Essay: Dune – Frank Herbert

Through his works, especially in his best seller, Dune, Frank Herbert fits into a puzzle piece of what the American Dream is built on. Examination of his works, bibliographies, and interviews create a rounded view of how Herbert made the best selling science fiction novel while displaying imagination as a component to the core of the American Dream through his skepticism toward government.
Born on October 8, 1920, Frank Herbert was raised into a household that lived paycheck to paycheck, at one point running away to live with an aunt and uncle. At the age of eight Frank declared to his family he wanted to base his career off writing. Eventually graduating high school, Frank lied his way into a newspaper press called the Glendale Star. Once World War 2 began, Frank’s life was put on hold as he enlisted in the Navy Seabees as a photographer. After a medical discharge, Frank enrolled in the University of Washington but failed to graduate due to his attitude. When asked about it, Frank said he didn’t want to learn curriculum he wasn’t interested in. During his time there, he had sold two works to be published, both adventure stories. After marrying to his second wife, Frank moved to California where he was opened to numerous different thoughts and studies. A major influence on his writing came from two psychologists; Ralph and Irene Slattery. They opened and familiarized Frank to the concept of Zen Buddhism, which followed him throughout his writing career. At the time Frank began to write in the science fiction genre, he had been reading it for over ten years. Around this time, Frank Herbert dedicated himself fully to writing and released what would become the most memorable science fiction novel ever written; Dune. Taking six years of preparation and study to make the book, Frank implemented complex ideas, themes, and directions ahead of the current time period to explore elements of the human psyche and condition. As a result of intense research, Dune proved to be a hard read because of its complexity, originality and detail in fictional realities. Spanning over multiple worlds, Dune cannot be summarized simply as concepts such as evolution and complex social structures prove to be pinnacle in the weaving of the novel. His work was so revolutionary in fact that of the twenty three publishers Frank approached, all rejected spare one who hesitantly agreed to publish the book. Although the book wasn’t an immediate success, it gave Frank more opportunities as a writer and teacher. From 1970-72 Frank returned to the University of Washington as a lecturer in general studies. Later in 1972 he traveled to Pakistan and Vietnam as an advisor on social and ecological issues. As 1972 ended, Frank no longer needed to work for the newspaper, giving him more time to write in fiction full-time. From here, Frank continued to write with ecological and philosophical ideas till his death on February 11, 1986, due to a long battle with cancer. After his death however, Frank’s books such as Dune only become more influential and gained more notoriety. Even becoming a television miniseries, Dune developed into one of the most successful science fiction novels ever made. Looking back, Frank Herbert’s works centered around a fictional tragedy but remained in the realm of possibility. Novels such as Destination: Void are so engaging to the reader because they keep the reader thrilled and engaged. Through his works, Frank Herbert displayed his criticism of government. Frank harshly judged the Soviet Union, believing,
All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the corruptible. Such people have a tendency to become drunk on violence, a condition to which they are quickly addicted.
Frank Herbert displays his concern with leadership and human tendency to follow without asking questions or determining the validity of the leader. Other themes explored heavily in Frank Herbert’s works include interest in ecology, sanity, effects of chemicals on the mind, and interest in the manner a society operates.
Dune and its saga have left their imprint on the authors of today. Winning the Nebula award in 1965 and the Hugo Award in 1966, it has left a legacy other science fiction novel writers look toward for inspiration. Frank was said to have imagined every feature of what he wrote about, bringing out a universe that was alive to the reader.