American Gods: Chapter 12 Summary & Analysis

At the start of the chapter, an excerpt of Agnes Repplier’s Times and Tendencies says that America’s religion and morality are all wrapped up in the idea that America deserves all its blessings. The scene then opens with Shadow driving Wednesday across the Midwest to South Dakota, in a Winnebago that Wednesday has bought. Wednesday comments on Mount Rushmore, calling it another sacred place of America where white people felt that they needed to build an excuse for people to visit. Shadow adds that he had a friend once who told him that the Dakota Indians climb Mt. Rushmore in order to pee on the presidents’ noses.

After driving a while longer, Shadow tells Wednesday that a girl disappeared in Lakeside. Wednesday calls it a tragedy, but focuses more on the sadness of the question that used to be on the milk cartons that displayed missing children: “Have you seen me?”

Wednesday tells Shadow to exit the interstate, but finds a roadblock in front of them and a fleet of black cars behind them. Wednesday uses chalk to scratch a design on the Winnebago’s dashboard, then tells Shadow to drive the Winnebago off the road. Shadow reluctantly does so, as the Dakotan landscape dissolves around them. Wednesday tells Shadow to park the Winnebago, and he and Shadow walk into a strange version of the Dakota hills with bright stars overhead, though it is daytime. Wednesday laughs at Shadow for simply accepting all these fantastic events, but Shadow says that nothing has surprised him since he learned that Laura was sleeping with Robbie.

Wednesday and Shadow walk in silence, as Wednesday warns Shadow not to speak and not to get too close to the odd spider-like contraptions and shards of bone that dot the landscape. Shadow accidentally touches a bone and finds himself transported into the body of a policeman at the roadblock. The other policemen chatter about how odd it is that they lost the Winnebago that was coming down the road, but all Shadow’s policeman can think of is how badly he needs to pee. Shadow’s policeman, Mr. Town, calls Mr. World and tells Mr. World the bad news that the Winnebago got away. Mr. World says not to worry about trying to intercept the Winnebago later. Shadow’s own thoughts interrupt to think that Mr. World’s voice sounds familiar, and Mr. Town struggles to imagine why he would think that when he talks to Mr. World every day.

Shadow snaps back into his own body as Wednesday removes Shadow’s hand from the bone shard. The two men watch the spider-like contraption light up green, then fade to blue, then red. Wednesday says it is now safe to speak. Shadow asks where they are, and Wednesday answers that they are “behind the scenes.” Shadow recounts his experience in Mr. Town’s head and Wednesday is happy to hear that the police don’t know where they are. Shadow begins to get a headache as they keep walking, so Wednesday gives him a sip of a sweet liquid to keep him from getting sick from being “Backstage.” Finally Wednesday tells Shadow to walk between two mounds of glassy rock and Shadow emerges back in the real world.

Wednesday and Shadow walk down a hill to a mobile home where a dark-skinned man warns “two white men who lost their Winnebago” that they are on Lakota land. Wednesday snorts that the man, Whiskey Jack, is not himself Lakota. Whiskey Jack invites them into his mobile home, where Wednesday introduces Shadow to Johnny Appleseed, who is sitting at the table. Shadow says his name is Mike Ainsel, but Johnny corrects him. Whiskey Jack serves stew for them all while Johnny pours apple cider.

After they eat, Johnny Appleseed asks Wednesday why he is leading the old folks on a war path. Whiskey Jack comments that the New Gods have already won and that he doesn’t want to fight for another lost cause, like when the Native Americans continued to fight even after the white men had already won. Johnny chimes in that he wouldn’t be worth anything in a fight, now that people no longer believe in him after Paul Bunyan took over his place in the minds of the American people.

Whiskey Jack suddenly focuses on Shadow and says that Shadow is hunting for a debt he wishes to pay. Shadow thinks of Laura and nods. Whiskey Jack tells a story of Fox and Wolf, with the moral that the dead must stay dead. Whiskey Jack asks Shadow to tell him his dream, and Shadow explains about the skull spire and the thunderbirds. Whiskey Jack nods and tells Shadow that a thunderbird would bring Laura back, but that she is meant to stay dead. Finally, Whiskey Jack tells Shadow to come visit him again when Shadow has found his tribe.

Whiskey Jack asks Wednesday if he is going back for his “Ho Chunk,” the proper name for the “Winnebago” tribe. Wednesday says that it is too risky, and Whiskey Jack offers his nephew Harry Bluejay’s Buick in exchange. Johnny Appleseed then takes Shadow and Wednesday to find Harry. As they walk, Johnny explains that he once had a wife who was Choctaw but that she died, making Johnny go crazy for a bit. After walking for half an hour, the three men catch a ride from a Lakota woman. She explains that the Lakota call Whiskey Jack Inktomi.

Shadow and Wednesday find Harry Bluejay at the reservation rec hall. Harry angrily explains that he is not Whiskey Jack’s nephew (as Shadow realizes that they have all been saying “Wisakedjak” this whole time), but agrees to give them his Buick. Shadow drives to St. Paul, with Wednesday sulking the whole time. At a restaurant, Shadow sees a paper and notices that the date is the 14th of February, though it was only the 21st of January when they left for South Dakota. Wednesday, still grumpy, grunts that they spent a month walking Backstage. After seeing Johnny Appleseed, Wednesday is very aware that America forgets even its own legends, much less the stories of the gods brought to America.

Shadow and Wednesday drive back to Lakeside, seeing notices about the missing Alison McGovern as they get closer to the town. Shadow buys the “Lakeside Reporter,” looking for news of Alison, but the newspaper is full of fluff human interest pieces. Back in Lakeside, Wednesday takes the car and leaves, while Shadow walks out to the lake to look at the car on the ice. There, he sees Marguerite Olsen and asks about Alison. Marguerite says darkly that she hopes Alison is dead, because the alternatives are worse. Shadow realizes that Marguerite is really talking about her own missing son Sandy.

Through the month of February, Shadow spends his time taking long walks on the trails around Lakeside. He watches the wildlife and tries not to think about gods, or Laura, or strange dreams. Getting a haircut at the local barber one day, Shadow sees Chad Mulligan. Chad welcomes Shadow back to Lakeside and tells Shadow to consider a career in law enforcement if the job with his “uncle” ever falls through. Chad then changes the subject, asking advice about whether he should pursue a relationship with a second cousin who was recently widowed and may have a thing for him. Shadow tells Chad to go for it.

Shadow follows a trail out of town that leads him to a tiny graveyard. Laura is there, but she asks Shadow not to look at her because she now appears very obviously dead. Shadow’s time at the funeral home in Cairo makes him more comfortable with the dead, though, and he is able to admit to Laura that he misses her. Laura explains that she hasn’t been able to find him lately, as his presence only flares up for a couple of days all over the states. Shadow says that he has been staying in Lakeside.

Shadow and Laura begin to walk, and Shadow revels in how normal it feels to walk with his wife. Laura stops and says that she may be dead, but Shadow never truly seemed alive even when they were together. She goes on to chatter that she liked Robbie because he was actually somebody who wanted things. Shadow is hurt, and Laura apologizes, but she asks Shadow if he’s sure he’s alive. Laura then leaves, telling Shadow that he will see her again before the end.