The Paradigm Shift: Myths, Beliefs, and the New Gods in Neil Gaiman’s American Gods

Abstract

Abstract: Myths are stories that have been passed down through generations. Some are based on true events, while others are entirely fictitious. Their role is to provide everlasting answers to timeless concerns such as questions about life and death, good and evil, the essence and existence of gods, and even the origins of humanity. Neil Gaiman’s novel American Gods perfectly brings out this interesting combination of “myths and religion”, and the renovation process they are going through. Therefore, this research is dedicated to pointing out people’s spiritual struggle as life moves on and faith is gradually being replaced by more tangible “deities”. Newer forces such as Technology, Mass media, the Internet, and Globalization are dominating peoples’ lives gradually leading to a paradigm shift in power relations, beliefs, and even lifestyles. Consequently, this dissertation seeks to shed light on the major clash between the old gods, who reflect society's conventional beliefs, and the new gods, who represent modern America's cultural shift. It further aims to examine how those deities function as valuable cultural manifestations of how culture mutates and thrives with the passage of time. By doing this, it looks into the social, cultural, and spiritual power universal myths wield. These aims are achieved with the help of theories and concepts from Myth studies, mainly Joseph Campbell’s works on Myth, in addition to insights on spirituality and faith from theorists such as Friedrich Nietzsche and Charles Taylor