Allusions In A Prayer For Owen Meany

There are numerous symbols that John Irving incorporated into A Prayer for Owen Meany. While some symbols only appear in the novel once, other symbols happen to recur throughout the novel. Such recurring symbols are the several manifestations of “armless” figures, which are Tabby’s dressmaker’s dummy, the armadillo, and the statue of Mary Magdalene. The most significant manifestation of the armless figures is Tabby’s dressmaker’s dummy since its symbolism of Tabby primarily contributes to the reader’s understanding of Owen’s belief that he was God’s instrument, as well as the overall theme of predestination.

When telling a story, other elements like plot, setting, characterization, symbol, similes and metaphor also play a significant role. In this excerpt, the writer showed the plot and setting of painful condition of a dying soldier, who was injured in the civil war. She uses various similes and lyrical metaphors. For example, “Every breath he draws is like a stab.” Here by using metaphor “like a stab’, she succeeded to showed the real picture of a dying soldier to her readers. Once again, she uses another simile saying, “gathering the bent head in my arms as freely as if he had been a little child”. This example conveys the picture of John as a young child rests in his mother’s lap. Regarding characterization, by implementing analogies, she displays the altruistic mindset of the brave soldier, who joined the army for her mother and for his country. For instance, when she asked him. “Do you regret coming here”, he was positive at all and replied “I didn't want the glory or the pay; I wanted the right thing done, and people kept saying the men who were in earnest ought to fight. I was in earnest, the Lord knows! but I held off as long as I could, not knowing which was my duty; mother saw the case, gave me her ring to keep me steady”. Even when he is on

Put simply, the miraculousness of Owen Meany catalyzes Johnny’s faith. Yet, Johnny’s faith did not spring forth the moment he met Owen; instead, Owen’s life, sprouting with miracles, gradually inspired Johnny to accept and pursue a life of faith. Therefore, his true faith was born out of the miracle of Owen. After the Christmas pageant in which Johnny starred as Joseph and Owen as baby Jesus, Johnny mentions that “that Sunday…contributed to my belief in—and my dislike of—the miracle” (231). Here, Johnny’s reference to “the miracle” alludes to Owen Meany. Nonetheless, the miracle in this instance contradicts the heartwarming, wondrous thoughts that may first float through one’s mind at the mention of a “miracle.” This miracle, Owen’s role as baby Jesus, astounds Johnny because of Owen’s ability to take charge and the changes and revisions that Owen brings about to an established faith tradition. In reaction, some despised Owen’s rude outburst to his parents and slight alterations to the traditional Christmas story, but some appreciated the modifications. Similarly, when Jesus preached new teachings and introduced revisions to ancient traditions, many attacked him and proclaimed his teachings heresies. Therefore, both Owen and Jesus experience hindrances in their lifestyles that differ from the norm; although, both manage to persevere in leading others in their missions as God’s instruments on the Earth. Another miracle occurred much later in Johnny’s life, after Owen’s death, when Dan Needham shuts Johnny into an unlit cellar as a joke. Unfortunately, Johnny loses his balance at the edge of the stairs, and he begins to fall backwards. Just before he topples over, Johnny feels a small hand guide his own hand to the light switch while pulling his body forward to retain his balance; meanwhile, a voice,

     In the beginning of the novel, immediately there is a clear difference between Owen and Johnny. There is the field of academics; Owen is the head of his class while he helps John not to fail in his studies. There is Owen, very sure of his belief system and Johnny, very doubtful and unsure about his beliefs or feelings towards’ god.

In literature of significant standing, no act of violence is perpetrated without reason. For a story to be legitimate in the area of fine literature violence cannot be used in a wanton manner. In John Irving’s modern classic, A Prayer for Owen Meany the audience is faced with multiple scenes of strong violence but violence is never used without reason. All of the violent acts depicted in the novel are totally necessary for the characters and the plot to develop. This plot-required violence can be seen in the novel’s first chapter when Owen accidentally kills John’s mother and in the novel’s last chapter when John relates Owen’s grotesque, while heroic, death to the audience. The violence

John Wheelwright’s and Owen Meany’s differing attributes highlight the use of contrast within A Prayer for Owen Meany. While Owen Meany tends to be a leader, John is a follower where his primary experiences tend to be due to Owen. Furthermore, their different appearances further illustrate their differences- while John is a typical male, Owen appears childlike in stature with a “rodent” quality to his appearance. Consequently, these comparisons between the two characters highlight the underlying theme of spirituality within the novel. Owen Meany has a continuing belief in God, even taking it as far as saying that God has a specific plan for him. “GOD HAS TAKEN YOUR MOTHER. MY HANDS WERE THE INSTRUMENT. GOD HAS TAKEN MY HANDS. I AM GOD’S INSTRUMENT (page 90)” This quote illustrates the absolute belief that Owen has in God; despite the fact that Owen has taken the life from Tabitha Wheelwright, mother of Johnny, he chalks it up to fate and God’s will. However, John Wheelwright doubts the ideologies of Christianity as he changes his denomination within the Christian community regularly. This contrast is displayed when the two boys are young

