Summary
Zarathustra enters a desolate valley called Serpent-death, where he encounters a mysterious figure who calls himself the ugliest man. This creature poses a riddle and reveals himself as the murderer of God. The ugliest man explains his motivation: God had to die because He saw everything, including the man's deepest shame and ugliness. Unable to endure being so completely witnessed and pitied, the ugliest man killed the all-seeing God. He fled from others' pity, which he finds more unbearable than their hatred, because pity strips away dignity. The ugliest man recognizes Zarathustra as someone who understands that pity can be destructive - that sometimes refusing to help preserves more dignity than rushing to assist. He warns Zarathustra against his own capacity for pity, knowing it could destroy him. Despite his revulsion, Zarathustra offers the ugliest man refuge in his cave, suggesting he learn from talking to animals instead of seeking human company. As Zarathustra leaves, he reflects on how this encounter reveals both the depth of human self-hatred and the strange elevation that comes from complete self-knowledge, even when that knowledge is painful. The chapter explores how being truly seen can be unbearable, and how pity, though well-intentioned, can become a form of violence against human dignity.
Coming Up in Chapter 68
Leaving the ugliest man behind, Zarathustra feels chilled and alone, but as he continues his journey through varied terrain, warmth and cheer gradually return to his spirit. His path leads him toward new encounters that will test his resolve.
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An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
A—nd again did Zarathustra’s feet run through mountains and forests, and his eyes sought and sought, but nowhere was he to be seen whom they wanted to see—the sorely distressed sufferer and crier. On the whole way, however, he rejoiced in his heart and was full of gratitude. “What good things,” said he, “hath this day given me, as amends for its bad beginning! What strange interlocutors have I found! At their words will I now chew a long while as at good corn; small shall my teeth grind and crush them, until they flow like milk into my soul!”— When, however, the path again curved round a rock, all at once the landscape changed, and Zarathustra entered into a realm of death. Here bristled aloft black and red cliffs, without any grass, tree, or bird’s voice. For it was a valley which all animals avoided, even the beasts of prey, except that a species of ugly, thick, green serpent came here to die when they became old. Therefore the shepherds called this valley: “Serpent-death.” Zarathustra, however, became absorbed in dark recollections, for it seemed to him as if he had once before stood in this valley. And much heaviness settled on his mind, so that he walked slowly and always more slowly, and at last stood still. Then, however, when he opened his eyes, he saw something sitting by the wayside shaped like a man, and hardly like a man, something nondescript. And all at once there came over Zarathustra a great shame, because he had gazed on such a thing. Blushing up to the very roots of his white hair, he turned aside his glance, and raised his foot that he might leave this ill-starred place. Then, however, became the dead wilderness vocal: for from the ground a noise welled up, gurgling and rattling, as water gurgleth and rattleth at night through stopped-up water-pipes; and at last it turned into human voice and human speech:—it sounded thus: “Zarathustra! Zarathustra! Read my riddle! Say, say! WHAT IS THE REVENGE ON THE WITNESS? I entice thee back; here is smooth ice! See to it, see to it, that thy pride doth not here break its legs! Thou thinkest thyself wise, thou proud Zarathustra! Read then the riddle, thou hard nut-cracker,—the riddle that I am! Say then: who am _I_!” —When however Zarathustra had heard these words,—what think ye then took place in his soul? PITY OVERCAME HIM; and he sank down all at once, like an oak that hath long withstood many tree-fellers,—heavily, suddenly, to the terror even of those who meant to fell it. But immediately he got up again from the ground, and his countenance became stern. “I know thee well,” said he, with a brazen voice, “THOU ART THE MURDERER OF GOD! Let me go. Thou couldst not ENDURE him who beheld THEE,—who ever beheld thee through and through, thou ugliest man. Thou tookest revenge on this witness!” Thus spake Zarathustra and was about to go; but...
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Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Unbearable Witnessing
When someone sees our deepest shame clearly, we often destroy the relationship rather than face what they witness about us.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to identify when someone's hostility stems from shame about being truly seen, not from actual anger at you.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when someone gets defensive or aggressive after you show understanding or compassion—ask yourself if they're pushing away a witness to their pain rather than rejecting your help.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Deicide
The killing or murder of a god. In this chapter, the ugliest man claims to have murdered God because he couldn't bear being constantly watched and pitied. This represents the philosophical idea that humans might reject divine oversight to preserve their dignity.
Modern Usage:
We see this when people reject help or monitoring because it makes them feel judged or pitied.
Pity as violence
Nietzsche's concept that feeling sorry for someone can actually harm them by stripping away their dignity and agency. The ugliest man explains that pity is worse than hatred because it treats people as helpless victims rather than capable beings.
Modern Usage:
This shows up when well-meaning help makes someone feel infantilized or when 'thoughts and prayers' feel more insulting than supportive action.
The all-seeing eye
The idea of God as someone who witnesses everything, including our most shameful moments. The ugliest man couldn't tolerate this constant observation of his deepest flaws and ugliness, leading him to commit deicide.
Modern Usage:
We experience this with social media surveillance, workplace monitoring, or feeling like everyone is judging our failures.
Self-loathing
Intense hatred or disgust directed at oneself. The ugliest man represents the extreme end of this - someone so disgusted with himself that he can't bear anyone else seeing his true nature, especially a compassionate observer.
