When Nietzsche Wept: A Novel Of Obsession

Nietzsche refuses Breuer’s offer once again, as assertively as the offer was made. Refusing to give up, Breuer asks Nietzsche to put himself in the role of doctor. Breuer then lays out the curious circumstances of a patient who seeks help but does not accept it when it is offered. Nietzsche then claims that he has visited Breuer to placate his friends. When Breuer reminds Nietzsche of the physical pain caused by his illness, Nietzsche then says that skepticism is what prevents him from accepting treatment. Breuer then uses passages from Nietzsche’s book against him as rationale for why he should accept treatment. He states that it is his job to help others, but Nietzsche accuses him of hiding his true intentions, reminding him that in his view, all human motivation is self-driven. Breuer ponders to himself what his hidden motivations might be: the desire to impress Lou Salome and the fame that may await him if he can help Nietzsche, who he feels has a touch of greatness. He also understands that Nietzsche’s case offers him a distinct and formidable intellectual challenge. Breuer admits all this to Nietzsche, who again expresses his distrust, claiming that in seeking help from Breuer, he is inevitably relinquishing power.