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A Prayer for Owen Meany

1977.
INTR
INTRODUCTION
ODUCTION
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF JOHN IRVING RELATED LITERARY WORKS
John Irving was born in Exeter, New Hampshire. His stepfather Irving’s style of writing is frequently compared to that of
taught at the Phillips Exeter Academy, where Irving would later Charles Dickens—his sprawling plots, unforgettable characters,
study. He graduated from the University of New Hampshire and highly dramatic narratives are all classically Dickensian. A
and earned an MFA from the prestigious Iowa Writers’ Prayer for Owen Meany, in particular, heavily alludes to
Workshop, where he studied under Kurt Vonnegut. In 1968, he Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter
Letter. The two books are
published his first novel, Setting Free the Bears. Ten years later both set in conservative New England communities, and both
he published The World According to Garp, which became an concern an illegitimate child secretly conceived between a
international bestseller and won the National Book Award for woman and a popular reverend. The female character in A
Fiction in 1980. In 1989, he published A Prayer for Owen Meany. Prayer for Owen Meany, Tabitha Wheelwright, rejects the stigma
Irving has published over a dozen novels throughout his career, of her illegitimate pregnancy, but is still divinely punished by
including numerous bestsellers, and he continues to write death in a freak accident. Tabitha’s niece, Hester Eastman, also
today. Recurring motifs in his fiction include private boys’ recalls Hawthorne’s protagonist Hester Prynne. Hester
academies, freak accidents, mysteries of paternity, high school Eastman also boldly rejects female chastity, but is belittled by
wrestling, and bears. the narrator. A Prayer for Owen Meany is also heavily inspired by
the book The Tin Drum by the German novelist Günter Grass.
Irving briefly studied under Grass in Vienna during his
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
undergraduate years. The protagonist of The Tin Drum has the
The narrator of A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Wheelwright, same initials as Owen Meany, and he is also an unusually
was born in 1942, and he’s narrating the book in 1987 at the precocious child of miniature size with an unnaturally high
age of 45. The Cold War between the communist Soviet Union voice and a Jesus complex.
and the democratic United States started shortly after John
was born and was still ongoing 40 years later. Heavy-handed
KEY FACTS
American efforts to counteract or neutralize Soviet aggression
led to many misguided global interventions denounced in A • Full Title: A Prayer for Owen Meany
Prayer of Owen Meany, from the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of • When Written: 1987-1988
Cuba in 1961 during John F. Kennedy’s presidency, to the Iran-
• Where Written: Exeter, New Hampshire
Contra Affair during Ronald Reagan’s presidency in 1987. The
Cold War–era conflict with the greatest toll on America was • When Published: March 1989
the Vietnam War (1955-1975), a long, ugly war waged in • Literary Period: Postmodern
Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. John and Owen Meany were • Genre: Fiction
young men of draft age during the Vietnam War, which • Setting: Gravesend, New Hampshire
eventually became deeply unpopular primarily due to the
• Climax: Owen Meany sacrifices himself to save a group of
massive number of U.S. casualties as well as the many nuns and Vietnamese orphans from a grenade, fulfilling the
documented bombings, massacres, and abuses inflicted on the prophecy of his death.
civilian populations of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Anti-war
• Antagonist: Dick Jarvits
protests, both peaceful and violent, erupted across the country
as millions questioned the goal of the U.S. in continuing to • Point of View: First person
sacrifice its young men in an unwinnable war on the other side
of the world. Men like John, Noah Eastman, Buzzy Thurston, EXTRA CREDIT
and Harold Crosby went to great lengths to avoid the draft Stranger Than Fiction. John Irving was inspired to create the
(John, for instance, cuts off his trigger finger to make him character of Owen Meany based on the memory of a real boy
ineligible), although it was largely the most disadvantaged from his past who was tiny enough to be lifted up and passed
Americans who ended up going to war and dying, as Owen around Irving’s classroom during Sunday school.
points out. Crossing the border into Canada was one such way
to avoid the draft, but draft dodgers wouldn’t be allowed back Greatest Hit. Although multiple books by John Irving are major
into the U.S. until President Carter issued a general pardon in bestsellers, A Prayer for Owen Meany is Irving’s best-selling book

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of all time. It’s also the book with the author’s favorite first belong to God. John forgives Owen for his role in Tabitha’s
sentence, according to Irving. death, and they stay close friends. They talk about everything
together, from John’s desire to find his biological father to their
mutual feelings for John’s provocative cousin Hester Eastman.
PL
PLO
OT SUMMARY Hester has two wild older brothers, Noah and Simon, whom
her parents lavish with attention. Just because they’re boys,
John Wheelwright, an American living in Toronto in 1987, tells they get to study at boarding schools and private universities
the story of his life as he explains how he became a Christian
across the country, while she has to stay at home and attend
because of his childhood friend Owen Meany. The present-day
public schools. Outraged at her family’s sexism, Hester sets out
timeline of the book spans from January to September, as John to live her life in the most un-ladylike way possible. John and
weaves his childhood memories of growing up in New Owen find her equally sexy and terrifying.
Hampshire with an account of his life today in Canada.
John and Owen attend Gravesend Academy for high school,
John and Owen grow up as best friends in the small New where Owen becomes notorious for his editorials in the school
England town of Gravesend, New Hampshire. John comes from
newspaper, writing as The Voice. He writes in ALL CAPS, just
one of the town’s founding families, and grows up in a
like his speech appears in the book. Owen impresses his peers
traditionally dignified, well-to-do household with servants and with his sarcasm and his relationship with Hester, an older girl.
a large family fortune. Owen grows up in a poor working-class The school’s authoritarian new headmaster, Randy White, is
household, and lives in his family’s granite quarry. The two boys out to get Owen, but Owen refuses to be silenced. He boldly
attend to Sunday school together, since John’s mother, Tabitha believes in treating rude behavior rudely in return, and is
Wheelwright, recently decided that they will switch to Owen’s ultimately expelled. After his expulsion, he uses his skills from
church. In Sunday school, the kids make a game of picking up
mining and carving granite to uproot a statue from the local
the weightless Owen and passing him around overhead, Catholic school, remove its arms and head, and weld the rest of
because he is so much smaller than the rest of his peers. He the statue to the stage at Gravesend Academy. That night,
also has a strange voice that sounds like a permanent high- Owen dreams of how he will die: heroically saving children in
pitched scream whenever he speaks. The town thinks that Vietnam from an explosion. He knows he must join the army,
Owen was stunted from his exposure to so much granite dust learn Vietnamese, and perfect a slam-dunk jump with John.
when he was born, but Owen believes his unusual size and
voice come from God. Following his dream, Owen enlists in ROTC at the University of
New Hampshire, where John also attends. While they’re in
John’s mother became pregnant with him after she had a fling college, the Vietnam War begins to escalate. Both John and
with a man she met on the train to Boston, where she took Owen are against the war, but Owen still wants to go to
singing lessons once a week. She never told her family who the Vietnam and fulfill his destiny, while John wants to avoid the
man was, and she continued living with her mother, Harriet, draft at all costs. Ironically, Owen is deemed too small to fight
after giving birth to John. As John grows up, Owen becomes on a battlefield, while John is the perfect draft candidate. To
like a second son to Tabitha. His parents are eccentric, protect John from going to war and from being with Owen on
emotionally distant, and don’t show him much affection—Mr. the day of his prophesized death, Owen slices off John’s trigger
Meany is too busy in the mines, and Mrs. Meany is an extreme finger.
recluse who is likely mentally ill.
