American Gods: Chapter 20 Summary & Analysis

The chapter begins with an e.e. cummings poem praising the arrival of spring. Shadow makes it to Lakeside in the morning, surprised at how little it has changed while he was gone. Though the ice is getting thinner, the “klunker” still sits on the ice, reminding all the citizens of Lakeside of their wager over when the lake will take the car forever. Shadow walks carefully onto the ice, feeling like the hero of an action or detective movie as the ice cracks and pops beneath him. He knows this is dangerous, but must know if his theory is correct.

When Shadow reaches the car, he can feel the foul atmosphere surrounding the vehicle. He makes a lock pick out of the antenna and gets into the car, then pulls the handle inside to open the trunk. Ice scatters everywhere as Shadow goes around to check the trunk. Inside, Alison McGovern’s body is curled up, her face frozen in fear. Shadow wonders who put her here and tries to pull her out. At that moment (9:10 on the morning of March 23rd), the ice under the car’s front wheels cracks. The car slips into the water, taking Shadow with it.

Underneath the ice, Shadow opens his eyes and sees the klunkers of years past, impossibly clear through the murky water. He knows that each car will have a sacrificed child in the trunk. Shadow’s foot gets pinned in the mud underneath the fallen car and he struggles to pull it out before he runs out of breath. He manages to wriggle out and rushes to the surface of the lake, but then gets stuck under an ice sheet. His strength leaves him in the freezing water, but Shadow’s fury at dying just as he has come to life gives him enough strength to break one hand through. Another hand grabs his and pulls him up onto the surface of the lake. Shadow closes his eyes to rest for a minute and sees Whiskey Jack, a thunderbird woman, and the Buffalo Man standing in a plain shaking their heads.

Shadow wakes in pain, finding himself in a small bathroom hot with steam. Hinzelmann tenderly helps Shadow ease into a bathtub of hot water, though the sudden change in temperature hurts Shadow’s frozen body. Shadow tries to correct Hinzelmann when the old man calls him “Mike,” but Hinzelmann doesn’t listen. After the bath, Shadow puts on a robe and sips hot coffee with a shot of schnapps in it, sitting in front of Hinzelmann’s fire. He thanks Hinzelmann for saving his life, and Hinzelmann bashfully says that he was just there checking the time in case the klunker crashed through, and did what anyone would have done in an emergency.

Shadow’s head clears after the shock of the cold water and he wonders how Hinzelmann, a small old man, could pull his own large frame out of the water or carry him into the house. Shadow asks Hinzelmann why he saved his life, given that Shadow had found out that Hinzelmann was the one who killed all the kids each winter. Hinzelmann answers that he owed a debt to Wednesday. Shadow understands that Hinzelmann is the reason that Lakeside has always been a “good” town, making a dark deal with the townspeople that the town will prosper as long as they give up one child per winter – though none of the citizens are consciously aware that this is what they have agreed to.

Shadow realizes that Hinzelmann controls who comes into and out of Lakeside, angrily asking Hinzelmann if he brought Sam Black Crow and Audrey Burton here on purpose so that Wednesday would be forced out. Hinzelmann’s imp-like face turns into a gargoyle scowl as Shadow reminds him that this year’s klunker’s trunk is open and the townspeople will find Alison when she floats to the top. Hinzelmann grabs a poker from the fireplace, and Shadow knows that Hinzelmann plans to kill him to keep the town’s secret safe. Shadow goads Hinzelmann, telling him the police force have computers now and can more easily pick up on the pattern of a disappearance every single winter.

Hinzelmann tells Shadow that he is an Old God who was turned into a “kobold” in the Black Forest of Germany. He then seems to challenge Shadow to kill him and set him free from his long years watching over this town. Knowing that he is letting the hundreds of sacrificed children down, Shadow says that he can’t kill the being who saved his life. Hinzelmann shows Shadow his secret shame, his body morphing into a five-year-old child pierced with two ancient-looking swords. Shadow then understands that Hinzelmann was a child raised for the express purpose of being sacrificed so that the body could be dried and used as a totem for their god.

