Dune

Paul Atreides is the protagonist of Dune who alters the course of history in the fictional galaxy, despite his young age. Paul is introduced to the audience at the age of 15. Unlike most teenagers, Paul is burdened with a “terrible purpose” (19). He is the product of centuries of selective breeding by the Bene Gesserit, who hope to create a messianic figure known as the Kwisatz Haderach. Many people, from the Bene Gesserit to the Fremen, consider Paul to be an important and powerful figure for whom they have spent centuries waiting. This burden of expectation weighs heavily on Paul. He feels a duty to his family, his friends, and his people, all of whom depend on him to secure victory in the constant power struggle of intergalactic politics. Paul is a 15-year-old boy who is heralded as the savior of the universe, whose arrival has been carefully arranged for millennia. The pressure of this expectation changes Paul, ensuring that he is never able to have a typical childhood. Paul is not permitted to be an innocent young man who can make mistakes. Instead, he is the messiah-in-waiting, a victim of fate and circumstance who feels a responsibility for every other person in the universe.