American Gods Reflection

1. I believe it is important to expose readers to uncomfortable situations,

because it not only pulls us in and makes us more interested, but it
gives us a more accurate view of the intended message of the author.
It is by embracing these uncomfortable moments that we are able to
fully appreciate the elements of the novel (themes and depth of
characters). For ex. Lauras dead body reappearing as being
characterized by a foul smell, or another ex. her coughing up the foul
things inside her before she decides to accept the release of death
towards the end. These examples allow us to appreciate the duality of
death vs life in the book, because it provides us with the more vivid
and real image of death.
2. The value in presenting characters that are not perfect, is it adds
realism (despite being mythological) and this lends itself to exploring
real and serious issues. All human beings are imperfect, therefore the
authors deliberate portrayal of imperfect characters allows him to
explore real and serious issues like: American culture and national
identity, prevalent in the novel. The danger of moral relativism is that
because of its lack of universality, that is there is no agreement to the
goodness of badness of actions. This lack of universality creates
different perspectives of what people consider good or bad, or the
degree to which they consider it. This mayhem in society, because
people will do bad things thinking they are not bad at all.
3. What I found innovative about this novel is its exploration of the
contemporary American world by use of mythology. I enjoy fiction, but
have never seen this blending of the classical with the modern. I
believe it comments very well on the creative genius of the author.
4. I enjoyed the text, because of the lack of the author attempting to
streamline of what the meaning/message of this book is about.
Although there are certain aspects like the exploration of modern
America that are agreed to be taking place, each reader will ultimately
take away a unique message at the conclusion of the novel.
5. From this novel I learned a wise technique of how fictitious and often
times absurd story plots and twists can be used to tackle real issues.
As I mentioned this technique grips the audience with its creativeness.