Owen and Johnny travel to Boston to find answers concerning Tabby’s secret life away from Gravesend. They first find the store Johnny's mother purchased a bold red dress from. She claimed that the store had burned down and she could not return the dress. The store had not in fact closed down, which prompted the boys to ask “why she bought the dress?” (353.) The boys kept searching until they found Johnny’s mother's old musical teacher who explained everything to them later in the novel. This is not the only mystery involved within A Prayer for Owen Meany. The identity of Johnny’s dad is kept a mystery until the very end of the novel. Exactly who Johnny’s dad was always fascinated the boys, and Owen was so sure that “god knew who my father was” and that “God would identify him to me” when the time was right. Owen was correct because after Owen had passed and Johnny was meeting with Reverend Mr. Merrill God presented Johnny his father. God spoke through Mr. Merrill and said to open a desk drawer that had “the ball that Owen Meany hit” and there was Johnny’s

To begin with, Washington Irving uses imagery to clearly illustrate the story’s development, immersing the reader into what is happening and causing them to feel suspense as they walk through various events together with Ichabod. For example, as Ichabod returns home from the party, Irving portrays his horrifying surroundings, describing Ichabod as a solitary figure in the “dead hush of

In John Irving’s novel A Prayer for Owen Meany, a boy with an uncanny way of persuading and changing people’s lives tugs at the reader’s heart throughout a powerful story. A special soul named Owen Meany is not only everyone’s friend, but also a symbol of Christ. Not only does Irving show us symbolism, but he also shows us many other literary devices throughout the entire novel.

Dick is labeled as a crazy kid and everyone tends to stay away from him. When Owen is killed his arms are blown off of his body and he appears the same as the other symbols throughout the novel. Without his arms, Owen is finally viewed as completely helpless because not only does he not have any arms but he is now dead. This event is the novel is Irving’s final enforcement of the idea of helplessness because it shows how Owen knew how he was going to die the whole time and as he lived his life he was preparing for his death. This was done when he would always make John practice “The Shot” and he said that it had to be done in less than three seconds. This was the amount of time that they had to get the grenade that Dick threw and get it out the window. Also while the death scene is approaching both John and Owen are realizing all of the signs from the dream that Owen had about his death; the palm trees and all of the children. Both of them knew what was about to happen but only Owen knew that “The Shot” was a part of it. This event is the novel finalizes John Irving’s idea of helplessness that he presents through the novel because it shows how right from the beginning Owen had no other options. Any way that he approached the situation he was going to die and he just had to prepare the best he could for

Everyday people lose something in one way or the other and for most of the things, they don’t ponder on the importance of the things lost. Throughout the novel, John Irving depicts different unique objects that has either has no arms or has lost their arms. The armadillo, Tabitha’s dressmaker dummy, his swaddled body, and Mary Magdalene’s statue are symbolically omen for Owen. Of all the objects, the Watahantowet’s familiar totem was greatest message from God to Owen for that it appeared in the beginning and in the end. In the fate God has prepared for him, Owen learns the true meaning of loss through various encounters with armless objects because each teaches him a thing about loss.

Irving also demonstrated the volatility of the times by his definition of history. “Irving’s introduction of Ichabod Crane defines a particular problem of the early American writer. “In this by-place of nature,” he writes, “there abode, in a remote period of American history, that is to say, some thirty years since, a worthy wight of the name Ichabod Crane.” The archaic substantive wight serves to emphasize the incongruity

To understand the Irving's story in such a way, it is first necessary to understand the American Revolution. The American Revolution was in many ways a conflict over liberty a war between the ideology of the old world (as represented by the monarchy and the crown) and the new world (as

I strongly agree with the statement “Washington Irving found in legend and folklore a view of the natural world colored by emotion, by superstition, and by the ancient belief that supernatural beings inhabit the wild places of the earth. He wrote stories that illustrated old truths about human nature and the dramatic possibilities of the American landscape.” Although Irving wrote over twenty volumes, including essays, poems, histories, biographies, and more, in class, we have focused on his fiction. Irving dispersed many beliefs and legends of his time, and the past, into his stories. He also made great use of American themes in these literary pursuits. Such details along with existent people and events interlaced in his imaginary tales are some of the reasons I find his work so distinctive and enjoyable.

Several themes are portrayed within the pages of A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving; nevertheless, a more prominent theme that moves the story along is that of symbolism. In the novel, Owen Meany is obsessed with armless figures all his life from Tabby’s dressmaker, to the armadillo, and finally, Mary Magdalene. Readers cannot help but to try to correlate all these images into a bigger picture.