Women’s Influence and Control

Abstract

This chapter examines the depiction of women in Dune and the amount of agency or control they have. It focuses on three key avenues of agency—religious, embodied, and political—as the most prominently featured for female characters operating in a feudal, male-dominated universe. The chapter looks at how the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood is modeled after the Catholic Church and uses religion as a tool, and how the Fremen grant religious authority to women. It discusses Bene Gesserit women’s high level of bodily control, seen through their many abilities like the Voice, and their avenues of political control as they seek to shape the future. It also discusses the role of Jessica as a strong mother figure alongside Paul.