Wasted Place (metaphor)
One of the metaphors is in the phrase "Paul occupied an inhospitable middle zone, a wasted place where his emotions drifted, swayed, swept outward in unchecked restlessness". Here, the narrator is using a metaphor to describe Paul's emotional state as being similar to that of a desolate landscape. This metaphor highlights that Paul's emotions are chaotic and unpredictable, like the volatile winds that sweep through a barren wasteland. By comparing his emotions to a wasteland, the narrator is accentuating the emptiness and desolation that Paul feels. It also suggests that he is in a state of limbo, unable to move forward in a meaningful way. The metaphor also highlights the feeling of loneliness and alienation that Paul is experiencing in the face of his obligations to the Atreides House.
Sea (metaphor)
Farok uses the metaphor of the sea to represent the great unknown of the future that Muad'Dib is bringing to the Fremen people. To Farok, the sea is a mysterious and powerful force that he has never seen before, and the idea of it is almost too much for him to comprehend. He knows that Muad'Dib has the power to make a great change and that change is symbolized by the sea—an unknown, vast, and seemingly unstoppable force. The metaphor of the sea also connotes a sense of freedom, as Farok has been confined to the dunes of Arrakis his entire life and the thought of the sea gives him a sense of hope and possibility. This metaphor of the sea captures Farok's feelings of awe and anticipation as he contemplates the great changes that Muad'Dib is bringing to the Fremen people.
Ancient Forms (metaphor)
The city is a representation of the world Paul has created and the decisions that he has made. He sees the extravagance of architecture and the artistry, but he also sees the "dismal tastelessness" of some of the details. He sees the postern out of ancient Baghdad, the dome dreamt in mythical Damascus, and the arch from the low gravity of Atar all in his city, and muses that they represent forces at work beyond his reach, that defy and elude him. He realizes that his invention of government has fallen into old patterns, like some "hideous contrivance with plastic memory" that snaps into the ancient forms when he relaxes. He compares this to a moon that is falling, signifying the decline of his power and the inevitability of his mortality.
Congeries (simile)
The narrator uses a simile to describe the Reverend Mother's reaction to her current situation. He writes that the Reverend Mother "felt herself in this instant to be not one single person, but all the others who sat like tiny congeries in her memory." Here, the narrator is comparing the Reverend Mother to a group of people, likening her to "tiny congeries," which means a collection or cluster of small things. This simile illustrates the Reverend Mother's feeling of being overwhelmed by the presence of all the Reverend Mothers she had absorbed in her life-long journey to becoming a Priestess of the Sisterhood. It is a powerful description of the Reverend Mother's emotional state and helps the reader understand her perspective on the situation.
Greedy Succubus (simile)
The narrator states that Paul "felt chained to a future which, exposed too often, had locked onto him like a greedy succubus." Here, he compares Paul's feeling of being chained to a future to being locked onto by a succubus, a figure in folklore that is a female spirit or demon who takes the form of an attractive woman to seduce men in their dreams and drain them of their life force. The comparison between Paul's future and a succubus emphasizes the overwhelming and oppressive nature of his future; it is something that he cannot escape from and could potentially take his life away from him.
