A Prayer For Owen Meany Analysis
Final Paper: A Prayer for Owen Meany In the novel, A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving uses the religious belief and spread of Christianity. The novel is based on two friends, John Wheelwright and Owen Meany, who live in a small town in New Hampshire. John goes on to say how he is a Christian because of Owen. From the beginning, Owen shows how passionate he is about his religion and his ability to inform others of Christianity. Owen says, “I am God’s instrument” (Ryan) and believes that he is doing work for God on Earth. Owen is a very strange kid and never really changes even when he grows up. He is described as a small kid, with big ears, a high-pitched nasally voice, incredibly smart, and not intimidated by anyone of any age. At the beginning
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of the novel, Owen thinks when he killed John’s mom that it was no accident and he had to do it. Throughout the novel, Owen’s life shows very similar characteristics to that of Jesus Christ’s life. In the novel, the events that occur in Owen Meany’s life are remarkably similar to the events that Jesus Christ encountered during his life. For example, how Owen was born through a virgin birth, exactly like Jesus, according to his parent’s belief. Also, when Owen plays the part of Jesus Christ in the church’s Christmas pageant and the events that occur around this time in the novel. Then, how Owen dies and how Jesus dies, as well as the events that led up to their deaths. From a different perspective, this could be a lie or misunderstanding by the Meany family making their thoughts and beliefs false. Owen’s parents believe that Owen was born through a virgin birth. No one ever believed his parents when they told the story of how Owen was born from a virgin. This is understandable since Owen referred to his mother as crazy. When Mr. Meany told John “‘She just conceived a child-like the Christ Child,’ said Mr. Meany,” (Irving), he was in shock. “‘You’re saying that Owen was a virgin birth?’ I asked Mr. Meany; he wouldn’t look at me, but he nodded vigorously.” (Irving). Mrs. Meany heard John and Mr. Meany talking, this made her upset and she told them to stop repeatedly. Since no one would believe the Meany’s, they just quit telling people. This relates to the story of how Jesus was born: Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a virgin when the angel Gabriel came to her. He told her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary. You have found favor with God. You will become pregnant, give birth to a son, and name him Jesus. He will be a great man and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. Your son will be king of Jacob’s people forever, and his kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:26-38). This can relate to Mrs. Meany having Owen by virgin birth, although there is no back story for how she became pregnant. Mary then married a man named Joseph who took the responsibility of being the “father” of the unborn baby. As the due date of the son came closer, Mary and Joseph took a donkey ride to Bethlehem. They ended up giving birth to the child in a barn. Although it is very hard to believe, it is possible that Owen was born to a virgin exactly like Jesus was born to the Virgin Mary. Since the birth of Jesus to Mary was made by the choice of God, the birth of Owen to Mrs. Meany could as well been by the choice of God selecting her to be the “modern-day” Mary. The occurrence of both of these births happening to virgin mothers is very remarkable. It all comes down to God’s decision, if he wants something to happen and believes it should happen then he will find a way to make it happen. This is just a remarkable work by God making a virgin woman mother to such a powerful child. When Owen is chosen to play the part of baby Jesus in the church’s Christmas pageant, this opens the door and makes the smaller similarities more evident. “Owen was very determined on playing the part of baby Jesus.” (Haynes). He did not want to be cast as the announcing angel again like he was in past years. Owen had a lot of issues with how the pageant has been run in the past and is determined to find a way to resolve the issues now that he is the main part. Owen wanted the pageant to be more, “realistic in portraying what happened during the Virgin Mary’s birth of baby Jesus.” (Ryan). For example, Owen hates how Mary has always been played by the “prettiest girl” but she does nothing besides sitting in the manger smiling and looking pretty. Also, how the turtle doves are very poorly decorated costumes that no one knows what they are. Then, they show Joseph being “too active” (Ryan) in the pageant then he really was in the actual birth of Christ. These are a few examples of what was wrong with the pageant in Owen’s eyes and what he wanted fixed. His passion for wanting to show the congregation what happened is a great example of how strong his religious belief is. Later in the novel, Owen is a part of another performance, A Christmas Carol, playing the part of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. While he is playing this part, he has a vision and can see his name and date of death on the gravestone. Seeing the vision freaks Owen out so bad that he faints on stage during the play and Dan has to come get him. After this occurs, “Owen has more belief that he is in connection with God.” (Haynes). This is the start of Owen being able to see when and how he dies.
