Victory: An Island TaleIn Victory (1915) Conrad returns to the Malay Archipelago, to the setting of his first mature novel, Lord Jim, and in Axel Heyst he creates a hero who is in many ways similar to Jim, a noble altruist destroyed by his ideals. Heyst is emotionally crippled by the influence of his dead father, a sceptical philosopher who has bequeathed to Heyst an attitude to life summed up in the father's dying words: 'Look on - make no sound.' Despite this injunction Heyst allows himself to become inextricably involved with an English Cockney girl whom he rescues from Giancomo's Travelling Ladies' Orchestra and carries off to his isolated retreat on the island of Samburan. His action incurs the fatal wrath of Schomberg, the island's innkeeper, who sends in pursuit of Heyst three demonic strangers whose invasion of his island paradise leads rapidly to the novel's violent and tragic close. Victory was the first of Conrad's novels to be completed after the commercial success of Chance (1914) had transformed Conrad's fortunes and made him internationally famous. It is a more complex example of the literary form which Conrad evolved for Lord Jim: a story of action and high adventure coexisting with an exhaustive study of the psychology of the central character. |
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Page 5
But the most conspicuous object was a gigantic blackboard raised on two posts
and presenting to Heyst , when the moon got over that side , the white letters “ T .
B . C . Co . ” in a row at least two feet high . These were the initials of the Tropical
...
But the most conspicuous object was a gigantic blackboard raised on two posts
and presenting to Heyst , when the moon got over that side , the white letters “ T .
B . C . Co . ” in a row at least two feet high . These were the initials of the Tropical
...
Page 328
Heyst released her arm . “ Yes , perhaps I had better , ” she said with unnatural
deliberation , and stepped out on the verandah to stand close by his side .
Together , one on each side of the screen , they peeped between the edge of the
canvas ...
Heyst released her arm . “ Yes , perhaps I had better , ” she said with unnatural
deliberation , and stepped out on the verandah to stand close by his side .
Together , one on each side of the screen , they peeped between the edge of the
canvas ...
Page 405
asked Davidson , whom suddenly he saw standing by his side and holding up
Ricardo ' s dagger to his sight . Heyst uttered no word of recognition or surprise .
He gave Davidson only a dumb look of unutterable awe ; then , as if possessed ...
asked Davidson , whom suddenly he saw standing by his side and holding up
Ricardo ' s dagger to his sight . Heyst uttered no word of recognition or surprise .
He gave Davidson only a dumb look of unutterable awe ; then , as if possessed ...
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answer appeared arms asked believe better boat bungalow chair clear close coming Conrad course dark Davidson don't door doubt existence expected expression eyes face fact feeling fellow felt gave girl give glance gone governor hand head hear heard heart Heyst hold idea island Jones keep leave Lena less light lips live looked manner matter mean mind Morrison moved movement murmured nature never night once passed Pedro perhaps raised reason remained Ricardo round Schomberg seemed seen sense shoulders side sight silence smile sort sound speak steps stopped strange suddenly suppose surprised talk tell thing thought tion told tone trouble turned understand verandah voice waited walked Wang watched whispered woman wonder