A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving Essay Example for Free

A Prayer for Owen unkind person by John Irving EssayA popular piece of music in literature concerns the concept of growing up, a painful process by which a character achieves maturity, self- seeledge and confidence. In the novel, A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, the character of Owen Meany achieves this painful process. Owen Meany is introduced in the novel as a remarkable individual and byout it can be detect 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-knowledge and confidence to become the miracle that his character was. Owen Meany was obviously a brilliant child, but was still able to improve on his excellent character as he was growing. This can be enchantn through Owens maturity level. He was al representations remarkable advanced and mature for his age, but as he became older, he understood even more than before. His best adept was Johnny Wheelwright. In their friendship, Owen looked after Johnny. He gave him advice and even helped him out academically.When Johnny was bitter about his mother not revealing to him who his father was before she died, Owen came up with a mature response, Of fertilise, 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 date 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 way he comes up with intelligent responses to difficult questions are proof of this childs brilliance. Later on his animation, the reader sees that Owen has matured in regards to his perspective on Marilyn Monroe and John F. Kennedy. Kennedy had been passably of a hero 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 reasona ble like our whole untaught not quite young anymore. notwithstanding not old either a little breathless, very beautiful, maybe a little stupid, maybe a lot more smarter than she seemed. And she was looking for something I think she wanted to be good. Look at the men in her life Joe DiMaggio, Arthur Miller, maybe the Kennedys. Look at how good they seem Look at how desirable she was She was never quite happy She was just like our whole country Those famous respectable men did they really love her? Did they take care of her? If she was ever with the Kennedys, they couldnt have loved her they were just using her . People will do and say anything just to get the power then theyll use 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 conclu sions 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 educated ideas concerning JFK and Marilyn Monroe. His metaphor of Marilyn Monroe and the United States is an excellent one. Both Marilyn Monroe and America have a great 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 that on that point are reasons for all things. One of his strongest conviction stems from what his parents told him about him existence born in the same way as Jesus. payable to this, Owen facial expressions very convinced and assured of himself. He is a highly intelligent childI know three things. I know that my joint doesnt change, and I know when Im going to die. I wish I knew why my voi ce never changes, I wish I knew how I was going to die But divinity fudge has allowed me to know more than most mess know so Im not complaining. The third thing I know is that I am Gods cock I have faith 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 people 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 propose. He is told by many that he is waste and insane for thinking that there is a plan for why he has the voice he has. He is also told that he should run far outdoor(a) from what he thinks his destiny is, but Owen is not most people. He knows what his destiny is and runs towarfareds it.Owens self-awareness and knowledge is what allow s 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 spoke 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 admired 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 wanted to join the army and be able to fight so that he could fulfill his purpose that he discovered in his fancy. 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 Harry Hoyt is an idiot. Whos going to keep the Harry Hoyts from getting their heads blown off? (Irving 462) The way that Owen end 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 total 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 potent Owens faith is.Most people are unable to practice what they preach, and Owen does what he thinks is right. He does live by his rules. It is unbelievable that he is willing to throw aside 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 bloody shame 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 absolutely 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 absolutely 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 time 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 terrible 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 important step to his growing up. In the end, he was right all along.The character, Owen Meany, was a preternatural 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 someone who had been a hero to him, that things are not always as you want them to be. He was able to escaped his mind to this, and eventually accept the possibility 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 not feel scare off 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 rifle 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.