PugJesusIf I had a nickel for every time this happened...
UnderpantsWeevilUnfair to Paul, as he tries desperately to avoid jihad at every turn. In the end, he surrenders to the inevitability because he realizes his choices were always only illusions. The more power and the more understanding he accrues results in Paul to realize how little he truly controls.
I would more readily blame the Psycho-Historians from Foundation than the Muad’dib of Dune. Hari Seldon might not qualify as a twink, but he was more ready to embrace a little short term genocide for long term preservation than Paul, who struggled against it in vain.
SanctusI got the opposite from the book. Paul tells himself that just to calm his consciousness. He believed he could have his cake and eat it too right up until he is dodging Feyd’s hip needle, which is far too late.
Paul tells himself that just to calm his consciousness.
Paul knows he isn’t in control of his own destiny. He’s known since he became a Mentat. In the crash following his escape from the Harkonan ambush, he sees it clearly. He can calculate all the ramifications of all his decisions out to thousandth year and no matter what he says or does, it always ends in Jihad.
The closest person to demonstrate agency was his mother, who chose to have a boy rather than a girl in strict defiance of the Bene Gesserit mission. Everything past that was functionally on rails.
He believed he could have his cake and eat it too right up until he is dodging Feyd’s hip needle
He believed he could potentially find a path forward, until he was confronted with a Gonjabar Test he couldn’t pass. At that point, he was forced to choose between dying as a martyr (which would kick off a Freman jihad) or living as an Emperor (which would still kick off a Freman jihad, just a bit latter on). And he said “Fuck it, I’d rather be Emperor”. That was his only real choice. Die a hero or live to become a villain. But with the same fundamental outcome for the rest of the galaxy.
Paul had plenty of choices, just the ones where he got his revenge on the Harkonnens all lead to Jihad or his death. He chose that road. He spoke of another future where he knelt by the Baron instead, would that future have led to jihad? Certainly it would not have led to his revenge. Its definitely an interesting setting and story. A cautionary tale of being wrapped up in your own myth.
just the ones where he got his revenge on the Harkonnens all lead to Jihad or his death
Early on, he has visions of the Fremen worshiping his father’s skull and revolting without ever meeting Paul. He can’t avoid Jihad by refusing the call to destiny. The Bene Gessiats have been baking this cake for too long.
They’re worshiping his father’s skull within the memorial made by Paul. In those visions Paul still met them.