Turning Nothing into Something: The Victorious Alchemy of Victory

Starting from the incongruous juxtaposition of victory, the novel's title, and nothing, the word on which it ends, this article explores the contradictions that characterize Conrad's novel, be it in its polarized critical reception, or in its stylistic and thematic makeup, to show that this tension is seminal to the work's value. Using a Lacanian perspective, it starts with an analysis of Heyst's negative inheritance to move on to Lena's enigmatic portrayal and the images of the void that are associated with her. Whereas Heyst's nothingness, as it crystallizes, becomes paralyzing, Lena's remains a fluid Otherness that escapes definition. As the empty center at the heart of the novel, Lena represents the void essential to creation.