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As the Hindu gods are 'immortal' only in a very particular sense — for they are born and they die — they experience most of the great human dilemmas and often seem to differ from mortals in a few trivial details...and from demons even less. Yet they are regarded by the Hindus as a class of beings by definition totally different from any other; they are symbols in a way that no human being, however 'archetypal' his life story, can ever be. They are actors playing parts that are real only for us; they are the masks behind which we see our own faces.

–Wendy Doniger O'Flaherty, Introduction, HINDU MYTHS (Penguin Books, 1975)

Chapter Seven traces Shadow's journey from Wisconsin to Cairo, Illinois, where he is to find Mr. Jacquel. He buys a cheap car and spends several days driving, meeting hitchhiker Sam along the way.

Plot[]

After escaping his kidnappers with Laura's help, Shadow walks south along an unmarked road, guessing that he is in southern Wisconsin. He avoids passing cars and hides in the forest from helicopters so as not to get blamed for the deaths on the train. While in the forest, Shadow finds a large raven eating a dead fawn and assumes this is one of Odin's ravens. The raven tells Shadow to find Jacquel, a friend, in Cairo, Egypt and instructs him to follow the Mississippi south. The raven leads Shadow to a back road where he has dinner at Culver's Frozen Custard Butterburgers. At the gas station next door, he meets Mattie, a young woman whose brother sells cheap, badly worn cars ("Pee-Oh-Esses"). Mattie shows Shadow that Cairo is a city in Illinois, in an area called Little Egypt that also has a Thebes. With his cash from the bank robbery, Shadow buys a 1983 Chevy Nova and begins driving south.

After some time, Shadow gets tired and falls asleep in the back seat of his car. He dreams of the buffalo-headed man who asks Shadow where he is going and why. Shadow answers that he is going to Cairo because Wednesday told him to. Shadow then asks Buffalo-man if they are really gods, but he is woken up by tapping before he can answer.

Shadow meets Sam, who is knocking on his window. She is hitchhiking from Madison, WI to El Paso, IL and takes a ride from Shadow after making sure he isn't drunk. They stop for breakfast in Peru, Illinois where Shadow reads in the newspaper that crows in record numbers are infesting the area.

After leaving the restaurant, Shadow and Sam discuss Herodotus and myths. Shadow tells her that he believes in ancient times people actually did see gods around, while Sam believes that all myths are simply illusions caused by the brain. Sam tells Shadow a myth about Odin. He is a Norse god and a Viking ship crew owed him their king as a sacrifice. They decided to fake the sacrifice but Odin still made sure it succeeded. Sam asserts that "white people have some fucked up gods," and then explains that she is not white but half-Cherokee.

After dropping Sam off at her aunt's house in El Paso, IL, Shadow stops at a Night's Inn and watches I Love Lucy on TV. Lucy begins talking to him, and explains that she is the television god. She invites him to work for her instead, but Shadow turns her down, deciding to stay with Wednesday.

In the morning, Shadow continues driving. He drives through East St. Louis, Red Bud, and Thebes before finally arriving in Cairo. There, he meets a cat, a talking dog, and a man in gold-rimmed spectacles who take him to Ibis and Jacquel Funeral Parlor.

Somewhere in America[]

Main article: Somewhere in America#Chapter Seven

Salim is new to America and catches a taxi ride with a man who is more than meets the eye.

Myths[]

Sam tells Shadow a myth about Norse God Odin. The crew of a becalmed Viking ship ask Odin for a wind to help them to shore in return for a sacrifice. The wind comes, and crew draws lots to see who will be sacrificed, resulting in the king himself. Instead of actually killing the king, the crew decides to sacrifice him in effigy. They tie a calf's intestine around his neck, hang it on a small branch, and poke a reed into his side. However, as soon as they speak Odin's name, the intestine transforms into a rope, the branch becomes a bough, and the reed becomes a spear, killing the king. Sam asserts that "white people have some fucked up gods."

Salim and the taxi driver discuss the Lost City of Ubar, also known as The Lost City of Towers.

Dreams[]

Shadow dreams of the buffalo-headed man again near a campfire. The man asks him where he is going, and he says he is going to Cairo. The buffalo man asks him why and Shadow says that he has to go where Wednesday instructs him to go because he "drank his mead." Then he asks the buffalo man whether they are really gods and the buffalo man responds by asking "What are gods?" Before he has a chance to explain, Shadow wakes up.

Coin tricks[]

  • When Shadow and Sam stop for breakfast, Shadow flips a coin to see who will pay. Sam checks to make sure it is not a double-sided coin before agreeing to the deal but Shadow fakes the toss to ensure he pays.
  • In Cairo, Shadow shows the invisible powder trick to an impressed little girl, but the dog who is also watching him comments that he is no Harry Houdini.

Places[]

  • Shadow begins in rural southern Wisconsin, walking through the forest. He has dinner at Culver's Frozen Butterburgers and visits a gas station.
  • Shadow drives south into Illinois. He describes each town as having a sign stating their minuscule population and something to be proud of. In each case, it is a child or teenager runner-up or semifinalist in some kind of sport.
  • Shadow and Sam stop to eat in Peru, Illinois.
  • Shadow drops Sam off at her aunt's house in El Paso, Illinois.
  • After dropping off Sam, Shadow passes through Normal, Bloomington, and Lawndale in Illinois.
  • Shadow accidentally drives into East St. Louis, a dangerously decrepit area in the eastern suburbs of St. Louis. There, he passes by semi-trucks and warehouses marked "24 HOUR NITE CLUB" and "BEST PEEP SHOW IN TOWN."
  • Shadow drives past the Pop-a-Top Lounge, Chester ("Home of Popeye"), Big Muddy River, the Mississippi, and Thebes.
  • Shadow sees many yellow tractors parked in a field and wonders if that is where tractors go to die.
  • Shadow finishes his drive in Cairo, Illinois, which is located in Little Egypt.

People[]

Notes and trivia[]

  • Shadow meets one of Odin's ravens in the forest, although he does not know whether it's Huginn or Muninn, Memory or Thought.
    • When the raven leads him away, Shadow asks "Do you want me to follow you, or did Timmy fall down a well again", referring to the classic TV show Lassie.
    • Shadow also asks the raven to say "Nevermore", which is a reference to Edgar Allan Poe's classic poem The Raven.
  • When falling asleep, Shadow feels like Alice, the protagonist of Lewis Caroll's novel Alice in Wonderland who falls down a very long rabbit hole.
  • When Sam says that ancient gods are like today's aliens, Shadow says that he doesn't think gods gave anal probes, a reference to the 1997 episode of the satiric TV show South Park "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe."
  • Herodotus writes about Gods in a very matter-of-fact way, blended in with other historical events, such as battles.
  • Sam discusses the psychological theory of bicameralism (though not by that name) when discussing ancient peoples and their gods.
  • Shadow watches classic shows M*A*S*H, The Dick Van Dyke Show, and I Love Lucy on TV.
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