Американские боги
Therearestoriesthataretrue,inwhicheachindividual’staleisuniqueandtragic,andtheworstofthetragedyisthatwehavehearditbefore,andwecannotallowourselvestofeelittoodeeply.Webuildashellarounditlikeanoysterdealingwithapainfulparticleofgrit,coatingitwithsmoothpearllayersinordertocope.Thisishowwewalkandtalkandfunction,dayin,dayout,immunetoothers’painandloss.Ifitweretotouchusitwouldcrippleusormakesaintsofus;but,forthemostpart,itdoesnottouchus.Wecannotallowitto.
Tonight,asyoueat,reflectifyoucan:therearechildrenstarvingintheworld,starvinginnumberslargerthanthemindcaneasilyhold,upinthebignumberswhereanerrorofamillionhere,amillionthere,canbeforgiven.Itmaybeuncomfortableforyoutoreflectuponthisoritmaynot,butstill,youwilleat.
Thereareaccountswhich,ifweopenourheartstothem,willcutustoodeeply.Look—hereisagoodman,goodbyhisownlightsandthelightsofhisfriends:heisfaithfulandtruetohiswife,headoresandlavishesattentiononhislittlechildren,hecaresabouthiscountry,hedoeshisjobpunctiliously,asbesthecan.So,efficientlyandgood-naturedly,heexterminatesJews:heappreciatesthemusicthatplaysinthebackgroundtopacifythem;headvisestheJewsnottoforgettheiridentificationnumbersastheygointotheshowers—manypeople,hetellsthem,forgettheirnumbers,andtakethewrongclothes,whentheycomeoutoftheshowers.