John earns his master’s degree in English while Owen escorts
When John was six, Tabitha met another man on the train, and the bodies of soldiers killed in Vietnam home for burial. One
this time she married him. John’s stepfather, Dan Needham, day over the summer, he calls John and invites him to come to
taught history and theater at the local private high school, Arizona for a few days of vacation while he completes an
Gravesend Academy. When they got married, Tabitha switched extended assignment. John flies to Phoenix and accompanies
from the Congregational Church, led by Rev. Lewis Merrill, to Owen as he puts the body of Frank Jarvits to rest. They meet
the Episcopalian Church, which Owen attended. Owen’s family Frank’s deeply disturbed teenage brother, Dick Jarvits, a
had once been Catholics, but the Catholic Church had psychopath who can’t wait to go to war and start slaughtering
somehow offended them. Owen has always been very religious, the Vietnamese. During this trip, Owen is confused when the
and he has visions of angels before Tabitha’s death. When date of his death arrives and he is still in America—after all, his
Owen and John are eleven, Tabitha is tragically killed in a freak vision shows him saving Vietnamese children from an
accident by a baseball that Owen hit. explosion. That day, he goes with John to the Phoenix airport to
Later that year, Owen plays the Ghost of Christmas Future in A wish him goodbye. At the airport, a plane full of Vietnamese
Christmas Car
Carol
ol and the baby Jesus in the church Christmas orphans lands, bringing the children to America to be adopted.
pageant, and he has a vision of the day he will die. He believes Dick Jarvits, loitering around the airport, murderously draws a
that since a woman died at his hands, his hands and his life now grenade on the children. Owen saves them by telling them in

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Vietnamese to lie on the ground, while he leaps high off the deaths effectively “neutered” him (at 45, he’s still a virgin), and
ground with John’s help and stuffs the grenade onto a cement made him fatalistic and detached from life. Seeing Owen
windowsill, sacrificing himself to shield the children from the willingly sacrifice himself to save a group of innocent children
explosion. He dies surrounded by John and the nuns who were makes John believe in God, yet he does not believe that he has
accompanying the orphans on the plane. the same God-given purpose as Owen did. After Owen’s death,
After Owen’s death, John returns to Gravesend. Owen’s father John becomes painfully frustrated with the sheer amount of
tells him that Owen’s mother conceived him as a virgin, like evil and complacent stupidity present in the world, but feels
Mary and Jesus. No one ever believed them, which is why they that he lacks the means to change anything. He concludes the
left the Catholic Church. John thinks that the Meanys are book by humbling asking God to give Owen Meany back to
either horribly ignorant or mentally impaired to tell Owen, in all him—but perhaps what he needs more is to be given a purpose
seriousness, that he was born divine. John goes to talk to Rev. of his own.
Merrill about the Meanys, and Merrill is compelled by Owen’s Owen MeanMeanyy – One of the protagonists of the novel, Owen
spirit to confess that he is John’s father. He had an affair with Meany is John Wheelwright’s best friend and the reason he
John’s mother after she secretly became a singer for a supper believes in God. Born premature, Owen is raised at his family’s
club in Boston. granite quarry, where he is exposed to massive amounts of
John goes to Canada on Owen’s advice. He joins the Anglican dust. Owen is freakishly small and has a grating voice, which is
Church and becomes an English teacher for an all-girls trapped in a perpetual high-pitched scream, though he makes
boarding school in Toronto, but he never feels Canadian—he up for his small stature with his outsized opinions, exerting a
remains too obsessed with America, criticizing its dishonest strong persuasive influence over everyone he meets. He is
government and careless citizens. He refuses to move back to obsessed with the image of the armless man from town legend,
America, however. His powerful grief over Owen’s traumatic especially after he accidentally kills John’s mother, Tabitha
death leaves him stuck in the past, unable to forgive his country Wheelwright, with a foul baseball when he and John are
or start a new life. Meanwhile, Hester becomes a world-famous eleven, and becomes convinced that his arms belong to God.
rock star by singing about the war, but John can only wait and Owen’s parents tell him that that Mrs. Meany became pregnant
pray for God to bring Owen back. with him while she was still a virgin, meaning that Owen was a
miracle, a son of God like Jesus himself. While they were likely
mistaken, Owen nonetheless believes from a young age that he
CHARA
CHARACTERS
CTERS is meant to be God’s instrument. As a young boy, Owen begins
to have a recurring dream that reveals to him when and how he
MAJOR CHARACTERS will die—somewhere tropical, surrounded by nuns, and saving
John Wheelwright – The narrator and protagonist of the book, Vietnamese children from an explosion by “slam-dunking” a
John is an American living in Canada and teaching English at an grenade away from the children with John’s help. Although
all-girls Anglican boarding school. He is Tabitha’s son and Dan’s Owen can be prideful and combative, he is also strongly
stepson, and although he adores his stepfather, John spends principled and believes wholeheartedly in doing what he can
much of his life trying to find out who is biological father is. for his country. He is far from blindly patriotic, however, and he
When he finally realizes that it’s the local reverend, Rev. Lewis knows he is meant to sacrifice his life for foreign children, not
Merrill, who is known for his doubt-filled sermons, John is Americans. He bravely sets out to meet his duty as God’s
deeply disappointed. In the book, John recalls how he came to martyr, and faithfully prepares for the day when he is to save a
believe in God after experiencing the extraordinary life story of group of Vietnamese children from dying in an explosion.
his best friend from childhood, Owen Meany. If Owen’s life Eventually that day comes, and he dies exactly as he’s dreamed
mirrored that of Jesus Christ, John’s life mirrors that of Jesus’s it all these years: as a selfless hero, sent by God to be just the
father, Joseph—a passive bystander, a sidelined virgin. right person at just the right place at just the right time.
