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
The next morning, Zarathustra springs out of bed and emerges from his cave “like a morning sun emerging from behind dark mountains.” The Higher Men are still asleep; but that is fine, because they aren’t Zarathustra’s rightful companions. They don’t understand the signs of the morning.
Zarathustra separates himself from the Higher Men. Despite the previous night’s instructions, he now realizes that they aren’t yet ready for humanity’s new dawn.
Themes
Suddenly, birds swarm around Zarathustra, and as he tries to ward them off, he grasps a lion’s mane and realizes that the sign has come. Indeed, the lion presses its head lovingly against Zarathustra like a loyal dog; doves play around it, and the lion laughs. Zarathustra weeps, knowing that his children are near.
The lion symbolizes Zarathustra’s mastery of life. It is also the long-awaited sign that it’s time for Zarathustra to descend once more to his children—that is, humanity at large. (Recall that the free lion preceded the innocent children in Zarathustra’s earlier vision.)
Themes
The Higher Men wake up and venture outside to greet Zarathustra, but when the lion roars at them, they flee back into the cave. Zarathustra recalls everything that happened yesterday and realizes that the old prophet tried to seduce him to pity the Higher Men’s distress—his “ultimate sin.” He cries out “Pity for the Higher Man!” and his face is transformed.
When the Higher Men spring away in fear, Zarathustra no longer pities them; he has overcome the temptation he succumbed to yesterday, perfecting himself. He is ready to strive for the Superman alone, rather than being hobbled by short-sighted pity for others.
Themes
Zarathustra realizes that the time for pity has passed; he now aspires after his work. The lion has come, his children are near, he is ripe, and today the great noontide will rise up. Zarathustra leaves his cave, glowing and strong like the sun.
Paralleling the beginning of the novel, Zarathustra descends to humanity, among whom he will find the Superman. Having overcome his pity, it seems that Zarathustra is now ready to fully embrace his will to power and serve as an example for others—and having recognized the Higher Men’s shortcomings, he'll now be able to discern the true higher men among the masses.
Themes
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