Chad Mulligan suddenly comes into the room, his gun pointed at the floor, soothingly telling Hinzelmann that he came over to tell him that the klunker went through the ice. Hinzelmann tries to accuse Shadow of threatening him, but Chad reveals that he heard their entire conversation about the lake. Hinzelmann raises the fire poker again, then throws it at Chad. At the same time, Chad shoots Hinzelmann in the head. Hinzelmann misses, but Chad does not.

Chad woodenly shifts Hinzelmann’s body so that his head is in the fire in the fireplace. Shadow assures Chad that the shot was self-defense, not murder, but Chad can’t seem to hear him. Emotionless, Chad gets Shadow out of the house and sets fire to Hinzelmann’s apartment so no one will know what happened.

In the car, Shadow asks Chad what happened with Audrey. Chad tells him that Audrey returned to Eagle Point and broke his heart, while Shadow tells him that the whole thing was Hinzelmann’s fault anyway. Shadow asks Chad what he will do now, and Chad explains that his only choice is to commit suicide, now that he is a murderer. Shadow can tell that Hinzelmann is manipulating Chad with his last dying wish, and so Shadow uses his own power of persuasion to convince Chad to let it go. Shadow mentally pushes the dark cloud out of Chad’s head, erasing Chad’s memories of this awful day, and tells Chad that Lakeside needs him now more than ever, subtly leading Chad to believe that Marguerite needs him as well.

After sending Chad to see Marguerite, Shadow drives south to Madison, Wisconsin. Meanwhile, Samantha Black Crow closes up the coffee shop she works at, putting away the leftover pastries and singing along to the radio. Her girlfriend, Natalie, comes in and reads the paper while she waits for Sam’s shift to be over. Natalie points out an article on the changing face of America, while Sam comments that things do feel like the arrival of spring after a long winter.

Natalie’s article comments that many Americans have reported strange dreams lately. As the two of them walk out of the coffee shop, Sam admits that she sometimes has odd dreams of people falling from the sky, a woman with a buffalo head, and a man she once knew named Shadow. Natalie starts to ask more about Shadow, and then notices that Sam is now carrying flowers that she didn’t have before. Sam pretends that Natalie gave them to her, then takes them home and casts them in bronze. Even after Sam and Natalie break up, the strange appearance of the flowers becomes a story that Sam tells all her girlfriends.

Shadow parks near the Madison capital building and calls information to find out where Sam will be. He finds the coffee shop where Sam works and waits for her, but then does not want to interrupt Sam’s conversation with her girlfriend. He puts the flowers in Sam’s hands, goes back to his car, and heads off for Chicago.

Shadow reaches Czernobog’s building in Chicago, noticing that the entire place seems much cleaner than the first time he visited. Zorya Utrennyaya opens the door and tells Shadow to leave and come back tomorrow. Zorya Verchernyaya and Zorya Utrennyaya are busy preparing for Bielebog’s arrival, and continue to tell Shadow to come back tomorrow, but Shadow insists on staying today. Zorya Utrennyaya brings coffee, saying that Czernobog went to the park and will be back soon. Shadow waits, knowing that it is his choice to fulfill this promise.

Czernobog arrives home and Shadow greets him, saying that he has come to fulfill his promise. Czernobog tells Shadow to come tomorrow, but Shadow insists that he is ready for the blow. Czernobog reluctantly picks up an old case and takes out a hammer. Czernobog thanks Shadow for bringing spring, then tells Shadow to close his eyes. Shadow feels a gentle tap on his forehead, and Czernobog pronounces the debt paid. Czernobog smiles, brighter than Shadow has ever seen, and invites Shadow back to play checkers whenever he wants once Czernobog has completed his spring transformation into Bielebog.