Throughout his childhood, John always goes along with John
John’s’s Mother / T
Tabitha
abitha Wheelwright – John’s mother, who is
whatever plans Owen or John’s rowdy cousins (Hester, Noah, killed by Owen Meany’s foul ball when the boys were just
and Simon) suggest, rarely acting for himself. He never eleven years old. She had a gifted singing voice and a stunning
approaches girls with confidence, and he depends on Owen to figure of which her sister, Martha, was always jealous. John
help him through school and to help him escape the draft. John compares Tabitha to a cat, saying she looked perfectly
experiences many senseless tragedies in his life—his mother’s touchable in theory, but rarely wished to be touched, by nature.
premature death in a freak accident at poor Owen’s hands, an She was very sweet-tempered, which made it difficult for
untold number of needless deaths in Vietnam, even the violent anyone to stay angry at her for long. She wielded this to her
death of Owen himself in an attack by a militant teenage advantage when she defied her parents’ wishes by not going to
psychopath named Dick. John claims that all these tragic college and becoming pregnant from an illicit affair. Refusing to

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bow to scornful opinion, she raised her son proudly and never Dick Jarvits – The antagonist in the novel, Dick Jarvits is a
apologized for her choices. She firmly denied John’s father, Rev. deeply troubled teenage boy whose older brother, Frank, was
Lewis Merrill, any say in their son’s life. She believed in doing killed in Vietnam. Dick is obsessed with war and killing, and he
what made her happy, and secretly performed in a dinner club often arms himself with lethal weaponry that his brother
in Boston once a week under the stage name “The Lady in Red.” smuggled home from Vietnam and loiters menacingly around
When she met her future husband, Dan Needham, on the train, the airport. Although the airport security guards usually
she trusted her judgment absolutely and knew she would confiscate his weapons, they always return the weapons to him
marry him. She was very loving as well as being naturally at the end of the day. One day, when a group of nuns and
lovable, and she showed enormous care and affection for Owen Vietnamese children are disembarking from a plane, Dick finally
Meany, John’s best friend, who lacked for the same love and makes his move, throwing a grenade into the bathroom where
opportunities that John always had. the children have stopped off at. Just like in his dream, Owen
Re
Revv. LLewis
ewis Merrill – Tabitha Wheelwright’s ex-lover and John’s Meany catches the grenade and does his long-practiced “slam-
biological father. The popular pastor at the Congregational dunk” move with John to get the grenade as far from the
Church, Merrill has a degree in English from Princeton and children as possible. Owen dies in the explosion, and Major
speaks eloquently. His congregation loves him because he Rawls kills Dick, but everyone else is safe.
shares their doubt and reassures them that skepticism is John
John’s’s Gr
Grandmother
andmother / Harriet Wheelwright – John’s
normal and can be conquered by faith. He tries to help Owen grandmother. Harriet was widowed from a young age, but she
Meany when Owen is troubled by his visions of the future and took great satisfaction in managing her family and her house
his parents’ claim that he is the product of a virgin birth, but herself. She was descended from John Adams, and her family
Merrill does not believe that Owen was truly an instrument of first came to America on the Mayflower. She married a
God. He memorably leads Gravesend Academy in a prayer for Wheelwright, which was a very important family in Gravesend.
Owen Meany after Owen’s unjust persecution by the She was a traditional puritanical New Englander and a highborn
headmaster, Randolph White. However, Owen believes Merrill elitist who greatly minded her reputation, but she loved her
to be a hypocrite and a coward after he discovers that Merrill daughters, Tabitha and Martha, and her grandchildren very
had an extramarital affair with Tabitha Wheelwright. Merrill much. She generously took in her longtime maid, Lydia, after
believes he caused Tabitha’s death when, overcome with guilt Lydia lost her leg to cancer, and hired a pair of maids, Ethel and
regarding their affair, he prayed to God that she would drop Germaine, to look after both her and Lydia. She also served as
dead; moments later, Owen accidentally killed her with a foul Owen Meany’s benefactor when he needed help purchasing a
ball, and Tabitha really did drop dead. Merrill thinks God has private school uniform and school supplies. She eventually
turned away from him after such evil thoughts. John finds this became obsessed with television and died while channel
idea preposterous, and is disgusted with his father’s selfish surfing. She maintained her proud spirit until the end,
imagination. Merrill’s faith in God is soundly restored when demanding to be royally catered to.
John plants his mother’s armless mannequin outside the Hester Eastman – John Wheelwright’s female cousin, who is
church window to make him believe that Tabitha has descended younger than her two brothers, Noah and Simon Eastman, but
from heaven to give him a message. one year older than John. Being younger and smaller than her
John
John’s’s Stepfather / Dan Needham – John’s stepfather and brothers, she can never beat them in their endless athletic
Tabitha’s husband. Dan met Tabitha on the train from Boston to competitions. They make fun of her for being a girl and
Gravesend when he was on his way to interview at Gravesend generally make her feel inferior. Hester’s parents, Alfred and
Academy for a teaching position. He teaches history and Martha Eastman, also treat her as inferior to her brothers
theater to high schoolers and directs the local amateur theatre when they won’t let her attend a private high school or a
troupe, the Gravesend Players. His family background is as university like the boys do. She takes her revenge on her family
upper-crust as the Wheelwrights’, only more high-powered; for their sexist attitudes by flouting every rule of female
however, he cut ties with his family because they disapprove of modesty and chastity they expect of her, and sleeping freely
him for squandering his Harvard education on a teaching with whomever she pleases—including most of her brothers’
career and marrying a woman with an illegitimate child. Above friends. She later becomes involved with Owen Meany for the
all, he is a kind and compassionate man. He understands last several years of his life. After he willingly martyrs himself
children and adolescents and shows his students more and dies, she refuses to attend his funeral in protest of his
empathy than the rest of the faculty at Gravesend. He is a choice, but grieves him for the rest of her life, believing that
wonderful father to John, and he tries his best to help Owen Owen was truly her soulmate. In his memory, she becomes a
Meany, whom he cares for deeply as well. After Tabitha’s famous anti-war rock star, and never seriously dates again.
premature death, he never remarries. He inspires John to Mr
Mr.. Mean
Meanyy – Owen’s father and Mrs. Meany’s husband. Mr.
become a teacher. Meany is from a working-class, Boston Irish family, and owns a

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granite quarry. He resents the private Gravesend Academy and their greater age and strength over their younger sister,
is reluctant to send his son there. He firmly believes that his Hester. Noah struggles with the demanding academics of
wife conceived Owen when she was a virgin, and when the Gravesend Academy and had to repeat his freshman year. He
Catholic churches in Massachusetts rejected them, they moved later goes into the Peace Corps to avoid going to Vietnam.
