Eragon's "obliterator" line

[torylltales]

We all remember this particularly cringeworthy line from EWldest, right?

“I have a new name for pain."

What’s that?

"The Obliterator. Because when you’re in pain, nothing else can exist. Not thought. Not emotion. Only the drive to escape the pain. When it’s strong enough, the Obliterator strips us of everything that makes us who we are, until we’re reduced to creatures less than animals, creatures with a single desire and goal: escape."


I know it's probably old news for some of you, but I recently discovered that in Dune, there is a kind of meditation/hymn spoken by a number of different characters:

I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
[...]


Would it be stretching to see a link between Paolini's use of "obliterator" and the line "fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration"? Knowing that Paolini is a big fan of the Dune series.

I'm not saying it's plagiarism, because he's only been inspired by the use of that one word and then made his own thing out of it, but it's still interesting to see little ways like this that his favourite stories have inspired his own work.

Comments

[cmdrnemo]

In the Dune books there’s a process called the Gom Jabbar test of humanity. According to that quote Eragon could not pass the test and therefor is less than human.

[torylltales]

oh, could you please elaborate?

[minionnumber2]

It's one of the first scenes in the book! Basically they sit you down and put your hand in a magic scifi box and a poisoned needle at the back of your next. In this magic scifi box, they simulate the nerves in the person's hand so that they feel an absolutely agonizing pain, but it doesn't actually damage them. If the person tries to pull away from the source of the pain, they're considered animals and they're killed.

It's a test to see if their awareness and resolve is stronger than their animal instincts.

"You've heard of animals chewing off a leg to escape a trap? There's an animal kind of trick. A human would remain in the trap, endure the pain, feigning death that he might kill the trapper and remove a threat to his kind."

[cmdrnemo]

Alright. Let's see if I can explain clearly. First the test is only given to people who want a great future or are seeking power. So they need to have a clear goal. An elderly woman, a mother superior of the bene gesserit witches will approach the subject with a box and a needle. The subject is instructed to place one hand in the box. The needle, and the more deadly than regular cyanide on it, is held against the subject's neck. The subject is then instructed not to move under any circumstances. The box then causes incomparable pain.

The idea is that a lesser being, unworthy of the title human, would succumb to the pain, let it obliterate their mind. But a human, a human would find some way to fight through holding on to thier mind and their goals. Even if that goal is reduced to revenge against the cause of that pain. A human can endure anything and retain at least some of their mind.

Eragon claims he cannot do this. By that claim he is less than what Dune requires of a human.

On mobile, please forgive awkwardness, it's hard to proofread.