Independent Reading Journal 12-9-08

Dune by Frank Herbert. Berkley books. 1977.

So I've read on, and so far the biggest development has been the discovery of what the "gom jabbar" is. The Atreides are still on Caladan. The reader learns that Paul's mother Jessica is a member of the Bene Gesserit, some sort of secret group or society comprised of women who seem to have some sort of supernatural power. The Emperor's truthsayer is a Bene Gesserit herself. In fact she is the Reverend Mother. Paul is supposed to meet with her, which he does. As Jessica had said, he does indeed learn what the gom jabbar is. Jessica leaves him alone in a room with the Reverend Mother, an old woman. She is not intimidated by his royal status, but rather treats him and speaks to him as if she is the superior (which she very well may be). Paul doesn't like this very much but he goes along with what she tells him to do. She informs him that he must undergo a test. The same test that his mother underwent. He is forced to place his hand inside a mysterious cube-like box. Once his hand is inside the box, the Reverend Mother informs him that he cannot move or take his hand out of the box. this is because she is holding the gom jabbar up to his neck and if he moves she shall kill him with it. The gom jabbar is a poison filled needle. A needle filled with the most poisonous of poisons. Paul's hand inside the box begins to experience extremely excruciatingly bad pain. It burned. "He thought he could feel skin curling black on that agonized hand, the flesh crisping away until only charred bones remained." Reverend Mother reminds him that he may not remove his hand for fear of death by the gom jabbar. Suddenly the pain ends, he withdraws his hand, and sees that his hand is perfectly OK. When asked what the purpose of the test is, the Reverend mother says it is to sort out the humans from the people. "Like sifting sand through a screen. ' She apparently used her Bene Gesserit gift of observation to examine him while he was in pain. Jessica then returns and is delighted to see that her son is alive. The Reverend Mother seems very excited about the result as she thinks in her head "could he be the one!?" I'm not entirely sure what all this means, but it certainly sets the reader up for an exciting and revealing remainder of the story. Dune wastes no time getting off to a good and interesting start.