In “The Parable of the Madman” by Friedrich Nietzsche, the author creates a text about how religion dictates a lot of what people do. He presents the “madman” who sporadically runs into a marketplace asking where God is. While he is laughed at, he exclaims that all the people including himself are “murderers” and has killed God. The madman goes on a whole rant about religious traditions such as “Do we not need to light lanterns in the morning?” and everything done to show gratuity of God. Finally, after many accusations and questioning he throws his lantern down and comes up with the conclusion that the people aren’t ready and that he “came too early.”
Nietzsche wants the reader to understand his viewpoint that God is dead. The author says in his text that while the madman was going on about God, the rest of the townspeople were just laughing at him and asking him if he’s gotten “lost.” Since everyone is laughing, it is assumed that they do not believe that God exists, therefore he is not living in their minds. The connection to God is not a physical one, it is mental and maybe even spiritual, but the point is that if everyone else does not believe that God exists, then the ideas that come with it becomes nonexistent, only living within the madmen. This
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Many people live a lot more leisurely life because they don’t worry about sinning and other related things. This is how the townspeople were that mocked the madman, they carry on with their lives without God, the world doesn’t end and everything is fine. Therefore, the madmen felt that “his time was not yet” and that the people weren’t ready; it’s because the people didn’t need God, they had all they needed right there and then. Which makes the madman sound senile, he’s so stuck in his ways that he can’t see a life without God. This goes to show how much religion influences one’s lifestyle where it might even hold people