American Gods

American Gods depicts a version of the immigrant experience in the United States of America as felt by the gods of people who come to the country. The country portrayed in the novel is a melting pot in which various cultures and people from different backgrounds are thrown into close contact with one another. Very few characters are simply “American”; instead, they are defined by their heritage and their culture. In the various Coming to America interludes, for example, Mr. Ibis traces the ways immigrants (and their gods) create the culture of the modern America that is depicted in the novel. These interludes show diverse scenes; enslaved Africans being taken to North America and the Caribbean; a Cornish woman sold into indentured servitude and transported to colonial America as punishment for stealing; the Scandinavian sailors who came to North America hundreds of years before the United States were founded. In each of these instances, people are taken, sent, or travel to America, and they bring their gods with them. Their immigrant experiences are shaped by the ways their cultures and gods interact with the existing society they encounter. Through these immigrants, the gods experience new lands and new worlds. The gods—like the people—are far from home and ripped away from the social institutions and expectations.