The Lady Jessica is a significant part of the book Dune by Frank Herbert. When first introduced to Lady Jessica she is a loving mother and only there to serve her family; being a BG it is her duty. Throughout the story she dramatically transforms into the RM and evolves as the all knower for the Freman people. At the beginning of the book, the story starts with Lady Jessica bringing her son to receive a test from the RM. The test is dangerous and could potentially kill her son, but she takes her son anyways. Showing the readers, she does as she is told. Jessica also says, “I am Bene Gessert: I exist only to serve. (pg 37)
Throughout the first book Jessica is nothing but a server for her family. In the second book Maud’Dib, Jessica starts to transform. Paul and her are exiled to the desert and have to find a way to survive. She begins noticing Paul transforming into a man at this time. Jessica thinks to herself “there’s no more childhood in his voice. ” (pg 317) throughout the book we notice she reluctantly begins to accept her son as a leader. She Thinks “such a sure hand my son has with his people” (354) Once they run into the Freman people is when you really start noticing a change in her.
After passing the test of the RM she becomes an all knower of knowledge of the Freman people and a “God” in their eye. In the third book, The Prophet, Lady Jessica becomes more than just a server to her people, her family and BG. She matures into her own person. We see this when the Reverend mother, Gauis Helen Mohiam, tells Jessica to silence Paul. She is quick to reply “Silence him yourself. ” (pg 775). She also changes her views of what she wants for her son’s life. Jessica realizes her mistake of training Paul to be a KH. She is filled with guilt and wants Paul to keep in touch corns Paul “Don’t make the same mistake your father made. ” (pg 765) when Paul begins negotiating his marriage to the princess___.
Trying to undo the mistakes she has made. Over the course of the Dune series, we see Jessica transform from a loving mother to serve to an ancient RM all knowing. The environment of the planet Arrikas puts a tremendous amount of stress on the Lady Jessica. When Paul and the Lady Jessica first get into the desert and meet the Freman people, Jessica is forced to act as if she is the “Sayyadina,” which is a life threatening decision.
Though, if she did not make this crucial decision they would have been killed on the spot for their “water. ” Even though the Lady Jessica did not know if she would pass the test of the Sayyadina, she realizes she has to do what she has to, to keep the last of her family alive. Jessica special status and responsibilities furthers her consequences. The first consequence to her actions was the risk she put on her son’s life. When she chooses to have a son for the Lord Duke instead of a daughter like she was ordered to do. She made the choice to endanger her son, not fully realizing it of course.
In the first book the RM told her how disappointing her decision was. The Lady Jessica says “Ill shield him as well as I’m able. ” (pg 37) In both cases the Lady Jessica faces these consequences because of her status and responsibilities. Another consequence she has to deal with is when she actually becomes a RM. She had to make the difficult decision between choosing her son or her unborn child. Jessica was aware that the test could potentially kill her unborn child, but she does it to save Paul’s life. The consequences of this becomes clear when the old RM comes to her during the transition and declares “This changes both of you!
Holy Mother, what have we done? ” (pg 576) Once Jessica has her daughter the consequences of her choice becomes even more evident. The freman people begin questioning Jessica’s daughter’s behavior. “It’s the strangeness of my daughter… it’s the way she peaks of things beyond her years and of things no child her age could know-things of the past. ” (pg 640) By making the choice to be the RM, Jessica not only endangered her unborn baby, she took away her baby’s innocence as well. Another consequence she will have to live with forever.
The lady Jessica’s character is developed appropriately in the story to handle the weight of the complexity of the events. If she was not, the book, itself would not be a science fiction novel. A great deal of Jessica’s Character explains the history and “science” behind the book. An example of this is when Jessica finally transforms into the Mother Reverend, the readers finally get an explanation of how the RM and the BG school works. “She felt that she was a conscious mote, smaller than any subatomic particle, yet capable of option and of sensing her surroundings.
Like an abrupt revelation-the curtains whipped away-she realized she had become aware of a psychokinesthetic extension of herself. ” (pg 574) Some of the Lady Jessica’s life changes seem natural to the human experience. The lady Jessica naturally changes the way she interacts with her son Paul. She slowly allows her son to make decisions on his own and holds her tongue more as he matures. Although the way her son is changing is unnatural in the normal world, the way she reacts lets the reader connect with her as a mother letting her son make decisions on his own.
Jessica not only connects with women’s maternal instincts; she also appeals to figures in authority. She executes this when she makes the tough decisions about getting her son tested to finally sticking up to one of the old Mother Reverend. She demonstrates her willingness to make decisions that are for the benefit of her people, not herself. Connecting to people in high powered authority and with the men in general. Making Jessica’s character’s emotions evident in the book makes her connect with the readers, thus giving her character believability and appeal.
