American Gods

Posted by David | Filed under Literature

I just finished Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, a book too controversial to recommend yet too intriguing to put down. His premise centers around the idea that men create and destroy gods by the presence or lack of their worship. Oddly, he rarely mentions Christianity, choosing instead to focus on pagan deities.

Though his worldview throughout the book is at turns unsettling and downright obscene, he does make a good point about the constant worship of one god or another by everyday humans, who don’t even realize it: money, sex, media, all deities with their own followers. He even refers to them at times as demons, hitting on the true reality behind the scenes without giving it a second thought.

However, regardless of the number of gods in America, he describes this country’s climate as one that stifles and eventually rejects them. Assuming that statement applies outside his fictional world, I would suggest that it is the strength of Christianity here that has created that climate, and I hope it continues.

Permalink | October 8th, 2003

2 Responses to “American Gods”

  1. benj Says:
    October 8th, 2003 at 9:00 am

    I loved the book, and agree with you that it can be read as an essay on belief, especially in America. However, I have to disagree with you on a couple of points.

    I’m of the Victor Frankl [Man's Search for Meaning] school of thought, in that I believe one of the basic needs humans have is to try to make meaning out of their existence. This involves creating all sorts of symbol systems like language, stories to explain their lives, and belief systems that explain things outside their immediate understanding. I’m not out to reduce anyone’s religion or belief system to a mere opinion, but I think it’s important to note that in Gaiman’s universe there is room for different Gods to co-exist.

    One of Gaiman’s main points is that Gods, Goddesses, and belief systems necessarily change over time. We don’t believe in the same things that cavemen did, especially in America. Gaiman suggests that Gods have risen, reigned, and fallen in proportion to the amount of followers they have. Maybe he’s being metaphorical, and saying that certain religions or churches are only as strong as their congregations, but I wouldn’t want to reduce his messgae to that.

    What he’s getting at is the nature and the power of belief. How there are certain things that depend on your belief in them, whether they are the abstract American Gods of Media & Fame, or the Old Gods from Scandinavia, Africa, or Eastern Europe. Whether you believe they had it right or not, you have to recognize that the Inca belief in their Gods had a lot of power over them & how the interacted with other people, sacrificed people & whatnot.

    You are entitled to your own beliefs, but I don’t think his point is that Christianity is stronger than the other religions. If anything his point is that the new American Gods are dominant [or at least up and coming] in this country right now. This comes from all the people watching too much television, or how much they hunger for fame or money. I also got from the book that there are older things that have their own power, their own resonance, like the land. I think of all the scenes involving the God/Spirits that seem Native American at first, but seem even older to me now that I look back.

  2. David Says:
    October 8th, 2003 at 3:49 pm

    Actually, I agree that Gaiman’s point did not concern Christianity– I just believe that it emphasizes some key Christian beliefs without realizing it. For example, the power of faith–true or false or grey–in anything is not only real and tangible, but as you said, effects us daily.