A Prayer for Owen Meany Essay

In Johnny Irving's novel, A Prayer For Owen Meany, many events are discussed to the reader about the significant presence of Owen Meany. All the situations involved with Owen contributed to the reason of why Johnny ultimately had a different perspective of the world. Without Owen's pompous and spirited views, Johnny would have had increased doubts upon religious beliefs, such as Anglican and Christian beliefs. From the death of Johnny's mother to Dan's play of A Christmas Carol, Owen and Johnny relied on each other constantly, and built a relationship that influenced one another's religious views. To initiate the book, a death was introduced. Johnny's mother, Mrs. Wheelwright, lived an ephemeral life. After she had died, Owen felt guilty for being responsible of the “murder”. Although Mrs. Wheelwright died an accidental death, Owen was still anxious to letting go of the baseball that had struck her in the temple. Owen felt at fault for the whole situation but Johnny, despite his loss, alleviated his spiritual friend by coaxing Owen to acknowledging the tragic situation as an accident. Before Mrs. Wheelwright had been hit by the baseball, Owen was finally put into his first baseball game. As he was up to bat, many thoughts, not only ran through his head but also through his other team members' heads. No one expected Owen to hit the pitched ball, but when he did, everyone was just as shocked as he was. Unfortunately, the “victory” ball fatally collided with an audience member's temple; Mrs. Wheelwright's. It was reported that she had died before she fell to the ground. As Summer ends and Fall approaches, everyone packs each of their belongings to a relative's house to celebrate Thanksgiving. Owen was promised that he could spend this holiday with Johnny and his cousins. Initially when Owen requested to go with Johnny, Johnny was hesitant to answer. This was because Johnny assumed that his cousins were too much for Owen to handle. According to the narrator, his cousins were rowdier, tougher, and older than Owen. Johnny found these characteristics to be traits that Owen would find difficult to manage with, therefore Johnny was reluctant to approve of Owen's request. Ultimately, Johnny agreed to let Owen sleepover with him on Thanksgiving. As it turns out, Johnny's cousins pitied Owen, once they laid their eyes on the tiny guy. Owen was a person who didn't want others to pity him based on his appearance. Instead, he let his voice intimidate his audience. The more time Owen spent with Johnny and his cousins, the more comfortable he got. Not only did Owen scare Johnny's cousins with his pompous actions, but also earned admiration among the cousins. Through creative imagination and games, Owen was easily noticed and cherished. Once Thanksgiving was over, Christmas was approaching. As a new character was introduced as Johnny's new father named Dan, Johnny and Owen instantly liked the new family member. From the moment Johnny received Dan's gift, an armadillo, to

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