Modern Usage:
This appears in people who push away love because they don't believe they deserve it, or who sabotage relationships before others can 'find out' who they really are.
Serpent-death valley
A desolate place where even animals avoid going, except old serpents who come there to die. It symbolizes spiritual barrenness and the place where old beliefs go to perish. This is where Zarathustra encounters the God-killer.
Modern Usage:
These are the emotional wastelands we enter during depression or crisis - places where even our usual coping mechanisms don't work.
Dignity preservation
The idea that maintaining one's self-respect and autonomy is sometimes more important than receiving help. The ugliest man chose isolation over pity because pity threatened his sense of dignity more than loneliness did.
Modern Usage:
We see this when people refuse charity or help because accepting it would make them feel diminished or when someone says 'I'd rather struggle alone than be pitied.'
Characters in This Chapter
Zarathustra
Protagonist and seeker
He enters the valley of death and encounters the ugliest man with a mixture of revulsion and understanding. Despite his disgust, he offers refuge, showing his complex relationship with pity and compassion. He recognizes the danger of his own compassionate nature.
Modern Equivalent:
The therapist or social worker who understands that sometimes helping hurts
The ugliest man
Antagonist and confessor
He reveals himself as God's murderer, explaining that he killed God because he couldn't bear being seen and pitied in his complete ugliness. He represents extreme self-hatred and the rejection of divine compassion. He warns Zarathustra about the destructive power of pity.
Modern Equivalent:
The person who pushes everyone away because they're convinced they're unlovable
Key Quotes & Analysis
"He had to die: he saw with eyes that saw everything—he saw man's depths and ultimate grounds, all his concealed disgrace and ugliness."
Context: Explaining why he murdered God
This reveals the core conflict between human shame and divine observation. The ugliest man couldn't tolerate being completely known, even by a loving God. It shows how shame can become so overwhelming that we reject even compassionate witness to our struggles.
In Today's Words:
God had to go because he saw all my worst stuff, and I couldn't handle being that exposed.
"But he—had to die: he saw with eyes that saw everything, he saw man's depths and ultimate grounds, all his concealed disgrace and ugliness. His pity knew no shame: he crept into my dirtiest nooks."
Context: Continuing his explanation of deicide
This shows how even divine love can feel like violation when we're consumed by self-hatred. The 'dirtiest nooks' represent our most shameful thoughts and feelings that we want to keep hidden. Sometimes being truly seen feels more threatening than being ignored.
In Today's Words:
His love felt invasive because he saw parts of me I didn't want anyone to see, not even someone who cared.
"The god who saw everything, even man: this god had to die! Man cannot bear it that such a witness should live."
Context: Justifying his crime against God
This captures the fundamental human struggle with being truly known. Sometimes we prefer judgment to pity because judgment at least preserves some dignity. The ugliest man chose to destroy the witness rather than face the shame of being completely seen.
In Today's Words:
Nobody can handle having all their business out there, even if the person seeing it loves them anyway.
Thematic Threads
Shame
In This Chapter
The ugliest man's shame is so complete that being witnessed by an all-seeing God becomes unbearable torture
Development
Introduced here as the driving force behind witness elimination
In Your Life:
You might recognize this when you avoid people who've seen you at your lowest moments.
Identity
In This Chapter
The ugliest man defines himself entirely by his ugliness, making God's compassionate gaze a threat to his self-concept
Development
Builds on earlier themes of self-creation by showing how negative identity can become a prison
In Your Life:
You might see this when you cling to victim status because it's become familiar, even when healing is offered.
Power
In This Chapter
Killing God represents the ultimate power move—eliminating the one witness who cannot be deceived or avoided
Development
Continues the exploration of power as both liberation and destruction
In Your Life:
You might recognize this when you sabotage relationships where you feel powerless or completely known.
Human Relationships
In This Chapter
Pity is revealed as potentially more damaging than hatred because it establishes hierarchy and strips dignity
Development
Deepens the examination of how compassion can become a form of violence
In Your Life:
You might notice this when well-meaning help makes you feel smaller rather than supported.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
Why does the ugliest man say he killed God, and what was unbearable about God's way of seeing him?
analysis • surface - 2
According to the ugliest man, why is pity worse than hatred, and how does pity affect human dignity?
analysis • medium - 3
Think about times when someone's kindness or understanding made you feel worse instead of better. What was really happening in those moments?
application • medium - 4
When you're struggling and someone offers help or sympathy, how do you decide whether to accept it or push them away?
application • deep - 5
What does this chapter reveal about the relationship between shame, visibility, and our need for dignity?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Witness-Destruction Pattern
Think of a time when you pushed away someone who was trying to help or understand you during a difficult period. Write down what they saw about your situation, how they responded, and what you did to create distance. Then identify the specific moment when their kindness felt like a threat to your dignity.
Consider:
- •Notice whether you were angrier at them for seeing your struggle or for how they responded to it
- •Consider what their reaction revealed about how you saw yourself in that moment
- •Think about whether pushing them away protected something important or just avoided discomfort
Journaling Prompt
Write about someone who has seen you at your worst and still treated you with respect. How did their response challenge or confirm your beliefs about your own worth?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 68: The Preacher and the Cows
What lies ahead teaches us disgust with society can lead to isolation and false peace, and shows us giving well requires more skill than receiving. These patterns appear in literature and life alike.