Similarities Between Bene-Gessirit And Periphery

Psychological control creates the star spangled background of science fiction. Those of lesser intellect become oppressed through following spiritual leaders. Western Marxism develops in Dune in the form of people seeking answers to their endless suffering as critic Seigaj writes, “. . . pervasive Western belief in realizing ultimate goals—in an authority, object, state of mind, system, or machine that will provide the final answers . . .” (201). Essentially, every single person in the West, and by extension, in between the pages is searching for the end, the final place. This idea is seen not only in Dune’s Bene-Gessirit and Fremen religions, but in TIODM’s Beast Folk, and Foundation’s Periphery. Domination becomes blatant at the treatment

Fremen work secretly for the purpose of revolution against the Empire and the guildsmen, who want nothing more than their desert drug. The new ruler of Arrakis, the Duke, appreciates the Fremen efforts against the Harkonnens. He realized the power of the desert nomads. The people who rule the planet, the Fremen, are in more control than the upper class, the Harkonnens, however, that upper class is allowed to believe that they have supreme control. Since the religious system and comprehensive knowledge of Arrakis the desert tribes compete on a more material level than the flimsy restrictions and rule of the so called “ruling class”. A parallel can be seen in Wells’s work. Moreau’s religious system binds the Beast Folk to him, using their “dwarfed brains” to make a “deification of himself” (73). Even the science based religion of Foundation controls all of the people in the immediate solar system around Terminus. This system allows the rulers of the planets to think they have control, similarly to the Fremen

Power misuse from the ruling class can be vastly over shadowed by religion, nonetheless causes great impacts in the classes below. Authority taken through vast population changes stems from material deficit. A powerful scene illustrating this point from Herbert’s Dune begins with the death of the Duke and near assassination of the Baron. Angered at his previous security detail, the Baron delights in the death of his former head of security. He reaches out to the next man, Nefud, promising him a promotion. Through this, he guarantees the loyalty of his man through money that can buy him Spice. Never would he be lacking. By cementing this loyalty, the Baron can now dominate his man until either’s death. Nefud was enticed by his material wants and seduced into a position from which he could never leave. Most of the Baron’s employees are bribed in such a way. John Ower describes this theme uniquely, describing power as “. . . funneled into it through revolutionary irruptions . . .” (273). The stream of power can be seen in Asimov’s novel, as Dune and Foundation parallel each other closely. From the inception of the trades system in the Periphery, priest have been in control. Now, planetary organizations within Foundation’s reign are requesting for a free trade. Many who are not within the Foundation, wish to trade but have no part of the priesthood entirely. A revolution of this scale vastly changes the power