to New Hampshire and stopped going to church altogether. He Simon Eastman – Noah Eastman’s younger brother, Simon is
eventually loses his son, his wife, and his quarry, and becomes a two years older than John. He is wilder than Noah in childhood,
part-time meter reader for the electric company. and relishes crashing down mountains and provoking Noah into
Mrs. Mean
Meanyy – Owen’s mother and Mr. Meany’s wife. She never beating him up. He has injured his knees so many time in skiing
leaves the house or opens the windows, because she is accidents that he is judged physically unable to serve in
supposedly allergic to dust. She rarely speaks, and she is likely Vietnam.
mentally impaired. She wholeheartedly believes that she Martha Eastman – John Wheelwright’s aunt, Alfred Eastman’s
became pregnant with Owen while she was still a virgin, like wife, and the mother of Noah, Simon, and Hester. Martha has
Mary, and was painfully ostracized when she looked to always been slightly envious of her younger sister, Tabitha
members of the Catholic Church for support. After Owen hits Wheelwright, who perpetually outshines Martha with her
the baseball that kills Tabitha Wheelwright in a freak accident, naturally lovely voice and beautiful figure. Martha claims that
Mrs. Meany becomes convinced that her son is the child of Tabitha is “a little simple” because she never went to college and
God. After Owen is killed by a grenade, she often sits by the became pregnant with a stranger she met on the train (Rev.
fireplace and wears his American flag as a shawl, until it Lewis Merrill). Yet she loved Tabitha a great deal, and is always
accidentally catches fire one night and burns her. She dies in warm to John. John calls her “a model of womanhood,” as
the hospital. sweet-tempered and happily domestic as could possibly be.
Randolph “Randy” White – Randy White succeeds Archibald However, being so content with her conventional path, Martha
Thorndike as the headmaster of Gravesend Academy. He was fails to understand how other women like her sister or her
previously the headmaster of a small private school in Lake daughter could prefer a less traditional life.
Forest, Illinois, a wealthy community that has historically Alfred Eastman – John Wheelwright’s uncle, Martha Eastman’s
excluded people of color or Jews from moving in. Before husband, and the father of Noah, Simon, and Hester. Alfred
working in education, he was a businessman in the Chicago owns an extremely successful lumber company—“a lumber
meat industry. An authoritarian headmaster and a Republican, baron,” John calls him—and he embodies the height of
White frequently butts heads with Owen Meany. He is more masculine potency: both staggeringly rich and strappingly fit.
concerned with fundraising and financial liability than the He believes in giving his sons the best education possible, but
wellbeing of his students. When Owen pranks the school by doesn’t care much about the education of his only daughter, to
moving Dr. Dolder’s car onto the stage of the auditorium, her great anger and hurt.
White refuses to ask for professional help to remove the car
Mr
Mr.. Chick
Chickering
ering – The kind manager and coach of John
and becomes trapped while trying to get it out. He ignores the
Wheelwright and Owen Meany’s Little League baseball team.
students’ rights by going through their wallets when Larry Lish
Right before Tabitha’s death, he tells Owen to bat for John in
is caught with one of Owen’s fake draft cards, and tries to get
the lineup, and later tells Owen to go ahead and swing at the
Owen’s college acceptances rescinded. He is dismissed from
ball instead of taking a walk. When Owen hits a foul ball that
the school after Owen’s class graduates.
strikes and kills John’s mother, Chickering both protects the
Dr
Dr.. Dolder – The school psychiatrist at Gravesend Academy, modesty of Tabitha’s body (rearranging her body so that her
Dr. Dolder is an elderly Swiss man. He attributes John’s legs aren’t splayed apart) and prevents John from seeing the
difficulties in school to his childhood trauma rather than his traumatic sight of his dead mother by throwing his jacket over
learning disabilities. After hearing about Owen’s insulting John’s face. Chickering dies of Alzheimer’s in later years, but
proposition to Mitzy Lish and his earlier role in the accidental never forgot that day.
death of Tabitha, Dr. Dolder concludes that Owen is obsessed
Lydia – The Wheelwrights’ former cook and housekeeper. After
with older women. Whenever he has too much to drink, he
Lydia has her leg amputated due to cancer, Harriet hires two
leaves his car blocking Owen’s parking spot at school,
other maids, Ethel and Germaine, to care for her and Lydia. The
prompting Owen to pull a grand prank one morning, having the
family takes care of Lydia for the rest of her life, treating her as
strong basketball players lift the car and deposit it on the stage
one of their own, and she always imitates the dignified Harriet
of the auditorium.
Wheelwright. She develops dementia and dies at home on
Noah Eastman – The eldest of John Wheelwright’s Christmas Eve while Owen Meany is performing in The
rambunctious cousins, Noah is three years older than John. He Christmas Carol.
and his brother, Simon, are essentially good-natured, but they
are extremely rowdy and competitive as children, and they lord Re
Revv. Dudle
Dudleyy Wiggin – An ex-pilot who became an Episcopalian

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clergyman, Dudley Wiggin is the rector of Christ Church. He and tries to help other boys evade the draft. She also teaches
flew a bomber plane in World War II and later believes that John Wheelwright that criticizing a specific American president
God supports America in the Vietnam War. John Wheelwright or policy is not anti-American or pro-Communist. She is
finds him rather crass compared to Rev. Lewis Merrill, and Dan unjustly fired for her political views and eventually moves away.
Needham calls him “Captain Wiggin” for his brash pilot’s Mr
Mr.. Morrison – The town mailman. Mr. Morrison is a tall and
manner. Owen Meany is able to manipulate Wiggin into going extremely gloomy man whom Dan Needham casts as the
along with all of his ideas for the church’s Christmas pageant. ominous Ghost of Christmas Future in A Christmas Car Carol
ol.
Barb Wiggin – A red-headed former stewardess, Barb is brash However, Mr. Morrison vainly resigns from the part when he
like her husband, Rev. Dudley Wiggin. She enjoys picking up realizes that he has no lines, and is swiftly replaced by Owen
Owen Meany, who hates her. He antagonizes her by seizing Meany. He faints when Owen has a fit on stage.
control of her Christmas pageant, and she gets her revenge by Mr
Mr.. Early – Maureen Early’s father. An English teacher at
manhandling him and giving him an erection right before the Gravesend Academy who is also the school newspaper advisor
curtain goes up. As a former stewardess, Barb likes to run a under Headmaster Archibald Thorndike. He tries to defend
tight ship, and Owen’s meddling infuriates her. Owen Meany’s bold editorials in the paper, but is mostly
Harold Crosb
Crosbyy – A Sunday school classmate of John useless. He is also involved in the town theater, although he is a
Wheelwright and Owen Meany’s, Harold Crosby is a quiet, poor actor who tends to act as if every role he plays is deeply
overweight boy who is unwillingly cast as the airborne tragic. He plays Marley’s Ghost in A Christmas Car
Carol
ol.
