that the Emperor had betrayed House Atreides by siding with the Harkonnens and utilizing the Sardukar against them. This evidence would be enough for all the great Houses of the Empire to unite against the emperor, but Paul intends to solve the matter without bloodshed by marrying the Emperor’s daughter. Paul promises Keynes all the resources that would come to his disposal as the future emperor to make Arrakis a more habitable planet. Before they can move any further in the discussion, the building is attacked by the Sardukar. Duncan Idaho sacrifices his life as he attempts to hold the deadly warriors back for a few brief seconds so that Paul can escape. Keynes directs Jessica and Paul to a nearby Ornithopter that the two of them can use to hide in a sandstorm that can be traversed at enough altitude. Paul flies the vehicle into the storm, even as he is chased by enemy crafts, but the pursuers refrain from following him. Paul struggles to control his craft, but he soon realizes that he needs to allow the storm to direct him. The Storm carries the vehicle up to great height, and Paul directs the craft out of danger.
The Baron receives a report that Paul and Jessica are as good as dead since they had been seen entering one of the deadly sandstorms of Arrakis. He also learns that his men have captured Keynes, who had been in the presence of Paul, and Thufir, who seems to believe that Jessica was the betrayer of House Atreides. The Baron decides he is going to use Thufir, who has a formidable reputation as a Mentat, but he intends to keep him poisoned so that if he ever leaves the Baron’s service he would die. He orders the murder of Keynes but asks his men to ensure that it seems like an accident since Keynes is an imperial servant. He then hands over the control of Arrakis to Rabban with a directive to create as much money as possible. He asks Rabban to exploit the fremen population freely and doesn’t truly believe they are a worthy threat.
In the desert, Paul crash lands the severely storm-damaged craft close to some rocks. He escapes to the rocks with his mother moments after the craft, which is just time enough for them to escape the sandworm. The massive beast swallows the giant flying vehicle in one swoop leaving both Jessica and Paul amazed. He makes a dangerous crossing of the desert with his mother, using a special Fremen compass. Jessica is nearly killed by a landslide of sand, but Paul uses the limited resources he has to rescue his mother and the pack of supplies that he loses during her rescue. They continue with their grueling journey, which is made all the more difficult by Paul’s recommended style of walking which seeks to mirror the natural movements of the sand in the desert, allowing them to escape the notice of the Sandworms. Jessica continues Paul’s training as a Bene Gesserit even as they stop to camp in the middle of the desert.
On another side of the desert, Gurney Halleck escapes with a small force of House Atreides and meets up with the head smuggler of the island. Gurney decides to stay in Arrakis even though he believes Duke Leto and his heir have died, because of his deep hatred for the Harkonnens. Gurney and several soldiers of House Atreides join the smugglers.
Paul and Jessica make use of a unique Fremen tool called the “thumper” to distract the nearby Sandworms. They use the distraction to cross the last stretch of the desert to a section of rocks, but the plan fails as Paul accidentally steps on Drum sand that harkens the Sandworms to him. Jessica and Paul run for their lives, and nearly get caught by the sandworm, but it is suddenly distracted by another thumper in the distance just as they reach the rocks. They find green plants growing among the rocks as they climb them, and a voice answers from the darkness when the two of them discuss finding the Fremen.
Analysis
Paul and the readers discover the harsh environment of the Arrakis desert, where water is the primary consideration for all creatures. Paul and his mother use Fremen Stillsuits and tents to recycle their body’s moisture. The Fremen understand the difficulties of the desert, and they have been hardened by them. Thufir’s brief encounter with a small guerrilla force of the Fremen effectively demonstrates how the desert has shaped deadly warriors. He notes the ease with which they engage with the Sardukar in combat, and the blatantly courageous tactics they employ to achieve victory. This moment of revelation is bittersweet for the Mentat since Duke Leto had always believed in the potential of Fremen to be fiercer warriors than the Sardukar yet he could not live long enough to realize his goals.
Prophecy is an important theme of Dune, but the author approaches the theme in an unorthodox manner. Dune’s theme of prophecy is an effective argument for dispelling the concept of Prophecies altogether. The Bene Gesserit have manipulated civilizations across the universe to believe that one of their numbers will have a profound impact on the universe, and they have wedded that prophecy to action with their program of selective breeding. Paul’s carefully selected genetics, his access to expert guidance, and his character contribute to making him the messiah figure that the Fremen have been waiting for. Paul catches glimpses of the future through the psychoactive substance of Spice and makes a prophecy of his future. He severely dislikes the foretold future and so spends the rest of the book trying to prevent the prophecy from being realized.
