Thus Spoke Zarathustra: A Book for All and None

Zarathustra proclaims that “God is dead.” Nietzsche references this phrase in other works, specifically the Gay Science. For Nietzsche, “God is dead” proclaims not that the Christian God has suffered a literal death but that the customs and traditions associated with Christianity no longer guide humankind. Zarathustra preaches this movement away from morals in his sermons on the overman, wherein he teaches his disciples how to become annihilators of the good and the noble. By arguing for the death of God, Zarathustra dethrones God as the creator of value and despises the contempt these values have fostered in mankind. The old hermit Zarathustra encounters on his journey down the mountain has yet to hear the news that God is dead. He warns Zarathustra against helping mankind, saying that they would much rather have their burdens relieved instead of receiving knowledge. The old hermit says, “Now I love God: human beings I do not love. Human beings are too imperfect a thing for me. Love for human beings would kill me” (4). The old hermit is only able to stay in isolation and praise God because he remains ignorant that God is dead. Contrastingly, Zarathustra has acquired a love of mankind and the earth while living in the