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Character Analysis Owen Meany

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In the book A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, my favorite character is Owen Meany. I admire the way he cares about his friends and is willing to do anything for them. He is concerned about John coming to Vietnam. To avoid this, Owen cuts off John’s finger so he cannot go into the war. This would be difficult, but he loves John and wants to protect him. Another thing I enjoy is Owen’s jokes and humor. He constantly lightens the mood with his clever remarks. I also love how confident he is. Although he is rather short and has a distinct voice, he is never insecure or bothered by it. He is sure of himself and he trusts in his abilities. I respect that he is not afraid to speak out about what he believes and try to make things better. While …show more content…

Despite how “The Voice” comes across to some of the faculty, Owen is simply trying to make a difference at the school and give the students a voice: “The Voice was our voice; he championed our causes; he made us proud of ourselves in the atmosphere that belittled and intimidated us,” (290). I believe he cares deeply about his friends and is loyal to them. Even though Owen is smart enough to skip a grade, he volunteers to repeat a grade in order to stay with John: “WHAT ARE FRIENDS FOR? I’LL NEVER LEAVE YOU,” (267). Owen is extremely demanding. He takes control of the Christmas pageant and changes everything to the way he wants it: “THE WIGGINS ARE NOT GOING TO MAKE ME PLAY THE STUPID ANGEL AGAIN!” (148). At times, I even think that Owen is too demanding and rude to his parents: “WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?...GET OUT OF HERE,” (219-220). I realize that Owen and his parents do not have a strong relationship, but they do love him and are only trying to support him. I think it is unnecessary for Owen to act the way he does. I also believe that Owen is charming. Despite the fact that Johnny’s grandmother despises Owen for many years, he manages to win her over. They find something that they have in common, bond over it, and become good friends: “But my grandmother and Owen Meany twittered over him as hysterically as the blue-haired ladies in Liberace’s audience did,” (262). Other than Owen being controlling, I love and admire him. I enjoy reading about him and getting to learn more. I think he is intelligent, charismatic, and caring. I would love to have a friend like Owen in my life. I base these opinions of Owen on everything that I learn about him on what he says, does, and

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Owen is a martyr, he must sacrifice his own life to save others much like Christ had to do. Denny Weaver, a published professor of religion, stated in an literary analysis of the novel, that “each was sent on a mission to die to save others—Jesus' death absorbed the punishment that sinful humankind deserved; Owen's death absorbed a grenade blast that saved Vietnamese orphans.” Like Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Owen had to submit to the will of God. Salvation depended on it the death of these virtuous, innocent victim in both cases (Weaver). Furthermore, after Owen dies his friend John continues to wish that God would return Owen to him: “O God — please give him back!

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Since Owen was, per say, a miracle - because of his size - his parents told multiple churches that he is the ‘second coming’ of Jesus. None of the churches believed them and thought they were insane, which they were. Owens parents told Johnny about this idea that Owen could be this second Jesus after Owen’s death. Johnny’s overwhelming response was, “It seemed to me that Owen Meany had been used as cruelty by ignorance as he had been in design. I had seen what God has used him for; now I saw how ignorance had used him, too.”

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By calling Owen a little doll, Irving demonstrates how Owen is treated differently because of his size. Owen is played with and even petted by people in the novel. This demeaning form of treatment shows how no one takes Owen seriously. This

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From this, it’s possible that Owen’s desire to fight in Vietnam was not only fueled by his desire to carry out his fate, but to also travel. It’s important to note that Owen pushed hard to go to Vietnam because he had envisioned his sacrifice to occur in a warm climate. While Vietnam was indeed a warm climate, Owen’s ultimate sacrifice came in Arizona, showing that his vision had come true, but not in the way he had expected. This only further demonstrates that fate can not be

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To create an attitude of disapproval towards dying for one’s country, Owen used elevated diction. He begins the poem by portraying a picture of exhausted soldiers. He uses descriptive phrases such as “blood-shod” and “drunk with fatigue”. This elevated diction draws in the reader’s attention and causes them to feel sympathy for the soldiers who are risking

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