Walking the Tightrope

Fritz’s relationship with his sister was a complex one. Of course, many brother and sister interactions are. Generally speaking they were very close during the period of his life up to 1876 and remained close afterwards though there were increasingly periods of unrest between them. His relations with his mother remained on a more even keel. She continued to lovingly wish the best for her son and to harbor hopes that he might one day return to his lost Christian faith. Franziska stayed in Naumburg for most of Nietzsche’s life. Elizabeth was often with her mother, though she traveled a bit more. Friedrich Nietzsche loved his sister and his mother. For a time, his sister lived with him at his residence at Basel, keeping his modest home in order and attending to various chores. Elizabeth would often take dictation for Fritz when his eyes were too strained to see. She would read to him in the afternoons and evenings. They cohabitated on a very mundane level. Therefore, he opened up to his ...