A Prayer For Owen Meany Analysis

Throughout the novel A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving writes a story about two boys growing up and learning the works of the world. The protagonist, John Wheelwright, is narrating the book about his life as an adult and sharing details about his childhood. In his childhood, he writes about his closest companion, Owen Meany. Owen leads John to become an anti-American, pessimistic, all girls private school teacher in Canada. As John is going through college and Owen is serving the Vietnam war in Arizona, John comes across the writer Thomas Hardy, who Owen feels very passionate about. Owen explains to John how powerful and veritable (truthful) Hardy's quote is: "Nothing bears out in practice what it promises incipiently" (528). Throughout …show more content…
As a child, John wants to believe that his faith in Owen will lead him to answers. However, John is discontented when his questions from Owen are not answered. John is being lied to or ignored about Owens vision of his death. After the Christmas carol play where Owen screams in the middle of his act, John worries about him and calls Owen to find out what had happened. Owen explains to John that on Scrooge's grave was his name. John asks, "'Was there a date on the gravestone?'… [Owen] gave himself away by hesitating... [Owen then said] 'THERE WAS NO DATE'… [John] wanted to cry... because it was the first time he had lied to [him]" (259). This shows that John relies on Owen and trusts him that he will tell the truth, however Owen lets John down and lies. As the time till Owens death nears, John has more questions. While John and Dan are passing the vestry office they over heard Owen and Rev. Merrill. Merrill questions Owen, "'Have you had the dream again?' 'YES,' said Owen Meany, who began to cry—he started to sob, like a child. I had not heard him sound like that... [Merrill assured Owen] 'Its just a dream—do you hear me? It's just a dream.'" After Dan and John walk away, Dan asks John, "'What dream?' [John said] 'I don't know'… Owen hadn't told me about the dream" (414). John feels betrayed that Owen has not trusted, his closest friend to tell his dream to. John has faith in Owen to tell him the truth about what is going on with his vision, however Owen excludes John. John's faith in Owen is anticlimactic because of the secrets he hides from