why did Chani have to die
I think she was the best part in the mini series i know she dies in the book but why not keep her alive.
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MovieChat Forums > Children of Dune (2003) Discussion > why did Chani have to die
Flippant Answer: Frank Herbert wrote the story that way.
Real Answer: Barbara was good, no question. I was sad to see her go. With that said, I can't really explain why else, but, I didn't really like the character of Chani. Chani, I kind of felt, made Paul whiny. I prefer my heroes with a bit of a spine. So, I got over that fairly quickly.
So if Chani lived longer she would have a more horrible death?
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Just an FYI - Paul did nothing to stop Chani from getting pregnant. Irulan had been feeding Chani birth control pills for 12 years. That is why when Paul confronted Irulan he said she prolonged Chani's life by giving her the pills.
shareI disagree with previous comments, I dont think she HAD to die.
Obviously Paul could have saved her. He could have not allowed her to get pregnant, or he could have at least kept her in the city where there was better medical attention.
I think the whole point is that he was deluded by his visions, and they became a self-fulfilling prophecy that blinded him to the present and kept him worrying about the future (just like Alia). In the end, everything he feared came to pass because he allowed it to--on the assumption he had no power to stop fate. He uses this excuse multiple times when speaking to Chani and his mother.
And then...enter the "Golden Path"...
I was about to disagree, but now I see what you are saying.
It is neither here or there, but there is some truth to him being deluded by his visions to the point of self-fulfilling them. His visions clearly weren't perfect since he did not even see his daughter being born. Therefore, you could argue that there may have been a future where both Chani and the human race could have survived.
From Paul's point of view, however, she had to die in order for the human race to survive.
Mmm, it's been a while but I thought in his visions he saw the birth of his daughter not of his son.
Nullus Anxietas
We-e-e-elll, YES SHE DID have to die. This ain't *your* story being filmed, it's Frank Herbert's story -- and he had valid reasons for developing the plot they way he did. Now you're just arguing to no point with an established author -- and a dead author, at that -- about a famous and classic book series that did very well without your input. Honestly: some of you would rewrite Jules Verne if you could! That doesn't make your choices valid. You want a different ending? Write your own book with your own characters. Sheesh! The nerve.
shareIt's not nerve, it is what makes literature great; the oppotunity to put yourself in the position of the character, to try to understand what motivated them to have made the choices they made. Perhaps we are not as wise as you and need the insight of others to better undersdand the author's intent. It sure might have helped if Brian Herbert had a few more discussions about his father's work.
shareYou need to make characters miserable at times in order to have an interesting plot, otherwise there is no compelling reason for them to DO ANYTHING.
YUP! And to add a little addendum from Joss Whedon, paraphrased: The best time to kill a character is when they're at the height of their popularity, it makes more compelling stories.
If you want sappy endings, watch a chick flick. ;-)
Actually Whedon's philosophy is that if a character is Happy, someone is abut to either turn Evil or Die, or Both.
"It's not about money.... It's about sending a Message..... Everything Burns!!!"
Yeah, and there's a word for miserable people like that: misanthropes. That particular negative attitude only works in fiction, and even then only sometimes. In life, it sucks.
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That's the way Frank Herbert intended to make her.
Paul foresaw a worse death for her at the hands of their enemies. The exact circumstances are vague but it can mostly be understood from the end of Dune Messiah where Paul says this on his way to view her body:
There was no other way. Chani, beloved, believe me that this death was quicker for you . . . and kinder. They'd have held our children hostage, displayed you in a cage and slave pits, reviled you with the blame for my death. This way . . . this way we destroy them and save our children.share
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Because he had no choice. That's the problem with foresight in the Dune universe, it traps you. It's what's known in our world as the Cassandra Effect (http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_Cassandra_Effect). Fore-knowledge of the future without the power to do anything about it. Paul could merely choose between the best of all bad alternatives, and that was it, the only path he could/would take.
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