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Message: <blockquote data-quote="The Firebird" data-source="post: 9608806" data-attributes="member: 7015803">I agree that Herbert, in his statements, suggests Paul was wrong. I think that is often presented as 'the' interpretation of Dune. You see that in the Villeneuve film, and with statements like "Herbert wanted Paul to be a cautionary tale". I think that there is more ambiguity in the text, which first establishes struggle leads to strength, then shows the kind of struggle which is necessary for humanity to survive. I don't want to comfortably conclude Paul is right or wrong, and if we conclude he is right I think that makes Dune one of the darkest stories imaginable. But I think it is hard to cleanly reject that interpretation given what is present in the text.I don't mean Max/Joe are dueling messianic visions in that they serve the same role. Rather, the concept of 'messiah' has very different interpretations in different cultures, times, readings, and that Max and Joe both fulfill distinct versions of this. E.g., Max is a savior who comes from out of the wastes to free people from their oppression. Joe is anointed by God to forge order out of the wastes, uniting religious and political functions in one being and acting as their conduit to the divine.  Yeah in modern parlance 'low taxes' suggests a particular economic system and perhaps a certain set of values. But in Conan as far as I can recall it is just that the nobles are rapacious and greedy and exploitative, and Conan puts a stop to this.</blockquote>

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