Announcing Angel in the Christmas Pageant, despite being Canon Mackie – The rector at Grace Church-on-the-Hill who
afraid of heights. He forgets his lines and throws up all over succeeds Canon Campbell. John Wheelwright finds him warm
himself after Barb Wiggin leaves him hanging suspended in the and kind, but less sympathetic than Canon Campbell and less
air after the show. He later escapes the military draft by willing to debate the finer points of religion. He constantly
acquiring a deferment for psychological reasons. pushes John to renounce his obsession with American politics
Mary Beth Baird – A Sunday school classmate of John and assimilate into Canadian society. He believes John lives in
Wheelwright and Owen Meany, Mary Beth Baird is a shy, the past, and speaks frankly to John about his fatalism.
clumsy, and plain girl unexpectedly chosen by Owen to play Amanda and Arthur Dowling – A young married couple who
Mary in the Christmas pageant. She subsequently falls in love believe in challenging gender norms. The Dowlings always
with Owen and tries to smother him with unrequited, request to be cast in the roles of the opposite sex in
inappropriate affection during the performance. Later she Gravesend’s theatrical productions. They also protest against
becomes pregnant and drops out of high school, marrying a boy girls’ exclusion from Little League baseball and against the
from a dairy farming family. types of sexist stereotypes in classic literature taught to
Buzzy Thurston – A boy on John Wheelwright and Owen children.
Meany’s Little League baseball team. He hits just before Owen Archibald Thorndik
Thorndike e – The headmaster of Gravesend
in the lineup. In the game where Owen hits the foul ball that Academy during John Wheelwright and Owen Meany’s first
kills Tabitha Wheelwright, Buzzy reaches base on an error, two years of high school. “Thorny” is a classic “old-school”
allowing Owen to come to bat. After he graduates college and headmaster beloved by the student body. He believes in
becomes eligible for the draft, he tries to convince the draft educating “the whole boy,” and values both sports and intellect
board that he is psychologically unfit to serve by consuming a highly. He respects and defends Owen, who nonetheless
spectacular amount of mind-altering drugs in the two weeks believes the headmaster to be a fool.
leading up to his physical. He succeeds in appearing
psychologically unfit, but becomes addicted to drugs in the Larry Lish – A classmate of Owen and John’s, Larry is the rich,
process. He fatally crashes his car while under the influence. spoiled son of Herb Lish, a movie producer, and Mitzy Lish, a
socialite. Larry is said to be “a charming sociopath” and a
Harry Ho
Hoyt
yt – Another boy on John Wheelwright and Owen womanizer who seduces girls into sleeping with him, then
Meany’s Little League baseball team. He is two spots above forces them to get abortions in Sweden if they become
Owen in the lineup, and he walks to allow Owen to come to bat pregnant. He is a witty editor of the school newspaper, and he
in the game where Owen hits the ball that kills Tabitha offends Owen by repeating a rumor heard from his mother that
Wheelwright. He later enlists in the Navy and dies of a snake Marilyn Monroe is sleeping with President Kennedy, who is
bite he receives while peeing outside of a brothel in Vietnam. Owen’s idol. Larry gets Owen expelled from school by tattling
He comes to represent the unfortunate American soldiers who on Owen for making him a fake ID to buy alcohol. Ironically, he
died needlessly in the war. eventually becomes a well-known journalist who writes with a
Mrs. Ho
Hoytyt – Harry Hoyt’s mother. A widow who later loses her self-righteous and moralizing tone.
son to the Vietnam War, Mrs. Hoyt protests against the war Mitzy Lish – The mother of Larry Lish and ex-wife of Herb Lish,

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Mitzy Lish spoils her son with parties and girls, then cleans up Ginger.
after his messes. She is vain about her good looks, and is Gr
Graham
aham McSwine
McSwineyy – Tabitha Wheelwright’s voice teacher. He
accustomed to the life of a rich socialite. A relentless gossip, diagnoses Owen Meany with a permanently fixed larynx and
Mitzy tells Owen Meany that President Kennedy and Marilyn tells Owen and John Wheelwright about Tabitha’s secret
Monroe are having an affair, and laughs at Owen’s earnest singing gig as “The Lady in Red” at a supper club in Boston.
defense of the president. When Owen is rude to her in return,
Buster FFreebody
reebody – A queer black man who accompanied
she tries to have him expelled, claiming that he was being anti-
Tabitha Wheelwright on piano during her performances as “The
Semitic because she’s Jewish.
Lady in Red” at a supper club in Boston. Owen and John try to
Father Findle
Findleyy – Father Findley is the head of St. Michael’s, the find him and ask him about Tabitha, but eventually John learns
Catholic church from which Owen Meany removed and that Buster has since passed away.
vandalized the statue of Mary Magdalene. Father Dingley
Teddybear Kilgour – The elderly principal of Bishop Strachan
kindly forgives Owen for mutilating the statue and tries to help
who trusts young John Wheelwright to teach at an all-girls
his case with college admissions, since Randolph White is trying
school. He meets John through Canon Campbell.
to have all of Owen’s offers rescinded.
Mrs. WWalk
alker
er – The Sunday school teacher for John and Owen’s
Canon Campbell – The rector at Grace Church-on-the-Hill.
class. Mrs. Walker frequently left the class unsupervised, likely
Canon Campbell is interested in helping Americans who have
to take smoke breaks. John and Owen admired her legs when
fled to Canada. He introduces John Wheelwright to Teddybear
she displayed them in town theatrical productions.
Kilgour, who gives him a job at Bishop Strachan. Before his
death, Campbell welcomes John into the Anglican church and Germaine – One of the maids who replaces Lydia, Germaine is
helps him adapt to his newfound faith and his new life in shy and superstitious. She believes Owen Meany is unnatural
Canada. and prone to devilish mischief. She resigns after Lydia dies.
Major Ra
Rawls
wls – A ROTC professor in Arizona who serves as the Ethel – One of the maids who replaces Lydia, Ethel is strong
Army’s liaison to the family of Frank Jarvits, a fallen soldier. and capable but lacks intelligence and confidence.
