God’s Instrument After years of typing away on his antique typewriter for hours on end, the Oscar winning storyteller John Irving triumphantly finished his seventh novel A Prayer For Owen Meany in 1989. The emotional tugging that the novel forces upon its audience made it one of the most read novels of the 20th century (McCarthy 2). This humorous yet heart wrenching tale tells of an unlikely friendship between two boys just before the Vietnam era. As a time full of war, death, and lost hope; many Americans looked to God for strength or strayed from Him after seeing their loved ones buried into the earth. Born during this time frame, John Irving is able to first hand understand the emotions felt by many of these men and women across the world
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The Presbyterian Historical Society discusses the background of the French reformer John Calvin as “prov[ing] to be the driving force of the reformation […] from Calvin, John Knox gained the knowledge of Reformed theology and polity that he used as the basis for founding the Presbyterian denomination.” John Knox and John Calvin were individuals partaking in the Protestant reformation (Foreman 11). Interestingly, Irving corresponds the influence of Calvin’s beliefs upon Knox and multiple countries as a basis for Owen’s influence on John Wheelwright. Also, to emphasize the resemblance, Irving uses the first names of these historical figures as Wheelwright’s first …show more content…
Thankful for his dyslexia, the author gladly accepts his slow reading skills which allow him to fully notice and understand” the hidden messages on the pages composed of juxtaposed letters and uses it to his advantage (Brock 6). During one of his scenes, Owen and John partake in the Christmas Pageant by acting as the baby Jesus and Joseph in the chapter “Little Lord Jesus.” Throughout this chapter, Irving has John repeat the phrase “‘pillar of light,’” (148-198) --which was the stagelight moved by Barbara Wiggins to reflect upon characters needed to be seen by the audience -- eleven times. Since John is the narrator of the story, this repeated phrase is a hint that his inner conscience is needing something to help him believe in God once more. Irving admits in a Goodreads interview that “repetition is the natural concomitant of having something worthwhile to say, and repeatedly needing to say it”(19). Although John has pretended faith during the time before Owen’s death, there is a hint of him wanting to believe in God although he says so
The Presbyterian Historical Society discusses the background of the French reformer John Calvin as “prov[ing] to be the driving force of the reformation […] from Calvin, John Knox gained the knowledge of Reformed theology and polity that he used as the basis for founding the Presbyterian denomination.” John Knox and John Calvin were individuals partaking in the Protestant reformation (Foreman 11). Interestingly, Irving corresponds the influence of Calvin’s beliefs upon Knox and multiple countries as a basis for Owen’s influence on John Wheelwright. Also, to emphasize the resemblance, Irving uses the first names of these historical figures as Wheelwright’s first …show more content…
Thankful for his dyslexia, the author gladly accepts his slow reading skills which allow him to fully notice and understand” the hidden messages on the pages composed of juxtaposed letters and uses it to his advantage (Brock 6). During one of his scenes, Owen and John partake in the Christmas Pageant by acting as the baby Jesus and Joseph in the chapter “Little Lord Jesus.” Throughout this chapter, Irving has John repeat the phrase “‘pillar of light,’” (148-198) --which was the stagelight moved by Barbara Wiggins to reflect upon characters needed to be seen by the audience -- eleven times. Since John is the narrator of the story, this repeated phrase is a hint that his inner conscience is needing something to help him believe in God once more. Irving admits in a Goodreads interview that “repetition is the natural concomitant of having something worthwhile to say, and repeatedly needing to say it”(19). Although John has pretended faith during the time before Owen’s death, there is a hint of him wanting to believe in God although he says so