Neil Gaiman’s “American Gods” is replete with characters exploring the metaphysical underpinnings of human society. Many of the book’s diverse characters say, in timely moments, a meaningful word or a profound statement analyzing our deepest fears, hopes, and aspirations and how these are reflected in our relationship with gods. The novel reads well as a work of fiction and an exposition for the mechanism of belief and faith in human society, America in particular.
America as A Bad Place for Gods
A central theme in “American Gods“ is how the old gods, transported from their native places to America, soon faded from memory and suffered a loss of prestige and power due to this amnesia. The entire plot of the story revolves around how two of these displaced gods essentially conspired to cannibalize the other gods to replenish their god power.
“This is not a good country for gods.”
Whiskey Jack; Chapter 18
This is a great byline for “American Gods”; we encounter the idea in various restatements throughout the story. The career of gods in America, away from their homeland, is checkered. They wax briefly and wane eventually in the consciousness of the immigrant community as it changes for the new country.
“Gods are great,” said Atsula, slowly, as if she were comprehending a great secret. “But the heart is greater. For it is from our hearts they come, and to our hearts they shall return . . .”
Atsula, member of a prehistoric tribe, musing; Chapter 13
This scene is set in a flashback that explores the origins of gods and their connection to humanity. Atsula reflects on the gods’ nature and their relationship with human beings. The quote suggests that gods are powerful and significant, but ultimately, they are creations of human belief and emotion. The heart symbolizes human emotion and belief, indicating that gods originate from people’s faith and devotion and, in the end, will return to being mere ideas within human hearts.
“Shadow was not superstitious. He did not believe in anything he could not see.”
Narrator; Chapter 1
As a representative of the everyday American, the protagonist is presented here as a practical-minded person who has little patience for unfounded beliefs and seeks hard evidence for whatever is proposed to him. This sets him up for many surprises as the story unfolds, and he witnesses a series of incredible and inexplicable things.
“Gods die. And when they truly die they are unmourned and unremembered. Ideas are more difficult to kill than people, but they can be killed, in the end.”
A voice in Shadow’s dream; Chapter 3
This reflects the mortality of gods, even when, according to our common sense, gods are virtually immortal. A salient point: it is the remembrance that keeps gods alive. Like other ideas, when no one can recall the gods and bring them into social currency, they vanish and can be said to die.
“The important thing to understand about American history, wrote Mr. Ibis in his leather-bound journal, is that it is fictional, a charcoal-sketched simplicity for the children, or the easily bored. For the most part it is uninspected, unimagined, unthought, a representation of the thing, and not the thing itself.”
Mr. Ibis writing in his journal; Chapter 4
Ibis notes how America is casual with history. A sense of a people’s gods is related to studying their history. A vital condition for the health and vitality of gods is the continuous reverence paid to them by their worshippers. The lack of this condition is the American gods’ longstanding problem.
Metaphorical Nature of Religion
Gods thrive on the offerings of their worshippers. One might assume that the resources committed to the gods keep them alive. However, as is pointed out in so many instances in “American Gods“, it is more the mental image kept alive in the minds of the community of worshippers that keeps gods alive.
“People believe, thought Shadow. It’s what people do. They believe, and then they do not take responsibility for their beliefs; they conjure things, and do not trust the conjuration. People populate the darkness; with ghosts, with gods, with electrons, with tales. People imagine, and people believe; and it is that rock solid belief, that makes things happen.”
Shadow in a vision; Chapter 18
During his revelation at Mr. Wednesday’s wake, Shadow’s internal monologue is this. He examines how people’s belief in things they make up is a source of potency and possibility and how this is an essential feature of man.
“Religions are, by definition, metaphors, after all: God is a dream, a hope, a woman, an ironist, a father, a city, a house of many rooms, a watchmaker who left his prize chronometer in the desert, someone who loves you—even, perhaps, against all evidence, a celestial being whose only interest is to make sure your football team, army, business, or marriage thrives, prospers, and triumphs over all opposition. Religions are places to stand and look and act, vantage points from which to view the world. So none of this is happening. Such things could not occur. Never a word of it is literally true.”
Narator’s musing; Chapter 18
Neil Gaiman addresses here religious belief as only a tool to make reality a little easier to live with, keep aspiration alive, and make hope tenable. Like a metaphor, it projects something that’s not actual to make the actual more graspable.
“So, yeah, Jesus does pretty good here. But I met a guy who said he saw him hitchhiking by the side of the road in Afghanistan and nobody was stopping to give him a ride. You know? It all depends on where you are.”
Mr Jacquel to Shadow; Chapter 8
Mr. Jacquel uses this anecdote to illustrate a central theme of “American Gods“: belief’s relative and situational nature. The quote underscores the idea that the significance and power of religious figures are highly contextual. Jesus might be revered and widely followed in America but be ignored or unrecognized in Afghanistan. By pointing out that Jesus, a widely recognized and influential figure in some parts of the world, can be entirely disregarded in others, the quote emphasizes how religious significance is not absolute. Still, it fluctuates based on local customs and beliefs.
The TV’s the altar. I’m what people are sacrificing to.’
Shadow and a new god as Lucy on the TV, in a Holiday Inn; Chapter 7
‘What do they sacrifice?’ asked Shadow.
‘Their time, mostly,’ said Lucy. ‘Sometimes each other.”
