Paul Atriedes as a hero in Dune

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Heroes in modern society have been transformed from what Campbell classifies as a hero into something more like glorified villains, much like what Paul Atreides is. What is a hero? Campbell's A Hero's Journey is a perfect example of what a true hero is, which is why every actual hero conforms to it in such a perfect way. Still, there is more to a hero than just his quest; he must make a choice and change his destiny. Paul Atreides, however, does not follow either of these examples, and neither do modern heroes. It is this portrayal of people falsely dubbed as heroes as idols for the youth that has brought so much depression to society. Like modern heroes, because Paul Atriedes does not return to a normal life, he can not be considered a hero, but rather something resembling more of a malignant conqueror that has been glorified into hero status.

In Campbell's A Hero's Journey the path that a hero takes is very well laid out. He divides the journey into three main parts, the departure, the initiation and the return. During the departure the hero has a call to adventure; most times he refuses at first, but eventually he answers to his duties. Later in the departure he leaves his home, normally with some kind of helper or guide, who takes him into the belly of the whale. Next the hero enters the initiation stage of his journey. It is in this phase that the hero undergoes most of his trials, not only of the body, but also of the mind and heart. It is also in this stage that the hero gains a great amount of maturity, which he uses in the last part of this segment, the ultimate boon. The final and most important stage for a hero to go through is the return. It is in this stage that the hero learns to control his powers enough to return to a normal society. The return is often brought on by an outside force or a magical flight, but the hero must first cross a threshold, which is the last triumph he has as a hero. When the hero finally returns, he has a triumphant homecoming, but more importantly, he no longer has to be a crusader. Instead he is the master of two worlds. However, when a hero doesn't return he goes from having control, a very important trait of the hero, to being something far more sinister, a villain.

This is where both Paul Atreides and most modern day heroes fault. Instead of returning to a normal life, they set off to conquer the world, or in Dune, the universe. Like heroes, most villains take a similar journey, but instead of going through the return, they continue to conquer. This is because they lack the strength to destroy the temptation of power, and in Herbert's words, he who can destroy a thing has the real control of it (446). This is why Paul can not be considered a hero; he never returns to a normal life. As the book ends Paul has just finished yet another battle, this one being against his own cousin, Feyd-Rautha. This shows that Paul is not yet ready to make himself a hero, by returning to a normal life. Still, Paul is not necessarily evil; he is just an overly zealous conqueror. This never ending struggle for power is not only evident in Paul, but also in our heroes of today.

Most modern people considered heroes have not yet returned to a normal society, and when they do, they are often no longer considered heroes. Modern society has lead us all to believe that a true hero does not give up or throw in the towel. In fact, we glorify those who are on the initiation of their adventure, and lay shame onto most who try to return. For proof of this, look at a quitting drug addict, he will be praised for his ability simply to correct his prior mistakes, when someone who has never done a drug is considered simple and boring. This is a big problem for our society, and one that brings massive amounts of depression and criticism to our era. This is because a person who sees a modern hero as a role model can never finish, and it is in finishing that we can stand back and admire our hard work. Without seeing that we have already succeeded, we continue with the impression that what we have done is not good enough, leading us to believe that we are not good enough, when, in truth, we are. Still, there is more to a hero than just his return.

Heroes have more to them than just their quest; they have the entire process of becoming a hero. First they have a transformation, from a normal human to a superhuman individual. This is normally seen through a choice made by the hero to aspire to be more than he was in the beginning. However, Paul does not make any choice of that sort. He is trained from birth by his mother, Jessica, to be the Kwisatz Haderach, which is all he becomes. Through massive amounts of spice intake, he is able to see through time better than all guild members can do. Paul is also far from ordinary to begin with; he is a male trained in the ways of the Bene Gesserit, a group made entirely of witches. Though he played a significant role in the book, even when looking at a various aspects of his life, it still remains true that Paul is not a hero.

One of the things that Paul played a big role in was the Fremen's jihad. Despite the fact that the jihad does not come before the end of the book, it is foreshadowed in such a way that the reader is able to learn some key facts about it. One thing that can be found is that Paul will be the leader of it, whether or not he wants to. This is very important to Paul's inability to be a hero because, by the end of the book, he doesn't want to have the jihad, yet he created it. Even through his death he could not stop what he started, as, the Fremen needed only the legend he already had become to spread out through the universe killing millions (48). But how can it be said that Paul is the creator of the jihad, when it is said so many times through-out the book that the Bene Gesserit is in fact the true drive behind it? Paul is the Bene Gesserit. He is the perfect Bene Gesserit, the Kwisatz Haderach. He is what they have been working to create for generations, and he will therefore follow the path laid out for him by the Missionaria Protectiva .

In conclusion it becomes obvious that, though they could be called crusaders, not Paul, nor modern idols, can be hailed as a heroes. Though they go through a departure and an initiation, they do not complete Campbell's A Hero's Journey, the most widely used mapping of a hero's life. This shows that they do not have control over their abilities, making them something far from heroic. It is this falsity in what we consider heroes that brings so much depression and anguish to society; people simply don't believe they can heroically end their crusades. Born with a gift to see the future, Paul's life does not conform to that of other heroes' in that he was never normal. Finally, the Bene Gesserit use Paul to start a jihad against the universe, bound to kill millions, and he does this because he is the product of the Bene Gesserit. By the end of the book it becomes clear that Paul isn't a hero, but simply an over praised crusader.

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