Spice as a metaphor for Oil in Frank Herbert’s Dune
“Yes, there are analogs in Dune of today’s events-corruption and bribery in the highest places, whole police forces lost to organized crime, regulatory agencies taken over by the people they are supposed to regulate. The scarce water of Dune is an exact analog of oil scarcity. CHOAM is OPEC.“
Frank Herbert, “Dune Genesis”
Dune is, beyond a doubt, one of the most undisputed political metaphors in pop culture. Unlike other works of literature that are up for interpretation, Frank Herbert skips all pretense and just kind of says it straight up in an essay entitled “Dune Genesis” published in 1980.
The international conflict over oil is old. Very old. Yet, it holds great significance over every single generation it touches. Let me be clear, I don’t condone conflict or violence of any kind. But, I think that part of Dune’s popular longevity comes from its ability to give an artistic perspective on a problem that both predates most readers and affects them presently on a worldwide scale. Perhaps one of Dune’s best assets is that it offers a fascinating look into our past without even having to take place on earth. The message of Dune, ultimately, has to do with human nature in the face of a scarce resource, and the inevitable conflict that will take place.
“Personal observation has convinced me that in the power area of politics/economics and in their logical consequence, war, people tend to give over every decision-making capacity to any leader who can wrap himself in the myth fabric of the society.”
Frank Herbert, “Dune Genesis”
Though it was published in 1965, Herbert states that it was a work in progress for about six and a half years. During this period of time conflicts over oil such as the 1953 Iranian coup d’état would be fresh in his memory. It is also worth noting that Herbert is an American author, and that Dune was published in America. Western and Middle-eastern conflicts over oil would undoubtedly have an effect on the creation of Dune, with America being one of the largest producers of oil, and of course one of the largest consumers of it.
Who is a metaphor for who? Well, we already know from the horse’s mouth that CHOAM is OPEC, and that water scarcity is a metaphor for oil scarcity. It logically follows that spice is also a metaphor for oil, etc. It is one of my fan theories that the Harkonnens are a metaphor for the Americans because of their obsession with controlling spice production. In addition, the Baron is characterized as absolutely massive, perhaps a metaphor for how massive America is and the stereotype of them being obese. I also am probably not the only person to have come to that conclusion if I am being honest with myself.
Digging deeper into these metaphors would be a massive project probably deserving of more than one article. As it stands I don’t think I understand enough to make any educated connections, but perhaps one day I will make that happen.
Credit: Denis Villeneuve
Spice as a Metaphor for Oil in Denis Villenueve’s Dune Adaptations
“Even if we find a real hero (whatever-or whoever-that may be), eventually fallible mortals take over the power structure that always comes into being around such a leader.”
Frank Herbert, “Dune Genesis”
I have already established that Denis Villenueve’s Dune Part II has strayed quite a bit from the plot of the book. However, the political dynamics of spice production have pretty much stayed the same. House Atreides, House Harkonnen, CHOAM, and the empire as a whole play their parts in the drama of the story almost identically to how it plays out in the book. Even more interestingly, though, the movie holds very strongly to another message conveyed in “Dune Genesis.”
Frank Herbert’s warning against superheroes is highly apparent in the movie adaptations, even more so than in the book. In the book, the Fremen accept Paul as the Lisan Al-Gaib fairly holistically. Not much conflict arises over the variability of Paul’s claim, but rather over the political conflicts between the Fremen and the other off-worlders.
By contrast, Villenueve’s adaptation focuses on the Lisan Al-Gaib narrative. Jessica pushes the conflict of the story by claiming Paul to be the savior despite Paul’s denial of it. The Fremen are divided on who or what to believe. This was a change that I was previously against, but I have grown to like and appreciate as it gives the Fremen more voice and autonomy over the narrative. The new narrative honors Herbert’s initial warnings against the acceptance of superheroes or leaders who appear to be superhero-like. The absolute trust that people put into such leaders is often cult-like and dangerous. They forget that these people are human and expect superhuman leadership. They are almost always disappointed. Some of the Fremen heed this warning, but others do not.
Paul Maud’dib. Credit: Denis Villenueve.
So, what implications does Villenueve’s changes to the Dune narrative have on the metaphor of spice as oil? I think that it gives more power to everyday people. We are no longer the Fremen of the book who must blindly and holistically accept any leader that comes to them. We are allowed choices like the Fremen of the movie, both as people from a multitude of backgrounds and as individuals. We can accept our leaders without much thought, or choose not to.
If Dune is a political metaphor, then it follows that that metaphor would change as history changes over time. There will always be Spice, just as there will always be CHOAMs. There will always be Paul Maud’dibs, Reverend Mothers, Benne Gesserit, Harkonnens. The timelessness of Dune depends on these truths. However, how these characters interact will depend on who is telling the story and what time period the story is being told in. Stories change with history