Life is a lesson in discovery and fantasy literature provides us with a unique, surreal way of providing us with a vehicle to explore one’s self discovery. Each of the heros in the novels go through many hardships and struggles, which ultimately set them up for their self discovery and satisfaction. This essay will focus primarily on three novels and the potential influence fantasy literature has on how a person views themselves. It will show how one can discover themselves by persevering and never giving up no matter the consequences. This genre is important because it allows readers and authors to explore their minds and provide a sense of escapism, but it can also be used to tackle genuine problems. This genre was chosen because of its …show more content…
His wife Laura dies, which the warden tells him. Shadow is released and takes a plane back home to Indiana where on the way a man named Mr. Wednesday offers him a job as his assistant. Shadow accepts his job offer after numerous attempts from Mr. Wednesday. Shadow meets Mad Sweeney and he tells Shadow that he is a leprechaun. He obtains a gold coin from Mad Sweeney after an intense duel. Shadow goes to his wife's funeral and throws the gold coin in it. Shadow sees his wife Laura back from the dead and she explains how the gold coin is keeping her alive, but not well. Shadow and Wednes go to a meeting where they meet two men, Czernobog and Mister Nancy. Shadow sees that Wednesday, Czernobog, and Mr. Nancy are gods who came to America when the people who believed in them came to America. Wednesday is the Norse god Odin. Wednesday tells the other gods that the new gods hate the old and he wants to band together against the new gods. The new gods are what people worship now, like internet, media, and drugs. Wednesday tells Shadow he is going to live in Lakeside between trips. In Lakeside, Shadow meets Hinzelmann who tells him about a raffle to guess which day an old car will fall through the ice on the lake and is told that a child has gone