A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving Essay

A popular theme in literature concerns the concept of growing up, a painful process by which a character achieves maturity, self- dealledge and confidence. In the recent, A Prayer for Owen unkind person by John Irving, the character of Owen Me both achieves this painful process. Owen meany is introduced in the novel as a remark fitted individual and by means of tabu it can be observed how the brilliant child evolves into the memorable individual that he turns into. In the novel, A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving, Owen Meany matures, gains self- have a go at itledge and confidence to go bad the miracle that his character was.Owen Meany was obviously a brilliant child, but was tranquil able to improve on his excellent character as he was growing. This can be seen through Owens maturity level. He was perpetually remarkable advanced and mature for his age, but as he became older, he unders alsod even more than before. His best friend was Johnny Wheelwright. In their frie ndship, Owen looked after Johnny. He gave him advice and even helped him out academically.When Johnny was bitter near his female p atomic number 18nt not revealing to him who his father was before she died, Owen came up with a mature response, Of course, as Owen pointed out to me, I was only eleven when she died, and my mother was only thirty she probably thought she had a lot of snip left to tell me the story. She didnt know she was going to die, as Owen Meany put it. (Irving 10) In the face of irrationality, Owen found it easy to point out the logic. The easy dash he fares up with intelligent responses to difficult questions are proof of this childs brilliance. Later on his spirit, the reader sees that Owen has ripe in regards to his perspective on Marilyn Monroe and John F. Kennedy. Kennedy had been somewhat of a wiz in Owens mind and he had felt betrayed by him. He is able to later recover from this viewpoint and analyze the situation differently.Shes on the nose like o ur whole country not quite young anymore. yet not old either a little breathless, real beautiful, maybe a little stupid, maybe a lot more smarter than she seemed. And she was looking for something I think she compulsioned to be nigh(a). Look at the men in her carriage Joe DiMaggio, Arthur Miller, maybe the Kennedys. Look at how good they seem Look at how desirable she was She was never quite able She was sightly like our whole country Those famous the right way men did they really love her? Did they take care of her? If she was ever with the Kennedys, they couldnt take hold loved her they were just using her . People will do and assure anything just to take away the power then theyll phthisis the power just to get a thrill . The country is a sucker for powerful men who look good, we think theyre moralists and then they just use us. Thats whats going to happen to you and me were going to be used. (Irving 431)Owen Meany is very good at analysis, and he uses these talents to make conclusions on many things. It is an excellent example of his maturity. When Owen first discovered that JFK might be having an affair with Marilyn Monroe, he was shocked. Now, he is able to rationalize it and see JFK in a different light. He is able to come up with ameliorate ideas concerning JFK and Marilyn Monroe. His metaphor of Marilyn Monroe and the United States is an excellent one. Both Marilyn Monroe and America take up a massive deal in common because of their mutual exploitation by the rich and powerful.Owen Meany learns a great deal about himself through the course of his life. He is convinced(p) that there are reasons for all things. i of his strongest conviction stems from what his parents told him about him being born in the same way as Jesus. Due to this, Owen feels very convinced and assured of himself. He is a highly intelligent childI know three things. I know that my join doesnt change, and I know when Im going to die. I wish I knew why my v oice never changes, I wish I knew how I was going to die But god has allowed me to know more than most pack know so Im not complaining. The third thing I know is that I am Gods instrument I have trustfulness that God will let me know what Im supposed to do, and when Im supposed to do it. (Irving 366)Owen has complete faith that there are reasons for his being the way he is. This is an example of Owens self-knowledge. He knew these things with a complete certainty and accepted them. Few pack will have blind faith in something. Owen had questions, but he still put his faith in God, bowing to his superiority. He knows who he is. He understands his finding. He is told by many that he is crazy and disturbed for thinking that there is a plan for why he has the voice he has. He is also told that he should run far apart from what he thinks his unavoidableness is, but Owen is not most people. He knows what his destiny is and runs to struggleds it.Owens self-a wareness and knowledge is what allows him to feel that he is headed towards the right path. In the end, Owen was right. He is able to save the Vietnamese children, It was not only because he communicate their language it was his voice that compelled the children to listen to him it was a voice like their voices. That was why they trusted him, why they listened. DOONG SA, he said, and they stopped crying. (Irving 612) In the end, Owen is to be prise for his self-knowledge. Johnny would now be wrong in thinking Owen to be strange for thinking that his odd voice had a purpose. It did have a purpose. Owens voice helped him save the Vietnamese children.Owen Meany has a great deal of confidence in himself. If he sets his mind to do something, he can do anything. Owen Meany desperately cute to join the the States and be able to fight so that he could fulfill his purpose that he discovered in his dream. If theres a war and Im in the army, I want to be in the war I dont want to spend the war at a desk. Look at it this way we agree that incrust Hoyt is an idiot. Whos going to keep the Harry Hoyts from acquire their heads blown hit? (Irving 462) The way that Owen ended the statement, almost makes him sound cocky. In a way, he is, but another term to describe it would be that Owen is confident. He places ingrained trust in God that what will happen will happen. He is confident that he is going to die, fulfill his purpose in life and be a hero. It is uncanny how unshakable Owens faith is. just about people are unable to practice what they preach, and Owen does what he thinks is right. He does wait by his rules. It is unbelievable that he is willing to throw away his life because of his faith in God. He does not even have any proof of assurance that God does exist, but in his mind he does not need any. When Owen would be practicing his basketball shot with Johnny and it would get dark, he would ask Johnny if he could still see a statue of Mary Magdalene after it became completely dark. He would ask Johnny how he could be certain that she was still there, if he could not see her, You abruptly know she isnt there even though you cant see her? Well, now you know how I feel about God I cant see Him but I utterly know he is there (Irving 451) Owen explains to Johnny that he just knows in his gut and instinctively that God exists. In the same way that people can understand and accept that other things exist without physical proof, Owen is convinced of the existence of God. His confidence is daunting. It is unusual for a person to be so rationally convinced about theology and at the same duration be willing to go to extremes in the name of God.When he was getting closer to the day of his death, he had doubts, I dont know why hes here I just know he has to be here But I dont even know that not anymore. It doesnt make sense Where is Vietnam in all of this? Where are those poor children? Was it all just a loathly dream? Am I simply crazy? Is tomorrow just another day? (Irving 604) Owen is growing up. He is scared and confused. He doesnt know why Johnny has to be there for his dream to come true. He doesnt know if anything is going to happen. His doubts are the most crucial step to his growing up. In the end, he was right all along.The character, Owen Meany, was a miraculous one, due to his maturity, self-knowledge and confidence, in the novel A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. Owen was always mature for his age, but he was able to improve on it and make better judgements. He understood that although Kennedy was mortal who had been a hero to him, that things are not always as you want them to be. He was able to open his mind to this, and eventually accept the calamity that Kennedy might have behaved inappropriately.Owen had an extreme amount of assurance in himself. He just knew some things and did not feel the need to question them too much. He knew that there was a reason for his voice and although, he wanted to know why, he did no t feel daunted by this. He had faith in his ability to do things, even some that he did not manage to do, such as, going to war. Owens confidence is the brave out important point in his path to growing up. He had doubts and fear, but in the end his confidence in God and himself won out. Owen finally grew up, when he did what he was meant to do by God.