The death of Owen Meany is similar to the death of Jesus Christ. This is represented in the novel as Owens death parallels to the one of Jesus. As the Bible states Jesus, the Son of God, has faith in the reasons he is dying; for he understands it is for the sins of mankind. Even with being faced with an excruciating death Jesus chooses to die because of his faith in God’s plans. Jesus predicts his fate after his dream as he, “began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life” (Mathew 16:21-23). Just like Jesus, Owen predicts his passing by the vision of a manifest content dream. Owen explains his dream to Dan by saying, “I SAW MY NAME ON THE GRAVE,” and reassures Dan that he is confident in what is going to happen to him. Later in the novel, Owen saves the lives of innocent Vietnamese children from a grenade. In doing so he has his arms blown off and bleeds to death from his wounds. Both Owen and Jesus Christ know and accept their fate as they feel it is the right thing to do. Next, Owen and Jesus both show they are confident in the way they will parish, no matter how painful the hands of death will be. This is shown as Jesus Christ is tortured for many hours, forced to carry his own cross, and have his hands and feet nailed to the cross. During this time Jesus did not have any doubt in Gods plans as right before his time to go he managed to say, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46). Similarly, Owen Meany undergoes extreme pain as he dies from exsanguination. After the incident, Owen looks at the crying children and says, “DOONG SA-DON’T BE AFRAID.” (Irving). Just like Jesus, when Owen is undergoing the pain there is a sense of hope of what is coming next as he had an, “almost cheerful expression that he was at least as high as the palm trees.” (Irving). Both Owen and Jesus leave their fate to a higher power despite undergoing strenuous deaths. This is a very strong example of the similarities between Owen and Jesus. They both are able to see how and when they are going to die. They both sacrificed their own lives to save the lives of others. From a different perspective, it is slightly possible to believe that this is all could all be a lie or misunderstanding by the Meany family making their thoughts and beliefs false.
Talking about Mrs. Meany having a virgin birth, John says, “She might have been lying, all these years.” (Irving). Growing up John and Owen were both very convinced that Mrs. Meany, “was completely crazy.” (Sykes). John believes that she is dumb enough to be completely oblivious to how she got pregnant, or if she even, “knew how to do it.” (Sykes). There is a slight chance this could be inferred from this novel, but the amount of evidence that compares Owen to being Christ-like is overwhelming. In conclusion, A Prayer for Owen Meany is a very powerful novel that creates a comparison of similarities between Owen Meany and Jesus Christ. Throughout the novel, Owen shows many Christ-like characteristics. For example, both Christ and Owen were born to a virgin mother. They both knew how and when they were going to die, but they chose against altering these events and just letting fate lie in God’s hands. They each sacrificed their lives to save others. These similarities are not the only ways that Owen and Jesus relate. Although, these are the most remarkable similarities shown in the
novel.
of the novel, Owen thinks when he killed John’s mom that it was no accident and he had to do it. Throughout the novel, Owen’s life shows very similar characteristics to that of Jesus Christ’s life. In the novel, the events that occur in Owen Meany’s life are remarkably similar to the events that Jesus Christ encountered during his life. For example, how Owen was born through a virgin birth, exactly like Jesus, according to his parent’s belief. Also, when Owen plays the part of Jesus Christ in the church’s Christmas pageant and the events that occur around this time in the novel. Then, how Owen dies and how Jesus dies, as well as the events that led up to their deaths. From a different perspective, this could be a lie or misunderstanding by the Meany family making their thoughts and beliefs false. Owen’s parents believe that Owen was born through a virgin birth. No one ever believed his parents when they told the story of how Owen was born from a virgin. This is understandable since Owen referred to his mother as crazy. When Mr. Meany told John “‘She just conceived a child-like the Christ Child,’ said Mr. Meany,” (Irving), he was in shock. “‘You’re saying that Owen was a virgin birth?’ I asked Mr. Meany; he wouldn’t look at me, but he nodded vigorously.” (Irving). Mrs. Meany heard John and Mr. Meany talking, this made her upset and she told them to stop repeatedly. Since no one would believe the Meany’s, they just quit telling people. This relates to the story of how Jesus was born: Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a virgin when the angel Gabriel came to her. He told her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary. You have found favor with God. You will become pregnant, give birth to a son, and name him Jesus. He will be a great man and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. Your son will be king of Jacob’s people forever, and his kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:26-38). This can relate to Mrs. Meany having Owen by virgin birth, although there is no back story for how she became pregnant. Mary then married a man named Joseph who took the responsibility of being the “father” of the unborn baby. As the due date of the son came closer, Mary and Joseph took a donkey ride to Bethlehem. They ended up giving birth to the child in a