The Finale in Turin 313pulled him along and ultimately removed his inner world from our gaze
while we remained behind at the shore. The final image became
"Shipwreck with Spectator." The strange thing was that Nietzsche,
adrift, was simultaneously standing at the shore as a spectator regarding
himself His mind was still full of its old acuity and vigor. He was driven
and at the same time capable of observing his drivenness.
Full of plans and ideas, Nietzsche indulged in the small pleasures of
life as well. He relished the fine cuisine in Turin, explored the trattorias
in the neighborhood, began to pay closer attention to his wardrobe, and
sipped cups of coffee in public squares. He wanted to be noticed and
was tickled to observe people observing him. He wanted to catch them
in the act of looking at him. The women at the marketplace selected the
finest fruit for him, passersby turned around to watch him, and com-
plete strangers said hello. Children interrupted their play and regarded
him with awe. His landlady entered his room on tiptoe. 'The most
remarkable thing here in Turin is the complete fascination I radiate—to
all classes of people. I am treated like a prince with every glance. There
is an extreme air of distinction in the way people open the door for me
or serve me my meals. Every face is transformed when I enter a large
shop" (B 8,561; Dec. 29, 1888). He wrote this letter to Meta von Salis
shortly before his collapse, but letters of this sort date back to the early
part of his summer in Turin.
Nietzsche loved gazing at his hands. He chuckled at the idea that the
fate of mankind lay in his hands. He had the power to break mankind in
two. Is this what a revaluer of values looks like? Then he recalled a pas-
sage in Zarathustra:. "The stillest words are what bring on the storm.
Thoughts that come on doves' feet guide the world" (4,189; Ζ Second
Part, "Stillest Hour"). He looked in the mirror: "Never have I looked so
well" (B 8,460; Oct. 30, 1888). He read the books he had written: "For
the past four weeks, I have finally understood my own writings; not only
that, I admire them" (B 8,545; Dec. 22,1888), He had enjoyed a tremen-
dous sense of well-being in the fall, basking in the autumnal "great har-
vest season. Everything comes to me easily, everything succeeds," he