Dune Book II, Chapter 34 Summary

How It All Goes Down

  • That night the Fremen hold the funeral ceremony for Jamis.
  • Chani tells Paul that he will receive Jamis's water to make up for the water he lost during the fight. That seems fair, albeit in a twisted way.
  • Initially, Paul is reluctant to receive the water, but Jessica firmly orders Paul to do so.
  • During the ceremony, Jamis's possessions are laid out for the tribe to see. Friends of Jamis approach and talk about his accomplishments in life. Even Jessica steps forward, saying, "When the spirit of spirits within him saw the needs of truth, that spirit withdrew and spared my son" (34.76).
  • Paul senses that he too should step forward. He does so and says, "Jamis taught me… that… when you kill… you pay for it" (34.83). Paul sheds tears for Jamis's death. The Fremen see these tears, the spending of their water, as a sacred gesture.
  • Paul is given Jamis's water. Actually, he is given rings of various sizes to represent the water he owns in the tribe. It's kind of like money.
  • Paul asks Chani to hold on to them for him, a gesture that flusters her. Stilgar reminds her that Paul doesn't know their ways yet (i.e. he doesn't know he just proposed to Chani).
  • Jessica and Paul follow the Fremen into a cavern deep in the cave system. Jessica recognizes it as a windtrap to funnel air and precipitate moisture.
  • Inside the cavern, there is a giant underground lake. Paul remembers the place from one of his dreams, and it reminds him of the jihad he must not let happen.
  • Jamis's water is added to the lake.
  • Stilgar tells Jessica that this water is left untouched by the people no matter how desperate their need—and on a planet like Arrakis, that's saying something.
  • 38 million decaliters fill the cavern and are kept safe from the "little makers." We'll just have to wait to find out what those are, because Stilgar doesn't explain it.
  • They are saving the water, waiting for the day they have enough to change the planet's surface to something more habitable. It's kind of like waiting for Christmas morning times a thousand and one.
  • They leave the cavern. Paul takes Jamis's baliset and strums himself a small tune.
  • Chani asks him to tell her about the waters of Caladan, but Paul promises to do so another time. Instead, he sings her a song.
  • Jessica thinks she'll have to warn Paul about the Fremen women. Sure, her son has recently killed two men, but flirting with girls is where Jessica draws the line. Typical.
  • A single thought dominates Paul's mind: his mother helps to bring the jihad, so she is now his enemy.