60 pages 2 hours read

Neil Gaiman

American Gods

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2001

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Chapters 5-8Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 5 Summary

As Wednesday and Shadow resume their journey, Shadow performs his coin tricks using his silver dollar. They arrive at the bank that Wednesday wants to rob. As Wednesday collects deposit slips and writes down the number of a nearby payphone, he encourages Shadow to imagine a “good, driving, irritating snow” (78). Shadow obeys, and, as Wednesday makes copies of the deposit slips, a snowstorm begins to gather from nowhere. Next, Wednesday dresses like a “retired beat cop” (80) with security guard credentials. He places an out-of-order sign on the deposit box outside the bank. As each customer arrives to deposit money in the bank, Wednesday pretends to be acting in an official capacity and places their money in a black case. After writing out a deposit slip, he sends the person away. When a police car stops to question Wednesday, he hands the officer a phone number. When the officer calls the number, Shadow answers the pay phone and assures the officer that Wednesday is working for a legitimate security firm. At the end of the day, Wednesday has a case full of ill-gotten money. He takes some of the cash and deposits the rest in a different branch of the same bank.