Which Paul?

The entire cyclical aspect of Herbert's writing style was discussed at length and in my opinion was our most important clue to every other aspect of this book. As the reader's we are told nearly every aspect of the plot in advance, yet we continue to read and even enjoy this book through nearly five hundred pages. Any ordinary novel would be tossed aside early on if the author tried this, but in Dune the basic developments in the plot (that we of course know will happen long before they actually occur) are not the entire story. Reading the last page of the book before the rest wouldn't change how you read the book at all. Instead of the plot, an intricate web of the secret agendas of individuals and organizations must be slowly unfolded for us to see the twisted relationships and alliances that guide political, religious, and personal agendas. It was these relationships and agendas that I enjoyed discovering in class. Everyone seemed to have a different opinion.

For instance- personal preference seemed to dictate how people perceived Paul. Or Muad'dib. Or the Duke Paul Altreides. Or the Lisan al-Gaib. Or the Kwisatz Haderach. Which I think may have been intentional on Herbert's part. The central character in the story is multi-faceted, and everyone supported the Paul they liked or identified with most. We don't have one main character, but several rolled into one so that everyone can get what they want from him.

Herbert causes us to see Paul just as the Fremen, Bene Gesserit, and Alreides clan all seem to: getting a bit of what they want from Paul, though their purposes vary.