barn. Although it is very hard to believe, it is possible that Owen was born to a virgin exactly like Jesus was born to the Virgin Mary. Since the birth of Jesus to Mary was made by the choice of God, the birth of Owen to Mrs. Meany could as well been by the choice of God selecting her to be the “modern-day” Mary. The occurrence of both of these births happening to virgin mothers is very remarkable. It all comes down to God’s decision, if he wants something to happen and believes it should happen then he will find a way to make it happen. This is just a remarkable work by God making a virgin woman mother to such a powerful child. When Owen is chosen to play the part of baby Jesus in the church’s Christmas pageant, this opens the door and makes the smaller similarities more evident. “Owen was very determined on playing the part of baby Jesus.” (Haynes). He did not want to be cast as the announcing angel again like he was in past years. Owen had a lot of issues with how the pageant has been run in the past and is determined to find a way to resolve the issues now that he is the main part. Owen wanted the pageant to be more, “realistic in portraying what happened during the Virgin Mary’s birth of baby Jesus.” (Ryan). For example, Owen hates how Mary has always been played by the “prettiest girl” but she does nothing besides sitting in the manger smiling and looking pretty. Also, how the turtle doves are very poorly decorated costumes that no one knows what they are. Then, they show Joseph being “too active” (Ryan) in the pageant then he really was in the actual birth of Christ. These are a few examples of what was wrong with the pageant in Owen’s eyes and what he wanted fixed. His passion for wanting to show the congregation what happened is a great example of how strong his religious belief is. Later in the novel, Owen is a part of another performance, A Christmas Carol, playing the part of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. While he is playing this part, he has a vision and can see his name and date of death on the gravestone. Seeing the vision freaks Owen out so bad that he faints on stage during the play and Dan has to come get him. After this occurs, “Owen has more belief that he is in connection with God.” (Haynes). This is the start of Owen being able to see when and how he dies.
The death of Owen Meany is similar to the death of Jesus Christ. This is represented in the novel as Owens death parallels to the one of Jesus. As the Bible states Jesus, the Son of God, has faith in the reasons he is dying; for he understands it is for the sins of mankind. Even with being faced with an excruciating death Jesus chooses to die because of his faith in God’s plans. Jesus predicts his fate after his dream as he, “began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life” (Mathew 16:21-23). Just like Jesus, Owen predicts his passing by the vision of a manifest content dream. Owen explains his dream to Dan by saying, “I SAW MY NAME ON THE GRAVE,” and reassures Dan that he is confident in what is going to happen to him. Later in the novel, Owen saves the lives of innocent Vietnamese children from a grenade. In doing so he has his arms blown off and bleeds to death from his wounds. Both Owen and Jesus Christ know and accept their fate as they feel it is the right thing to do. Next, Owen and Jesus both show they are confident in the way they will parish, no matter how painful the hands of death will be. This is shown as Jesus Christ is tortured for many hours, forced to carry his own cross, and have his hands and feet nailed to the cross. During this time Jesus did not have any doubt in Gods plans as right before his time to go he managed to say, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46). Similarly, Owen Meany undergoes extreme pain as he dies from exsanguination. After the incident, Owen looks at the crying children and says, “DOONG SA-DON’T BE AFRAID.” (Irving). Just like Jesus, when Owen is undergoing the pain there is a sense of hope of what is coming next as he had an, “almost cheerful expression that he was at least as high as the palm trees.” (Irving). Both Owen and Jesus leave their fate to a higher power despite undergoing strenuous deaths. This is a very strong example of the similarities between Owen and Jesus. They both are able to see how and when they are going to die. They both sacrificed their own lives to save the lives of others. From a different perspective, it is slightly possible to believe that this is all could all be a lie or misunderstanding by the Meany family making their thoughts and beliefs false.
Talking about Mrs. Meany having a virgin birth, John says, “She might have been lying, all these years.” (Irving). Growing up John and Owen were both very convinced that Mrs. Meany, “was completely crazy.” (Sykes). John believes that she is dumb enough to be completely oblivious to how she got pregnant, or if she even, “knew how to do it.” (Sykes). There is a slight chance this could be inferred from this novel, but the amount of evidence that compares Owen to being Christ-like is overwhelming. In conclusion, A Prayer for Owen Meany is a very powerful novel that creates a comparison of similarities between Owen Meany and Jesus Christ. Throughout the novel, Owen shows many Christ-like characteristics. For example, both Christ and Owen were born to a virgin mother. They both knew how and when they were going to die, but they chose against altering these events and just letting fate lie in God’s hands. They each sacrificed their lives to save others. These similarities are not the only ways that Owen and Jesus relate. Although, these are the most remarkable similarities shown in the
novel.