Character Analysis Owen Meany

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

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