In the excerpt from John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany, the narrator highlights his admiration and terror of his cousins based upon their different lifestyles. While the narrator says that he "was both crazy about them and terrified of them," it is his cousins' thrilling, rambunctious experiences, which draw his interest in them and the contrast of those experiences to his own quiet lifestyle, which also bring about his terror in them. The narrator directly states that the presence of his cousins is "not what [he] was used to with the women at 80 Front Street, Gravesend," as the quiet lifestyle in a house full of older women differs from the free lifestyle of his youthful relatives. The rambunctious, active activities of the narrator's cousins
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In the excerpt from A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving uses humor to convey delicate subjects while maintaining a lighthearted mood. As a result of this, information about the narrator’s life is revealed to the reader in an attention grabbing, yet upbeat way. When the narrator notes that “[he] did not wrestle with [his] grandmother or box with Lydia, not even when she had both her legs, “ there is despondent information about the hardships of Lydia’s life, and how that has affected the narrator, presented in a humorous atmosphere which does not condemn the entirety of the passage to a dark tone. Another example of this occurs when the narrator recounts his grandmother’s reference to the visit of his cousins, “for several months after their visit,” as “the casualties.” Although they are family, the grandmother’s attitude reveals annoyance with the destruction and aftermath of the cousins, however this is revealed in an amusing manner which is both direct towards the reader and allows for further succession into other aspects of the narrator’s life, without halting the narrative around his family’s disparities. In addition, the narrator discloses the variety of interactions that his mother finds herself with when he comments “I felt guilty that I made her ski alone, but my mother was rarely left alone for long.” Although it seems like an off-handed comment, the author is revealing information about the narrator’s life and those involved in it by using humor to convey
In the excerpt from A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving uses humor to convey delicate subjects while maintaining a lighthearted mood. As a result of this, information about the narrator’s life is revealed to the reader in an attention grabbing, yet upbeat way. When the narrator notes that “[he] did not wrestle with [his] grandmother or box with Lydia, not even when she had both her legs, “ there is despondent information about the hardships of Lydia’s life, and how that has affected the narrator, presented in a humorous atmosphere which does not condemn the entirety of the passage to a dark tone. Another example of this occurs when the narrator recounts his grandmother’s reference to the visit of his cousins, “for several months after their visit,” as “the casualties.” Although they are family, the grandmother’s attitude reveals annoyance with the destruction and aftermath of the cousins, however this is revealed in an amusing manner which is both direct towards the reader and allows for further succession into other aspects of the narrator’s life, without halting the narrative around his family’s disparities. In addition, the narrator discloses the variety of interactions that his mother finds herself with when he comments “I felt guilty that I made her ski alone, but my mother was rarely left alone for long.” Although it seems like an off-handed comment, the author is revealing information about the narrator’s life and those involved in it by using humor to convey