Crossing the Great Nothing
The Great Nothing symbolizes despair, nihilism, and the forgetting of one’s true nature. Atreyu does not fight it with force but by remembering his own heart. He keeps his heart alive when everything else fades. In doing so, he realizes that saving the world is the same as saving his own heart. When all around is emptiness, he discovers the truth: I AM Alive. Emptiness is not death. Emptiness is pure potential.