The Future Face of Oedipus

[TMA_1]

This might be an extremely weird post, but I have talked with other Dune fanatics who really delve into the details of the book, the subtle but important emotions that shape our mood of an individual.

As weird as this sounds, It seems that there is a lot of sexual tension between paul and his mother jessica. It seems that it is recipricated in the fact that after leto died, paul became the replacement. He was so like leto in many ways that it must have given her some sort of feeling that leto never really died. She is also extremely antagonistic towards him being with chani in the beginning, and still you can tell she has reservations about it even after the initial squabbling. Of course most of the reason is she doesnt want paul to destroy a chance to join with a great house or even the imperial house, making himself even more powerful. Still there is a sense of jealousy there, a feeling of "you cant have my male". Paul, after finding chani started drifting away from jessica and soon harbored some resentment towards her. for her ties with the bene gesserit but I get a feeling of something more. Like he is trying to break loose of her posessiveness. In the end, I guess it seems that their relationship was always kinda strained, and this idea might be why, dont really know. I do know though that frank herbert has always been really into these kinds of subjects in his books.

does anybody understand what I am getting at? and dont make jokes about this guys.lol It is a serious question to raise and many fans of Dune who really know it well have agreed with me, so I feel that it isnt totally baseless. What do you guys think?

[Andrew]

I have read the play Oedipus and thus know what you are talking about.

It could be possible, or maybe she doesn't want to see her son growing up. Seeing her son the way he was when Leto was alive, may help her cope with the loss of Leto. Paul with Chani may distort her image of the way life was.(although it coudl somewhat remind her of when she fell in love with Leto.[or maybe she doesn't want that])

Well Paul didn't kill Leto ;)

[TMA_1]

yeah... that is a minor glitch in the title. shhh! lol

I see where you are coming from, but I think the idea of "growing up too fast" is too sentimental and corny for jessica. I mean she might miss the old days, but she is a reasonable womana and it seems that it wouldnt just be about wanting her child to stay young.

[Inoculator9]

Complete nonsense, lol :P Any supposed "tension" was probably caused by the fact that Paul was having his dream thingies and seeing thingies, and thingies just got wierder for him after ol' pappy died.

[TMA_1]

lol where did you get that? I know that many people will disagree because it is gross, but I dare anybody to give me a better answer. andrews makes sense but it seems a bit deeper than that.

[Inoculator9]

Paul: "Mother I know your dreams!"

Jessica: "Why whatever do you mean!?"

Paul was having his prophetic dreams and seeing the pregnancy, I don't think someone that farsighted would be thinking "hey, my mom looks hot in that stillsuit" at such a time.

[TMA_1]

lol, sexual tension isnt that simple. paul or jessica probably never thought of anything sexual, or of any sort of thing like that with eachother. it is more of a subconscious thing. and if they did, it wasnet "my mom looks hot ina stilsuit" silly.lol

[Inoculator9]

Oh, I know that silly billy, I'm just making the obviously necessary statement ;) I still doubt it. Our subconsciouses note physical beauty but our higher consciousness is the part of us that dictates it. If it was sexual, it was conscious.

[TMA_1]

the subconscious does have influence on matters like that. Plus I Think it was consciously known.

[Inoculator9]

Then you agree with my hot stillsuit comment? It would be something to that effect if it was conscious ;)

[TMA_1]

lol cornball :)

[Egeides]

Since we're talking about it, do you think a girl looks hot in a stillsuit? :D

[TMA_1]

the answer is yes if you just think about the outside appearance. It is no if you realize that she is carring human waste and warm water throughout the entire outside of her body.lol

back on subject though. ahem.lol

[Inoculator9]

Yes TMA, that is true... I'd rather have gone on oblivious of that thought though :P