A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
"A Prayer for Owen Meany" by John Irving is a compelling novel that explores themes of friendship, faith, and destiny through the lives of two boys, Johnny and Owen, growing up in the fictional town of Gravesend, New Hampshire. The story captures their unique bond, marked by Owen's small stature and profound intellect, and their shared experiences as they navigate childhood, family dynamics, and profound tragedies. A pivotal moment occurs when a foul ball hit by Owen accidentally kills Johnny's mother, shaping their lives and beliefs thereafter.
As they grow older, Owen becomes convinced of his divine purpose, believing he is an instrument of God destined for a heroic death, while Johnny grapples with his identity and the search for his biological father. Their lives intertwine further as they face the realities of war, leading to Owen's ultimate sacrifice during a body escort assignment in Phoenix. Following his death, Johnny uncovers surprising truths about Owen's life and his own family history, leading to profound reflections on faith and loss.
The novel's intricate narrative and poignant character development encourage readers to contemplate the intersections of belief, the impact of loss, and the enduring power of friendship. Irving weaves a rich tapestry of humor and tragedy, inviting readers to engage with complex issues of faith and human experience.
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
First published: 1989
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Bildungsroman
Time of plot: 1940s–1980s
Locale: New Hampshire; Arizona; Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Principal Characters
Owen Meany , a boy and man with a squeaky voice and very small statureJohnny Wheelwright , the narrator, Owen’s best friendTabitha Wheelwright Needham , Johnny’s motherDan Needham , Tabitha’s husband, a teacherHester , Johnny’s cousin and Owen’s girlfriendHarriet Wheelwright , Johnny’s aristocratic grandmotherRandy White , school headmasterReverend Lewis Merrill , Congregational ministerDick Jarvits , a deranged killer
The Story
Johnny and Owen are best friends growing up in Gravesend, New Hampshire. Johnny resides in a lively household with his wealthy and outspoken grandmother Harriet, his pretty unwed mother Tabitha, visiting rambunctious cousins, and servants. Owen has a crush on Tabitha and likes to put clothes on her dressmaker’s dummy. Johnny’s grandmother financially supports Owen, and the two conduct a running commentary about television programs and world events.
Owen’s father owns a granite quarry, and his mother is a recluse. In a good-natured game, Johnny and other children in their Sunday school class lift tiny Owen up in the air and pass him around above their heads. Owen and Johnny speculate about who Johnny’s biological father could be. Dan, a suitor for Tabitha’s hand, brings Johnny the gift of a stuffed armadillo, and both boys cherish it. Dan and Tabitha marry, giving Johnny a wonderful father figure. Dan is a teacher and also directs the town’s amateur plays.
Owen is small but possesses exceptional intellect and wisdom. He presides over ceremonies such as the funeral for a neighbor’s dog and shows precocious understanding of world events. He wins over Johnny’s cousins, becoming the pack leader. Females are particularly attracted to Owen, always wanting to touch him. Owen expresses great dislike for the Catholic Church, a view he learned from his parents.
In a terrible accident, Owen hits a foul ball at a baseball game that strikes Johnny’s mother and kills her. The ball disappears, and the boys come to believe that it will lead them to Johnny’s biological father. Owen and Johnny comfort each other after the death with an exchange of valued objects: the stuffed armadillo and baseball cards. Owen takes possession of the dressmaker’s dummy to save Dan and Johnny from further sadness.
The boys attend the private Gravesend Academy, where Owen is an academic star. He writes opinion columns in the school newspaper as “The Voice.” His strong beliefs enrage the controlling and mean-spirited headmaster, Randy White. At the end of his senior year, Owen is dismissed for making fake draft cards on the school’s copying machine. Owen pulls a prank on the headmaster: Using his granite-quarry skills, Owen hauls a headless, armless religious statue to the school stage and bolts it in place just before a student body meeting.
