The Allegory of the Dune
Why thinking of Dune as an allegory does it a disservice. Plus: Country music.
After two and half years of waiting, Dune: Part Two was unleashed on the world a couple weeks ago, completing Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 book.
It was, suffice to say, worth the wait. Unlike the first Dune, which is slow-paced and mostly feels like exposition, Part Two is action-packed and exhilarating, which helps the nearly three-hour runtime fly by. It is nothing short of an epic in the truest sense of the word, colossal in scale and awe-inspiring in its immersiveness.
Between all of the action, though, perhaps what is most impressive about Dune: Part Two is how it builds on—and, to some extent, purposefully subverts—the themes set up in the first movie.
The sequel picks up where the first movie left off, with the supposedly ‘chosen one’ protagonist Paul Atreides and his mother on the desert planet Arrakis, where the most valuable substance in the universe is found and which the powerful Harkonnen house has just taken control of by force from Paul’s family. In order to take back power, Paul joins the local population called the Freman, slowly convincing them he is their messiah.
The story of Paul, the Freman and the planet Arrakis itself speaks to a lot of themes, including colonization and imperialism, power, resources, religion, the nature of conflict and environmentalism.
Because many of these themes are so resonant today, many critics have called the Dune films successful because the story serves as an allegory—for the perils of colonialism, for how humans destroy the environment, for the dangers of religious fundamentalism, etc. At the same time, though, other critics have said the Dune films are not effective thematically because they lack a clear “vision.”
Somewhere between and around both of these points lies the truth about Dune and its themes: It is highly effective, but not because it is allegorical. On the contrary, Dune is effective because it is not allegorical.
Herbert’s book does indeed pull much inspiration from history—what at the time was contemporary global politics—but rather than speak to one specific set of events or circumstances, Dune strives for a broader universality in its story. Villeneuve’s adaptation effectively highlights this quality, leaving room for complexities and ambiguities in how the themes are depicted.
That’s most clear in how Paul is viewed both by the characters and by the audience. Some critics of Part Two have pointed to a tension in the film: We know that Paul is using the Freman, convincing them that he is their messiah and will lead a revolution against their colonizers, while at the same time colonizing Arakkis himself. But he is also the protagonist, and throughout the film there are signs that he may genuinely be the ‘chosen one’ who will save the Freman. As a result, you kinda, sorta, maybe at least a little bit want to root for him.
Feeling this tension, even after the film is over, is important. It would be too easy to look back on the film—much as it is easy to look back on history—and determine who is good and who is bad, then alter the narrative as it was felt while watching.
But the complexities around Paul’s character were and are real. Because Dune refuses to live in retrospect, the films underscore those complexities, and as a result are far more truthful to how political and social dynamics, especially between actors with lopsided amounts of power, form and change over time.
To put it simply, it makes a lot of sense that Dune is resonating for people politically today. The resonance, after all, is partially why the book has stood the test of time. But thinking of Dune in allegorical terms does it a disservice.
For more on Dune, this podcast helped me understand some of the most important changes made from the book:
Country Music, the Comeback Kid
After more than a decade seemingly outside the pop culture zeitgeist (at least when it comes to positive discourse), country music is back In, with the genre’s popularity having seen a dramatic rise in recent years throughout society writ large.
It makes sense, then, that Nashville would want to take a bit of a victory lap, best encapsulated in Lainey Wilson’s recently released, and aptly titled, single “Country’s Cool Again.” (It’s a bop.)
The question going forward, though, is whether country music can survive life on top.
I ask because so much of the modern country music worldview is predicated on the exaggerated but not entirely untrue idea that the genre is looked down upon by those outside its traditional listener demographic of rural working class people, who feel equally spurned.
Acknowledging this newfound sense of broader popularity, as Wilson has done in her single, undermines that idea. Of course, it also creates a new narrative of country music as the comeback kid. But while being spurned is sustainable, you can only be a comeback kid for so long.
Sure, Nashville may be able to build a new worldview for itself, one from the top of the mountain. Hip-hop managed to do so. But country music’s long-loyal fans may be more resistant to letting the genre live the high life while they remain, at least in their view, derided.
What Else I’m Following
The Oscars, which were were yesterday. Read the winners list here and check out my rankings of the Best Picture and Best International Feature nominees if you haven’t already.
Ariana Grande’s new album. There’s some surprisingly “imaginative sonic details” happening here that I’m intrigued by, especially from a producer known for rigidity.
The war that Taylor Swift almost started in Southeast Asia.
The debate about playing sports in extreme weather, after the USWNT played in a giant puddle, an MLS game was played in a snowstorm, and apparently some Kansas City Chiefs fans got frostbite during a playoff game.
This article by Ben Smith about how the job of a foreign correspondent has changed.
That’s all for this edition of Cansler Culture.
Next week, expect another quick special edition on March Madness.
Went and saw Dune 2 on the big screen Saturday. It was terrific - and the time flew by. It obviously sets up Dune 3 with the ending, but it also gives a “finish” to some of the story lines left open in Dune 1. Glad you are still writing for fun, Jakob.