Summary
Zarathustra encounters a group of disabled beggars who challenge him to prove his worth by healing their physical ailments. But Zarathustra refuses, explaining that removing someone's hump might also remove their spirit, or that giving sight to the blind might only show them more ugliness in the world. He sees a deeper problem: people who are spiritually crippled—those who have become nothing but 'a big ear' or 'a big mouth,' obsessed with one aspect of themselves while neglecting everything else. These 'reversed cripples' represent modern people who define themselves entirely by their jobs, their grievances, or their single talents. But Zarathustra's real revelation comes when he discusses the concept of revenge. He explains that humans are tormented by the phrase 'it was'—the unchangeable past. We cannot will backwards, cannot undo what happened, and this powerlessness fills us with rage. This rage becomes the 'spirit of revenge'—the need to blame, punish, and make others suffer because we cannot change our own past pain. This spirit of revenge has poisoned human thinking, making us believe that suffering requires punishment, that everything deserves to perish because everything causes pain. Zarathustra suggests that true freedom comes not from revenge but from creative will—the ability to say 'but thus would I have it' about our past, transforming our story from victimhood to authorship. The chapter ends with a hunchback questioning why Zarathustra speaks differently to different audiences, hinting at the complexity of truth-telling.
Coming Up in Chapter 43
The hunchback's final question about Zarathustra speaking differently to different people opens a deeper inquiry into the nature of teaching and truth. What does it mean to adapt wisdom to your audience, and when does that become deception?
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An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
When Zarathustra went one day over the great bridge, then did the cripples and beggars surround him, and a hunchback spake thus unto him: “Behold, Zarathustra! Even the people learn from thee, and acquire faith in thy teaching: but for them to believe fully in thee, one thing is still needful—thou must first of all convince us cripples! Here hast thou now a fine selection, and verily, an opportunity with more than one forelock! The blind canst thou heal, and make the lame run; and from him who hath too much behind, couldst thou well, also, take away a little;—that, I think, would be the right method to make the cripples believe in Zarathustra!” Zarathustra, however, answered thus unto him who so spake: When one taketh his hump from the hunchback, then doth one take from him his spirit—so do the people teach. And when one giveth the blind man eyes, then doth he see too many bad things on the earth: so that he curseth him who healed him. He, however, who maketh the lame man run, inflicteth upon him the greatest injury; for hardly can he run, when his vices run away with him—so do the people teach concerning cripples. And why should not Zarathustra also learn from the people, when the people learn from Zarathustra? It is, however, the smallest thing unto me since I have been amongst men, to see one person lacking an eye, another an ear, and a third a leg, and that others have lost the tongue, or the nose, or the head. I see and have seen worse things, and divers things so hideous, that I should neither like to speak of all matters, nor even keep silent about some of them: namely, men who lack everything, except that they have too much of one thing—men who are nothing more than a big eye, or a big mouth, or a big belly, or something else big,—reversed cripples, I call such men. And when I came out of my solitude, and for the first time passed over this bridge, then I could not trust mine eyes, but looked again and again, and said at last: “That is an ear! An ear as big as a man!” I looked still more attentively—and actually there did move under the ear something that was pitiably small and poor and slim. And in truth this immense ear was perched on a small thin stalk—the stalk, however, was a man! A person putting a glass to his eyes, could even recognise further a small envious countenance, and also that a bloated soullet dangled at the stalk. The people told me, however, that the big ear was not only a man, but a great man, a genius. But I never believed in the people when they spake of great men—and I hold to my belief that it was a reversed cripple, who had too little of everything, and too much of one thing. When Zarathustra had spoken thus unto...
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Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Revenge - How Past Pain Poisons Present Choices
The tendency to make present decisions based on settling past scores rather than creating future possibilities.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to recognize when someone's anger comes from trying to will backwards rather than move forward.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when conversations shift from 'how do I handle this' to 'why did this happen to me'—that's usually when the revenge spirit takes over.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Spirit of Revenge
Nietzsche's concept for the human tendency to blame and punish others because we can't change our own past pain. It's the toxic cycle where our inability to undo what hurt us makes us want to hurt others in return.
Modern Usage:
We see this when people stay bitter about past wrongs and make everyone around them pay for it, or when society focuses more on punishment than healing.
Reversed Cripples
Nietzsche's term for people who are physically whole but spiritually deformed - those who become nothing but one giant feature like 'a big ear' or 'a big mouth.' They've let one aspect of themselves consume their entire identity.
Modern Usage:
Think of people who define themselves entirely by their job, their trauma, their political views, or their one talent - they've become unbalanced and lost their full humanity.
The Will Backwards
The human frustration with being unable to change the past. We can will things to happen in the future, but we're powerless against 'it was' - what already happened.
Modern Usage:
This shows up as our obsession with 'what if' scenarios and our tendency to ruminate endlessly on past mistakes or missed opportunities.
Creative Will
Nietzsche's alternative to revenge - the ability to transform your relationship with your past by saying 'but thus would I have it.' Instead of being a victim of your story, you become its author.
Modern Usage:
This is like people who reframe their struggles as their strength, or who say 'I wouldn't change anything because it made me who I am today.'
