“A duke’s son must know about poisons. . . . Here’s a new one for you: the gom jabbar. It kills only animals.”

Reverend Mother Mohiam speaks these words in the beginning of Book I. Her statement reveals the distinction the novel makes between humans and animals. The Bene Gesserit believe that animals react only by instinct, their base emotions, and drives. They also believe that humans can use their self-awareness to combat instinct. A Mentat, for example, uses only logic and removes all emotional or irrational ideas from his decision-making process. Mother Mohiam tests whether Paul is an animal or a human being by putting his hand in a box that causes pain. Paul passes the test by resisting the urge to pull his hand away from the pain. He rationalizes that he will be poisoned if he moves his hand, and thus, he fights his instinctual drive to run from the pain. This test is the first of many that Paul must survive to become the Kwisatz Haderach.