Illustrating with Vignettes Essay -- Historical Vignettes, American Go

Neil Gaiman employs vignettes quite successfully within American Gods. His interludes, particularly those of a historical digression, provide context for the development of various gods in America, as well as their difficulty in assimilating and flourishing. Common throughout all four historical digressions are themes of sacrifice and abandonment. The first vignette, A.D. 813, illustrates the establishment of gods in the new world. Norsemen sail to North America, calling on the All-Father to keep them safe. Once established, their bard sings of Odin around the campfire. The Norsemen then meet a native, a â€Å"scraeling†¦ dressed in furs† with â€Å"small bones braided into his long hair† (68). They entertain and feed him before sacrificing him to their god: â€Å"†¦they carried him at the head of a procession to an ash tree†¦where they put a rope around his neck and hung him high in tribute to the All-Father†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (68). While their singing to Odin drew the Grimner’s attention, it was the sacrifice that brought him to the new land. The day after the homage, â€Å"two huge ravens landed upon the scraeling’s corpse†¦[and] the men knew their sacrifice had been accepted† (68-69). The blood and sacrifice strengthened Odin’s tie to the land. Though the Norseme n all die in an attack by natives, the religion, though abandoned, is not entirely forgotten. When Leif the Fortunate arrives later, his gods await him. The second historical vignette, dated 1721, also illustrates the arrival of gods, but goes further to address their struggle to survive. Celtic beliefs arrive to North America in the back of a faithful Cornishwoman’s mind. Readers grow old with the Essie the main character, a woman banished twice from her homeland, bartering her body for second cha... ...ents itself in this interlude. Like the others, it ties a god to the new land through sacrifice, and presents the death of god(s) as result of a lack in, or abandonment by followers. The last vignette offers more detail concerning the origin and death of a god, than any other within American Gods. It suggests that a god is the figment of a hallucinogenic craze, or a figment of the mind. Like the other vignettes, it proposes that the sacrifice of a believer ties a god to a new land. It implies that the successful transplant of a god depends on the similarities between the old world and the new, and it insinuates that the existence of one jealous god (possibly referring to monotheism), precludes the addition of another during assimilation. Essentially, the last vignette offers a reflection on all of the previous historical digressions, as well as the main text.