John Irving

"A Prayer for Owen Meany"

A Prayer for Owen Meany, written by John Irving, draws inspiration and character details from G?nter Grass's The Tin Drum. Published in 1989, the novel is a coming-of-age story that revolves around themes of religion, faith, and friendship.



The narrative begins in 1987, where the protagonist, John Wheelwright, resides in Canada and works as an English teacher. Although he is a dedicated bachelor, John frequently reminisces about his youth spent in New Hampshire. His thoughts center on his closest companion during that time, Owen Meany, whom he considers the most extraordinary boy he has ever encountered. John holds conflicting emotions toward Owen, attributing both the death of his mother and his unwavering faith in God to him.



The story transports us back to the 1950s, when John and Owen resided in the town of Gravesend. Due to John's illegitimate status, he does not enjoy the same elevated social standing as the rest of the wealthy Wheelwright family. Consequently, he easily befriends the boys from the lower class. Owen, on the other hand, is a physically diminutive boy afflicted with a damaged larynx, resulting in a permanently high-pitched voice. John vividly recalls a particular incident where he lifted Owen above his head, hoping to coax him into speaking.



As their school days progress, John is deeply impressed by Owen's evident intelligence. Owen, in turn, prefers spending time with John's family. John's mother, who keeps the identity of John's father a secret, marries a man named Dan Needham. Dan makes an effort to gain the

trust of both Owen and John, and he gifts them a beloved stuffed toy.



Despite his small stature, Owen has a profound love for baseball and participates in the Little League. Tragically, during a game, Owen hits a foul ball that strikes John's mother in the head, resulting in her untimely death. Despite this devastating incident, Dan works to ensure that the boys maintain their friendship. Owen, believing he is an instrument of God, confides in John about his conviction. Furthermore, Owen takes part in a school production of A Christmas Carol and becomes convinced that his own name and date of death are inscribed on Ebenezer Scrooge's gravestone.



As the boys grow older, Owen earns respect within the school community. He writes a popular column for the school newspaper and even enters a romantic relationship with John's older cousin, Hester. Owen urges John to spend extensivetime practicing a basketball trick play known as The Shot, in which John lifts Owen above his head to dunk the ball - an illegal maneuver. Owen excels academically and receives full scholarship offers from prestigious institutions such as Yale and Harvard.



Owen's sarcastic attitude towards the headmaster leads to his expulsion from school. As a result, he enrolls in the ROTC program at the University of New Hampshire, which means he will be deployed to Vietnam upon graduation. Both John and Hester strongly oppose the war and are horrified by this development. In an effort to help John avoid the draft, Owen deliberately injures his own hand. After completing his studies, Owen is assigned to the duty of accompanying the bodies of deceased soldiers back to their families in America. However, he confides in John and Hester about a dream he had, wherein he envisions sacrificing himself to save a group of Vietnamese children, resulting in his own death. He believes that this dream will come true on the date he saw inscribed on the tombstone in the school play. Despite John and Hester's

attempts to dissuade him, Owen remains determined to fulfill this perceived destiny by willingly being sent to Vietnam.



The story then fast-forwards a few years to Owen's funeral. During the funeral, Owen's father reveals a startling truth - he never had sexual intercourse with Owen's mother. Instead, he regarded Owen as a "Christ child" and had shared this revelation with Owen when he was very young. Some time later, John finally discovers the identity of his own father, Reverend Lewis Merrill. To John's disappointment, he learns that Reverend Merrill is a married man who possesses a meek and timid nature.



The narrative takes us back in time to Owen's preparations for his deployment to Vietnam. As the departure date approaches, John pays a visit to Owen and joins him as they deliver a deceased soldier's body to the grieving family. However, the family harbors contempt towards the military. In particular, the soldier's brother, Dick, expresses his vehement hatred for the Vietnamese, declaring his intention to join the army so he can kill as many Vietnamese as possible.



At the airport, Owen confides in John, acknowledging that he has come to accept that his vision was merely a dream. The date he foresaw has arrived, and he finds himself nowhere near Vietnam. Just then, a large group of Vietnamese orphans,accompanied by nuns, arrives at the airport. As Owen and John find themselves in a room with the children, Owen recognizes this scenario as the realization of his vision. To their shock, Dick is also present with the intention of murdering the children using a hand grenade his brother had smuggled home from Vietnam. In a moment of desperation, Dick throws the grenade into the room. Acting swiftly, John catches the grenade, and with the help of Owen, they execute The Shot - the basketball trick play they had practiced so rigorously - to hurl the grenade out of the window and away from the children. However, the grenade explodes at the last moment, resulting in

severe injuries to Owen.



As Owen lies on the verge of death, he provides solace to the terrified children and assures John that he is content with having fulfilled the task that God had assigned him. John deeply believes that Owen was truly a remarkable individual - a miracle - and concludes his story with a heartfelt plea to God, urging for Owen's return.