Even after fighting in Korea and Vietnam, he was never Mr
Mr.. Fish – Harriet Wheelwright’s neighbor. He owns a black
promoted to lieutenant colonel. Major Rawls kills Dick Jarvits Labrador named Sagamore who is struck and killed by a diaper
after Dick kills Owen Meany with a grenade at the airport. truck. He plays Scrooge in A Christmas Car
Carol
ol, and is terrified of
Owen Meany as the Ghost of Christmas Future.
MINOR CHARACTERS
Chief Ben Pik
Pike
e – The town police chief who has always wanted
to find the missing baseball that killed Tabitha Wheelwright.
THEMES
John Wheelwright later dates his daughter, Lorna. In LitCharts literature guides, each theme gets its own color-
Maureen Early – Mr. Early’s daughter. A girl in John coded icon. These icons make it easy to track where the themes
Wheelwright and Owen Meany’s year, Maureen wets her pants occur most prominently throughout the work. If you don't have
watching Owen perform as the terrifying Ghost of Christmas a color printer, you can still use the icons to track themes in
future in A Christmas Car
Carol
ol. She is best friends with Caroline black and white.
O’Day.
Caroline OO’Da
’Dayy – A girl in John Wheelwright and Owen FATE AND PREDESTINATION
Meany’s year who attends St. Michael’s Catholic school. She In A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving explores
casually dates John but mostly rejects his advances. She is best the concept of fate and predestination in the lives
friends with Maureen Early. of his characters. The book’s narrator, John
Re
Revv. Katherine K
Keeling
eeling – The headmistress of Bishop Strachan. Wheelwright, describes the unusual history of his friend Owen
Wise and kind Rev. Katherine Keeling is a close friend of John Meany, who has a very detailed vision of his own death at a
Wheelwright. She often invites John to join her large family in young age. Later, Owen dies exactly as he once foresaw. This
their cozy vacation home on a tiny, secluded island in the incredible story raises the question of whether or not Owen’s
Canadian wilderness, where he can get away from the world. death was truly “fated,” or if he had any free will about the
matter. If he truly lacked control over his destiny, does that
Mr
Mr.. and Mrs. Ginger Brink
Brinker-Smith
er-Smith – A young British couple
mean that all of humanity is also powerless to choose the
who live in the dormitories at Gravesend Academy. The
course of their own lives? Irving does not explicitly answer this
unnamed husband, a biology teacher, once invited his attractive
question in the novel, instead leaving readers to contemplate
wife, Ginger, to demonstrate breastfeeding their newborn
the issue for themselves—a push towards individual judgment
twins in class. John and Owen frequently fantasize about
that is suggestive in itself. However, the novel implies that while

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Owen may have known his destiny, he had to actively choose to than deploying him overseas, Owen begins to have doubts
fulfill it, and so retained his free will in his life. about when or where he is supposed to die—or if he’s even
Both the extremely specific and unusual nature of Owen’s supposed to die, after all. However, when he is assigned to a
death and his accurate prediction of it suggest that he was body escort mission in Arizona the week of his death, he
always linked to a particular destiny, thereby emphasizing the realizes that Arizona could be the warm place of his dream, and
power of fate. However, this situation also points to the power he could still have the opportunity to save people. Focusing on
of free will—glimpsing such a specific vision of his own possible the innocent lives he has the potential to save buoys Owen and
death presents Owen with the opportunity, if he so chooses, to strengthens his resolve to use free will to bring about his fate.
avoid ever putting himself in such a situation. Owen’s idea of his In order to move everything into place, Owen invites John to
own death comes from a recurring dream where he sacrifices spontaneously come to Arizona with him, knowing John is
himself to save a group of Vietnamese children and nuns from instrumental to the slam-dunk from his vision. John would not
an explosion somewhere in a warm place with palm trees. At have been on the scene if Owen had not brought him there;
the end of the book, he dies in exactly that way: at an airport in Owen had to make the difficult choice of exposing his friend to
Arizona, he runs into a group of Vietnamese orphans being trauma and violence (that is, exercise free will) in order to save
escorted to new homes in America by nuns, and he dies from many other lives and allow his fate to play out.
the injuries he receives when he shields them from a grenade. Even if Owen could not have predicted from the start that he
Owen even knew the exact date of his death and the exact way would die at the hands of a deranged teenager named Dick in
in which he would manage to save the orphans: by pulling off a an airport restroom in Arizona, he was always willing to
perfect “slam dunk” shot with John to thrust the grenade out of become a martyr, and repeatedly chose the path he believed
harm’s way. would take him there. In other words, Owen was always an
While this fulfilled prophesy points to the power of fate, active participant in his fate, not a passive victim. Throughout
Owen’s foresight regarding his own death also emphasizes the the novel, Irving emphasizes Owen’s firm will and conscious
equal power of free will: if Owen had wanted to reject his fate, decisions to try and carry out his “destiny.” He could have
he simply could have planned to spend the day of his supposed stepped back or turned away, but he chose not to. A significant
death at home in New Hampshire, where he was unlikely to quote in the book from the theologian Søren Kierkegaard
come across Vietnamese orphans, nuns, or grenades. As a child, reinforces Irving’s idea that following one’s faith into a
Owen never once left the town where he was born—it would designated fate is a formidable act of will and selflessness
have been perfectly natural for him to never travel to a new rather than a passively divine outcome: “What no person has a
climate, or at least not until the day of his premature “death” right to is to delude others into the belief that faith is
passed. Yet instead of thinking about how to preserve his own something of no great significance, or that it is an easy matter,
safety, or passively following the course of the provincial life he whereas it is the greatest and most difficult of all things.”
was born into, Owen actively pursues his fateful vision—that is, Owen’s precise foreknowledge of his fate made the
he uses free will to prepare for and bring about his circumstances of his choice more extraordinary, but the basic
fate—determined to save the innocent lives he saw in danger. principle of his experience—coupled with his Christian
For years, he tirelessly rehearses the slam-dunk shot with John. faith—suggests that even those believers who have not seen
He voluntarily enlists in the Reserve Officer Training Corps to God’s exact plan for them can actively work to bring about their
become a soldier and fight overseas in Vietnam. He even destiny.
studies Vietnamese to be able to communicate with the
children he saw his dream. Rather than use free will to escape CHRISTIANITY AND FAITH
his fate, or have no choice in the matter whatsoever, Owen In the opening sentence of John Irving’s A Prayer for
does everything he can think of to position himself for his fated Owen Meany, the narrator, John Wheelwright,
martyrdom. announces that his childhood friend “is the reason I
As the day of his imminent death draws closer, Owen continues believe in God; I am a Christian because of Owen Meany.”
to carry out the final preparations for his sacrifice, even when Neither John nor Owen are strictly religious in the sense of
the hardest choice he has to make is about putting his best belonging to one specific church or practicing careful rituals,
friend at risk. In his recurring dream, Owen always saw John but they profess to believe in the existence of God. However,
with him at the moment of his death, which frightened Owen many of their attitudes and actions throughout the book seem
because he was more concerned for his friend’s life than his sacrilegious—the boys’ Sunday School is useless, the annual
own. At first, he seeks to prevent John from being drafted into Christmas pageant is a farce, and the reverend fathered an
the war so that John can’t join him in Vietnam, where Owen illegitimate child, who happens to be John. Furthermore, once
logically expects to die. Yet as time goes by and the military the war rolls around, God seems absent from a world filled with
continues to employ Owen in roles on American soil rather so much senseless violence and suffering, and John wrestles

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with how to overcome his doubt amidst so much pain and evil. because he personally witnesses this contemporary miracle.
