308 Nietzsche
under the influence of Marxism they dared to hope that the course of
history would bring them a better future- The vertical hypothesis of
God had been shifted horizontally. Nietzsche had certainly taken note of
the widespread erosion of belief, so how could he now announce that
his discovery of the death of God was something "tremendous"? Could
his message have come too late? Was he breaking down barriers that no
longer existed?
There are several possible responses, the first of which is biographi-
cal. Nietzsche, who was known as "the little pastor" at the age of twelve,
"a plant, born near the churchyard," in his own estimation, had a great
deal of difficulty shedding his God, even though he misled readers on
this score in Ecce Homo: "When 1 wage war against Christianity, it is
appropriate that I do so because I have not experienced any misfortunes
or frustrations in this area" (6,275; J5//"Why I Am So Wise" § 7). That
is not true. A few pages later, he even admitted as much when he inter-
preted his attack on Christian morality as an essential step in overcom-
ing his propensity for pity. To this extent, the Christian God of pity was
a thorn in his flesh. God may have been dead for quite a while in the
public consciousness, but Nietzsche continued to detect his influence in
the morality of pity. Moreover, Nietzsche had retained a certain sub-
missive tendency. He was still suffering the effects of the devaluation of
life, for which he also held Christian belief responsible. He accused
Christianity of having sapped the will to live. Christianity, he asserted,
was itself only a symptom of this debilitation, a monumental revolt of
the weak against the strong.
Nietzsche was unable to shed this submissive tendency. He had to
force himself to be life-affirming, at times with a decisiveness bordering
on hysteria. There was too much intentional play and not enough play-
ful intention. Nietzsche's declaration in Ecce Homo "I do not know any
way to tackle great tasks other than with play" (6,297; EH "Why I Am
So Clever" § 10) was intriguing, but somewhat misleading. These words
were more wish than reality for Nietzsche. Infused with his vision of the
will to power, he regarded play as a foundation of existence: his