Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Thus Spoke Zarathustra, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Rethinking Morality
The Superman and the Will to Power
Death of God and Christianity
Eternal Recurrence
Summary
Analysis
In the late afternoon, Zarathustra returns to his cave. Just before he enters it, however, he hears the cry of distress once more—it’s coming from his own cave, and it’s multiple voices crying together. He enters the cave and finds all his guests: the kings, sorcerer, beggar, shadow, the ugliest man, and all the rest. In their midst are his animals. Zarathustra considers them all and concludes that he’s been hearing their cry all along, and he now knows where to seek the Higher Man—right here in his cave.
The Higher Men are gathered in Zarathustra’s cave. Zarathustra realizes that they are the men he’s been searching for all this time—figures who, in various ways and to different degrees, resist humanity and exercise their will to power—and that they are suffering.
Themes
To comfort his guests, Zarathustra offers them the security of his cave and his hand and heart. His guests reply that their distress has ended, their hearts and minds delighted. There is nothing better on Earth than a glorious strong will like Zarathustra’s. Their arrival at his cave signals that, soon, “better men” will be on their way to him, seeking hope.
Zarathustra and his will to power are sufficient solace for the men, whose presence prophesies the coming of yet higher humanity. However, their contentment with Zarathustra suggests that they aren’t yet fully exercising their own will to power.
Themes
Zarathustra replies that, although these might be Higher Men, they are not high and strong enough for him. They are not yet ready for his teaching; the evil dwarf still crouches inside them, and the mob as well. In the end, they’re just bridges, omens and forebears of the heir to come. Zarathustra longs for the coming of these children.