In light of these contradictions, the novel seems to suggest that This would seem to contradict the boys’ emphasis on the
a fully informed and thoughtful inner faith, not blind adherence superiority of the unseen miracle to the seen one, and perhaps
to dogma, is the most meaningful way to approach religion and Irving seeks to lightly undermine or challenge some of their
belief. most rigid statements about belief. Of course, John claims that
One of the book’s most consistent messages about true faith is there is a difference between faith based in the “real miracle” of
how difficult it is for most people, positioning genuine faith as Owen Meany, and faith based in the type of staged miracle that
rare and valuable. In the opening pages of the novel, John John himself orchestrated in order to restore Reverend Lewis
disdains the Sunday school teacher who frequently leaves the Merrill’s lost faith—planting an armless mannequin in the
classroom to go on smoke breaks: “Mrs. Walker would read us exact likeness of John’s deceased mother underneath the
an instructive passage from the Bible. She would then ask us to reverend’s window in order to make him believe that she had
think seriously about what we had heard—‘Silently and visited him from the beyond. However, John acknowledges that
seriously, that's how I want you to think!’ she would say. ‘I'm Owen himself would probably treat any revival of faith as
going to leave you alone with your thoughts, now […] I want you miraculous—after all, “GOD WORKS IN STRANGE WAYS!”
to think very hard.’” However, the woman’s encouragement to Ironically, the faith inspired in Rev. Merrill by John’s illusion is
respond to the Bible with profound individual reflection is a more secure than the faith inspired in John by Owen’s “real
method John would himself adopt in later years. The novel miracle.” John both longs for and mistrusts the “absolute and
suggests that “think[ing] very hard” about philosophy and unshakable faith” in God that Rev. Merrill develops. John
morals matters more than blind belief. As an adult, John despairs, “My belief in God disturbs and unsettles me much
observes, “According to The New York Times, a new poll has more than not believing ever did […] belief poses so many
revealed that most Americans believe that President Reagan is unanswerable questions! […] If God had a hand in what Owen
lying; what they should be asked is, Do they care?” Believing that ‘knew,’ what a horrible question that poses! For how could God
something wrong is being done without caring enough to do have let that happen to Owen Meany?” However, John
anything about it is like believing in Christianity and its nonetheless believes that a faith that engages with these
principles without actually thinking about how to live by them. unanswerable questions, rather than ignoring them or
According to Owen, true Christian faith requires a genuine disregarding them, is better to practice—in other words,
belief in things unseen. One of the distinctions the book makes unanswered questions surrounding faith and religion are far
between shallow faith and profound faith is made clear in the better than unquestioned answers.
difference between Christmas and Easter. The miracle of birth, John aspires to a faith that is clear-eyed and judicious, a faith
if not Christ’s birth, is witnessed every day on Earth; the resulting from thoughtful contemplation, and a faith that one
miracle of resurrection, never. Therefore, most people find it lives by, not merely pays shallow homage to. He exclaims at one
easier to believe in Christmas than in Easter. Owen declares point in the novel, “Watch out for people who call themselves
that real Christians must be able to believe in a miracle the likes religious; make sure you know what they mean—make sure
of which they’ve never seen: “IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE IN they know what they mean!” To John, not being able to fully
EASTER […] DON’T CALL YOURSELF A CHRISTIAN.” Similarly, explain or justify what one means when calling oneself a
Owen and John look down on performative religion as it is believer is a sign of empty religion, devoid of introspection and
staged in the absurd Christmas pageant and the popular genuine faith. However, the fact that it took witnessing the
biblical epics of the time, believing that the earthly portrayal of miraculous martyrdom of his best friend to instill John’s faith
holy events is ridiculous and “SACRILEGIOUS.” Owen objects, reminds readers that he, too, is flawed, and his ideal faith in the
“‘YOU CAN'T TAKE A MIRACLE AND JUST SHOW IT! […] unseen is not so very easy to attain.
YOU CAN’T PROVE A MIRACLE—YOU JUST HAVE TO
BELIEVE IT! IF THE RED SEA ACTUALLY PARTED, IT DIDN’T GENDER AND SEXUALITY
LOOK LIKE THAT […] IT DIDN’T LOOK LIKE
John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany is a novel that
ANYTHING—IT’S NOT A PICTURE ANYONE CAN EVEN
mixes progressive statements about women’s
IMAGINE!’” In his view, pure Christian faith resists the crutch
intelligence and fortitude with a relentless
of earthly representation.
objectification and critique of women’s bodies. Through its
On the other hand, A Prayer for Owen Meany is ultimately frequent references to literary works such as The Scarlet Letter
created around the “proven” miracle of Owen’s dramatic that grapple with gender (and the fact that A Prayer for Owen
martyrdom. After seeing a detailed vision of his death at a Meany is itself a literary work), the book highlights the role
young age, Owen spends most of his life preparing to sacrifice literature plays in shaping and perpetuating gender
himself to save a group of innocent children, and his heroic stereotypes. While the novel’s main characters, John
death unfolds exactly as he foresaw. John believes in God Wheelwright and Owen Meany, admire a small handful of

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sharp and complex women, the book’s broader treatment of its like for Hester to believe “that kissing Hester was punishment,
female characters is negative and steeped in stereotype. the penalty part of the game; to have to kiss Hester meant you
John’s mother, Tabitha, is on the one hand a liberated woman had lost.” Even her prepubescent sexuality was a perpetual
who refuses to be shamed for the supposed transgression of offense in her brothers’ eyes, and she was powerless to stop
conceiving a child out of wedlock. However, her link to the them from forcing her and John to kiss over and over. As soon
adulterous protagonist of The Scarlet Letter reveals Irving’s as Hester grows into her own sexuality, she embraces it in
reliance on stereotype. Tabitha initially seems like an defiance of her family’s paternalistic and sexist principles of
empowered character, because she never feels compelled to feminine chastity. John explains, “To drive them to madness was
apologize or atone for her affair and her pregnancy. John the penalty she exacted for all of them treating her ‘like a girl.’”
