Owen Meany Literary Devices

Nature has a way of ensuring that things change and develop as necessary. However, there are times that nature needs a bit of a push. The agent that provokes this quick and life changing push is called the catalyst. In the novel A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving Owen is the catalyst. It is through a series of literary devices that Irving discloses the immense effect that Owen has had not only on the life of his best friend, John, but on everyone that he encounters. One interesting literary device used to drive the story is the style of narration. The story begins from the point of view of middle-aged John Wheelwright. John is quickly identified as the former best friend of Owen Meany. As it turns out, this is John’s story. This makes

A prime example of Irving’s emphasis on appearance is that of Tabitha Wheelwright. Tabitha is the mother of John, a boy born out of wedlock. Back in the mid-1900s, this was a rather shameful sin to carry around. There is not a woman that would not be heavily looked down upon for such a disgraceful action; this is, except for Ms. Tabitha Wheelwright. She is such a beautiful and sweet woman that everyone is willing to look passed it. She is even granted the ability to wear white at her wedding to Dan Needham with no confrontation. Someone whom is especially taken by Tabitha’s overall sweetness is Owen Meany. This is ironic seeing as he has the same effect on people. In fact, they are quite stricken by each other. The difference between Owen and Tabitha is that their looks seem to be on the opposite ends of the spectrum. While Tabitha is described as baring unfathomable beauty, Owen is a rather peculiar looking fellow. He is small enough for his classmates to hold over their heads. Even into adulthood John is surprised that he was tall enough to meet the military’s height requirement. His ears are described as being oversized and rubbery. His skin is so pale that he is almost translucent. His overall appearance is so shocking that Hester actually screams the first time that the two meet. While these are all important notes on Owen’s

The entire novel comes down to the realization that Owen Meany is symbolic of Jesus Christ. To be truthful, the evidence of Owen being a Christ figure is sometimes overbearing. It begins with the little things, such as the sun projecting a glow about him and the mere idea of being different or chosen, and rapidly progresses. For starters, John reveals on the very first page that Owen the reason for his religious beliefs. Much like Jesus, Owen is not shy about spreading the word of the lord. Much like Jesus, Owen is also blessed with the power to heal. While Jesus possessed the power to heal physically, Owen can do the same emotionally. Look at his ability to soothe the kids, for example. The end scene is filled with chaos and his voice still has a calming effect. Perhaps the biggest example of emotional healing is Hester’s. Hester is known to be the wild child of the family. She is rowdy, promiscuous, and loud. She even ends up becoming a rock star. In spite of her strong personality, Owen has had the ability to tame her from their first encounter. She has always been exceptionally caring and cautious in the presence of Owen. The end up in a long term relationship, where Hester even expresses the idea of settling down and having his children if Owen withdraws his attention from the war in Vietnam. The issue of Vietnam creates a whole other connection to Jesus. Owen’s job as a member of the