Superman/Overman
Not a comic book hero, but Nietzsche's vision of humans who have overcome the spirit of revenge and resentment. They create their own values instead of being ruled by bitterness about the past.
Modern Usage:
These are people who break generational cycles of trauma, who choose growth over grudges, who lead by example rather than criticism.
Characters in This Chapter
The Hunchback
Challenger and questioner
He speaks for the disabled beggars, demanding that Zarathustra prove himself by performing physical healings. Later he questions why Zarathustra speaks differently to different audiences, showing he's paying attention to inconsistencies.
Modern Equivalent:
The skeptical coworker who calls out the motivational speaker
Zarathustra
Philosophical teacher and protagonist
He refuses to heal physical disabilities, explaining that removing someone's burden might also remove their spirit. He teaches about the spirit of revenge and offers the concept of creative will as an alternative to bitterness.
Modern Equivalent:
The unconventional therapist who won't just tell you what you want to hear
The Cripples and Beggars
Representatives of those seeking easy fixes
They want Zarathustra to prove his worth by healing their physical ailments, representing people who look for external solutions to their problems rather than internal transformation.
Modern Equivalent:
People looking for quick fixes and miracle cures instead of doing the hard work
Key Quotes & Analysis
"When one taketh his hump from the hunchback, then doth one take from him his spirit"
Context: When the disabled beggars demand he heal them to prove his worth
This reveals Zarathustra's belief that our struggles and limitations often shape our character and strength. Removing someone's burden might also remove what made them resilient and unique.
In Today's Words:
If you take away someone's struggle, you might take away what makes them strong
"The spirit of revenge: that hath hitherto been man's best contemplation"
Context: While explaining humanity's obsession with punishment and blame
This identifies revenge as humanity's dominant way of thinking about justice and meaning. We've built entire systems around making others pay for our pain rather than healing ourselves.
In Today's Words:
Getting even has been humanity's favorite way of making sense of the world
"That time doth not run backwards—that is his wrath"
Context: Explaining why humans are filled with rage and resentment
This gets to the heart of human frustration - we're tormented by our powerlessness over the past. This inability to change 'what was' is the source of much human anger and the desire for revenge.
In Today's Words:
We're angry because we can't go back and fix what went wrong
Thematic Threads
Identity
In This Chapter
Zarathustra critiques 'reversed cripples'—people who become nothing but their single defining feature, whether physical or professional
Development
Builds on earlier themes about self-creation, showing how people trap themselves in narrow identities
In Your Life:
You might recognize this when you realize you've become 'just' your job title, your illness, or your grievance
Class
In This Chapter
The beggars demand Zarathustra prove his worth through miraculous healing, expecting him to perform for their validation
Development
Continues exploration of how different classes make demands on each other and expect certain performances
In Your Life:
This appears when people expect you to prove your value through what you can do for them
Personal Growth
In This Chapter
Zarathustra refuses to 'heal' because removing someone's burden might also remove their unique spirit and strength
Development
Deepens the theme that growth comes through struggle, not through having obstacles removed
In Your Life:
You see this when you realize your biggest challenges also created your greatest strengths
Social Expectations
In This Chapter
The hunchback questions why Zarathustra speaks differently to different audiences, challenging expectations of consistent messaging
Development
Introduced here—the complexity of truth-telling in different contexts
In Your Life:
This shows up when you're criticized for adapting your communication style to different situations
Human Relationships
In This Chapter
The spirit of revenge poisons relationships by making people punish others for past hurts they didn't cause
Development
Expands on earlier relationship themes by showing how past pain creates present conflict
In Your Life:
You might notice this when you're angry at your partner for something an ex did to you
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
Why does Zarathustra refuse to heal the physical disabilities of the beggars, and what does he mean when he says removing someone's hump might also remove their spirit?
analysis • surface - 2
What is the 'spirit of revenge' and how does our inability to change the past ('it was') create this destructive pattern in human behavior?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see the 'spirit of revenge' playing out in your workplace, family, or community - people making others pay for old hurts they can't undo?
application • medium - 4
How can someone transform from saying 'it was' (victim of the past) to 'thus I will it' (author of their future) when dealing with unchangeable painful experiences?
application • deep - 5
What does this chapter reveal about why humans often punish the wrong people for the right reasons, and how might recognizing this pattern change how we respond to our own pain?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Track Your Revenge Responses
For the next few days, notice when you feel angry or want someone to 'pay' for something. Write down three instances where you caught yourself operating from 'it was' (trying to settle old scores) versus 'thus I will it' (creating something new). For each situation, identify what unchangeable past event was driving your reaction and what you actually wanted to create moving forward.
Consider:
- •Pay attention to small daily irritations - they often reveal bigger patterns of revenge thinking
- •Notice the difference between responding to what's happening now versus reacting to old wounds
- •Consider how your desire for others to suffer connects to your own unprocessed pain
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you made someone else pay for pain that someone completely different caused you. What were you really trying to control, and how might you handle similar situations differently now?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 43: The Dangerous Middle Ground
What lies ahead teaches us to navigate the tension between your highest aspirations and daily reality, and shows us allowing yourself to be vulnerable can be a form of strength. These patterns appear in literature and life alike.