Though still tiny, teenaged Owen matures earlier than Johnny. He drives a car, smokes, dates girls, and develops muscles working in the granite quarry. He begins a serious romantic relationship with Johnny’s headstrong cousin Hester. Owen develops a fervent religious faith and the ability to predict the future. He tries to convince Johnny that he, too, should believe in God. Owen believes that he is God’s instrument, and that he will do something heroic, then die. Owen has a dream in which he saves Asian children and is comforted by a nun before he dies. He pictures his own gravestone with the words “1LT PAUL O. MEANY, JR.” and expects to die in the Vietnam War.
While still in high school, the boys go to Boston hoping to learn the identity of Johnny’s biological father. They are unsuccessful but learn that Tabitha took singing lessons there and sang in a supper club wearing a red dress. Throughout their youth and young adulthood, the friends practice “the shot” on the basketball court, in which Johnny lifts Owen so that he can slam-dunk the ball in three seconds.
Johnny and Owen attend the University of New Hampshire, where Johnny develops as a scholar. Owen is an average student but excels in Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) courses. He graduates then joins the Adjutant General’s Corps in Arizona, where he is assigned to be a body escort. Johnny goes on to graduate school, where Owen helps him start his thesis on Thomas Hardy. When Johnny gets orders to report for a preinduction physical, Owen helps him avoid being drafted by cutting off his index finger with a diamond granite saw.
Owen arranges for Johnny to be with him on the day he expects to die, July 8, 1968. They are on a body escort assignment in Phoenix. Owen cannot understand how the predicted Asian children and nuns could appear there, but at the airport they spot Vietnamese orphaned refugees and nuns disembarking from a plane. Owen and Johnny help the little boys use a restroom in the terminal. Owen yells after seeing an angry and deranged teenager, Dick Jarvits, hurl a hand grenade to Johnny. The children obey Owen’s command to lie down because of his distinctive voice. Johnny passes the grenade to Owen while lifting him to a high window where it explodes, killing Owen but leaving everyone else uninjured.
Many revelations follow Owen’s death. Johnny visits Owen’s parents, where he obtains Owen’s diary. Mr. Meany tells Johnny that Owen was a virgin birth. Several Catholic churches refused to accept this account by Mr. and Mrs. Meany, leading to their dislike of Catholicism. Mr. Meany shows Johnny a gravestone that Owen made for himself during his last visit, with the date already marked. Johnny learns that the four-year delay in Dan and Tabitha’s marriage was to satisfy his biological father, who demanded that Tabitha accept this delay in exchange for his promise never to identify himself to Johnny.
Owen’s ghost visits Johnny twice. The first visitation occurs when Johnny visits Reverend Merrill to discuss plans for Owen’s funeral. He urges Merrill to believe in miracles, but the faithless Merrill cannot. Suddenly, Merrill’s voice changes to Owen’s voice and says to look in a desk drawer. Merrill pulls open the drawer, and the fated baseball rolls out. Merrill admits that he is Johnny’s father. Seeing Tabitha wave to him at the baseball game, Merrill momentarily prayed that she would die. Her death caused him to lose his faith.
Johnny is disappointed to learn his father’s identity. To teach Merrill a lesson, Johnny dresses the dressmaker’s dummy in his mother’s red dress and places it outside Merrill’s church office. Johnny throws the baseball through the church window. When Merrill comes outside, he sees the dummy and believes it is Tabitha’s ghost. The incident causes him to regain his religious faith.
In the second visitation, Johnny nearly falls down darkened basement stairs. He feels Owen’s hand grab him and hears Owen’s voice say that he need not be afraid. Both Hester and Johnny are affected by Owen for the rest of their lives. Hester takes part in antiwar protests, performs as a folk singer, and later becomes a successful rock star. Following a suggestion made by Owen, Johnny moves to Canada, where he finds work as a teacher at Bishop Strachan and joins the Anglican Church. He often says a prayer for Owen Meany, especially one asking angels to guide Owen to heaven.
Bibliography
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Weaver, J. Denny. "Owen Meany as Atonement Figure: How He Saves." Christianity & Literature 60.4 (Summer 2011): 613–34. Print.