The interaction between Shadow and a new god, presented as the character Lucy on TV, presents a different view of sacrifice and worship. In the old days, blood sacrifice was the norm. Nowadays, time and attention are enough, as they are modern man’s most basic (and precious) resources.
Trickery and Manipulation
Shadow performed coin tricks, Zorya Polunochnaya plucked a silver coin from the moon, and Wednesday ran a bank heist. The gods seemed to deal primarily with sleights and frauds, and in “American Gods,” Neil Gaiman explores an interesting idea: how social ideas and concepts gain power and currency by playing on mankind’s tendency to believe and be manipulated through belief.
I can believe things that are true and things that aren’t true and I can believe things where nobody knows if they’re true or not.
Shadow and Samatha talk about belief; Chapter 13
When Shadow suggests that Samantha may not believe the truth if he told her, Samantha makes a long speech (perhaps the longest in the novel) in which the summary is the above statement. Here, Samantha shows that she is different from Shadow, who is at first a skeptic. Samantha’s openness to experience is a quality that fits well with the supernatural plot of “American Gods“.
“He’s hustling you,” said Mad Sweeney, rubbing his bristly ginger beard. “He’s a hustler.”
“Damn straight I’m a hustler,” said Wednesday. “That’s why I need someone to look out for my best interests.”
Shadow and Mr. Wednesday meeting with Mad Sweeney; Chapter 2
Mad Sweeney warns Shadow about Wednesday’s nature. Wednesday, also known as Mr. Wednesday, is the American incarnation of Odin, the Norse god, and he acknowledges his manipulative ways. Mad Sweeney cautions Shadow that Wednesday is a con artist who uses deception and manipulation to achieve his goals. Wednesday’s response affirms his cunning nature, admitting that he relies on these traits for survival and success.
“Rigged games are the easiest ones to beat.”
Mr. Wednesday to Shadow; Chapter 2
Wednesday says this to Shadow early in the story. Shadow remembers this as he realizes how to scuttle Mr. Wednesday’s con: Loki’s and Wednesday’s plan to trick the gods into killing themselves and gaining power by that sacrifice. While the conspirators gained an advantage over the American gods through various underhanded tactics and a truly dubious strategy, everything fell apart quickly once the plan was seen through.
“It’s true what they say, thought Shadow. If you can fake sincerity, you’ve got it made.”
Shadow’s musing; Chapter 4
In Shadow’s short career working with the gods, he often witnessed first-hand how the people fell for the tricks that the gods, especially Wednesday, played, which seemed honest on the surface. It was easy and natural for people to trust things that appeared honest and genuine.
“Normally people who die stay in their graves,” said Shadow.
Laura and Shadow speaking; Chapter 3
“Do they? Do they really, puppy? I used to think they did too. Now I’m not so sure. Perhaps.”
This conversation occurs in Chapter 3 when Laura, Shadow’s deceased wife, visits him at the motel after her funeral. Shadow is grappling with the surreal experience of seeing his dead wife seemingly alive again. Shadow expresses a common belief that death is final and that the dead remain in their graves. Laura’s response challenges this belief, suggesting that the boundary between life and death is not as clear-cut as it seems, especially in the world of “American Gods“.
“You see, I am the only one of us who brings in any money. The other two cannot make money fortune-telling. This is because they only tell the truth, and the truth is not what people want to hear. It is a bad thing, and it troubles people, so they do not come back. But I can lie to them, tell them what they want to hear. So I bring home the bread.“
Zorya Vecernyaya to Shadow; Chapter 4
Zorya Vecernyaya explains that people prefer comforting lies over harsh truths. Her ability to fabricate pleasing predictions makes her successful, while her sisters, who only tell the truth, fail to attract repeat customers because people avoid unpleasant realities. Zorya Vecernyaya highlights a broader commentary on human nature and society’s preference for comforting illusions over uncomfortable truths.
Subjectivity of Truth and Reality
Neil Gaiman’s “American Gods” treats the theme of subjective experience, exploring how personal perceptions, beliefs, and experiences shape the characters’ reality and the narrative. In the novel, reality is often portrayed as fluid and malleable, influenced heavily by personal beliefs and perceptions.
“I’m alive” said Shadow.”I’m not dead. Remember?”
Laura and Shadow in Lakeside; Chapter 12
“You’re not dead” Laura said “But I’m not sure you’re alive, either. Not really.”
This dialogue occurs when Shadow is in Lakeside. He is having a conversation with Laura, who is still in her undead state. Shadow is asserting his aliveness despite the bizarre and supernatural events he has been through. Laura, however, questions this, implying that while Shadow is physically alive, his experiences and the changes he’s undergone have left him in a state that is neither fully alive nor entirely dead. Also, Laura is taking a subtle dig at Shadow, often stoic to the point of being numb, making him emotionally unresponsive.
“All revelations are personal.” she said. “That’s why all revelations are suspect.”
Bast to Shadow, in the underworld; Chapter 16
Bast, the Egyptian cat goddess, speaks to Shadow in the underworld. She discusses the nature of revelations and personal truths.
Bast expresses that revelations or profound insights are deeply personal and subjective. Because they are filtered through individual perception and experience, they are inherently biased and cannot be universally trusted or accepted. Bast’s statement underscores a key theme in “American Gods“—the subjectivity of truth and the idea that personal experiences shape one’s understanding of reality.