discovers near the end of the book that his biological father is However, attributing all of Hester’s radical actions to a reaction
Reverend Lewis Merrill, his mother’s pastor. Their affair against her family’s view of her undermines her own autonomy
pointedly recalls the affair between protagonist Hester Prynne and principles, and reduces her yet again to her gender.
and the minister Arthur Dimmesdale in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Furthermore, throughout the novel Owen and John never
The Scarlet Letter
Letter, also set in a small, conservative New England cease to comment on women’s bodies, rudely reducing women
town. Hester Prynne is the more revolutionary of the pair in to mere objects. As young boys, Owen and John assess the
The Scarlet Letter
Letter, arguing that their love for one another breasts of the mothers they know; as schoolboys, they asses
doesn’t warrant absolute condemnation from their community. their classmates’ breasts. They dissect Hester’s sex appeal, ogle
Tabitha feels similarly, and refuses to be branded by the town, Mrs. Walker’s legs, and discuss how pregnancy affects women’s
despite the number of unenlightened attitudes toward her that desirability. They feel somewhat ashamed for their lust, but not
seem to have been preserved from Hester Prynne’s for their disrespect of women. The novel itself includes hardly a
seventeenth-century ordeal. Tabitha’s enduring dignity and dignified female character. Hester is a wild, drunken wreck,
willful defiance of her town’s oppressive norms presents what unable to get over Owen Meany. The boys’ classmates, like
initially appears to be a positive representation of women. Mary Beth Baird, are brainless objects of ridicule. The older
However, Tabitha proves to be the exception, not the rule, for women they meet, like Barb Wiggins and Mitzy Lish, are
female dignity in A Prayer for Owen Meany—and even then, her “whorish flirt[s]” who torment Owen and John sexually, while
adultery and relationship to men (the extramarital lover of Rev. the Wheelwrights’ maids are all slow and stupid.
Merrill and the mother to illegitimate child John Wheelwright) As a much older man, John has many highly respectful things to
defines her character. say about his friend and boss the Rev. Katherine Keeling—“she
Hester Eastman’s character in A Prayer for Owen Meany appears is wise and kind and witty and articulate”—yet he cannot stop
to overcome the legacy of Hawthorne’s oppressed Hester thinking about how she should govern her body. He remarks, “I
Prynne, who bears the same first name. Hester Eastman is a think Katherine is terrific; but she is too thin,” and later adds,
brash, strong-willed woman who believes in embracing and “My only qualm with her is when she's pregnant. The Rev.
wielding her sexuality, and eventually she becomes a world- Katherine Keeling is often pregnant, and I don’t think she
famous rock star. However, Hester’s powerful rebellion against should serve the wine when she's so pregnant.” Of course, if
gender norms is generally dismissed as “an overdose of sexual Rev. Keeling is so often pregnant, chances are she knows by
aggression and family animosity.” John recognizes how Hester’s now what she’s capable of doing during her pregnancy and
life was shaped by the rampant sexism she encountered in her doesn’t need John’s input. Ultimately, the bulk of the female
family, but he discredits her principled protest as shallow characters in the novel are pigeonholed into female
personal revolt. Hester’s family has always turned her gender stereotypes, and the rare positive female character is still
against her, denying her the same opportunities, liberties, and subjected to derogatory or heavily patriarchal remarks.
basic respect that her brothers took for granted. Her parents The novel’s many explicit parallels to The Scarlet Letter
Letter, as well
send her brothers away to broaden their horizons at boarding as the numerous references to other works of literature in the
schools and colleges far from home, while she graduates from text, reveal Irving’s consciousness of literary tradition. He is
the local public high school and has to enroll at the local college. clearly aware of the powerful influence ideas in
The family’s double standard for Hester and her brothers, literature—especially surrounding the concept of gender—can
spurning and stifling her individual potential, reflects the have upon audiences. In A Prayer for Owen Meany, Irving seems
sexism that has defined New England society since the time of to be making an effort to critique harmful sexism and portray
The Scarlet Letter
Letter, when women were understood to be weaker empowered women, but his respect for female dignity leaves a
in faith and mind than men. Hester’s brothers, Noah and Simon, great deal to be desired. With a tolerant “boys will be boys”
constantly degrade her and treat her gender as something attitude, the novel indulges the casual misogyny and sexism
shameful. John largely goes along with his male cousins’ that its male characters regularly engage in.
attitudes, only later in life reflecting on what it must have felt

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POWERLESSNESS TAKEN YOUR MOTHER. MY HANDS WERE THE
INSTRUMENT. GOD HAS TAKEN MY HANDS. I AM GOD’S
A central theme of John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen
INSTRUMENT.” Owen was powerless at the moment that he
Meany is powerlessness—be it powerlessness in the
innocently swung at the pitch that would kill Tabitha
face of fate, freak accidents, overpowering forces,
Wheelwright. He takes from this experience the lesson that all
or God’s will. The book follows two best friends, John
people are powerless in the face of God’s will; it is how people
Wheelwright and the titular Owen Meany, as they grapple with
receive this fact that matters. Owen decides that he will
their own powerless throughout their lives. While
commit to God’s path and sacrifice his own arms, and his life,
powerlessness is typically thought of as synonymous with
for God’s will.
weakness, A Prayer for Owen Meany reveals how powerlessness
can sometimes best position people to make great sacrifices. By the end of the novel, Owen has faithfully delivered himself
into God’s hands and sacrificed his life to save a group of
Two images of powerlessness introduced early in the text
innocent orphans and nuns. When the moment God has
change over the course of the book to become images of
prepared him for arrives, Owen is the only one in the room who
strength and salvation. The first is the singular image of the
is not powerless to act. Helpless no more, Owen uses his rare
exceptionally tiny Owen Meany being unwillingly hoisted into
weightlessness to propel himself and a deadly grenade out of
the air by his classmates during Sunday school. He was so little
harm’s way, and severs his arms shielding the others from the
and light that his classmates could lift him above their heads
blast. John describes how Owen was content to finally become
and pass him around the room, despite his vocal objections:
the figure whose arms no longer belonged to him: “he tried to
“‘PUT ME DOWN!’ he would say in a strangled, emphatic
reach out to me with his arms […] he realized that his arms were
falsetto. ‘CUT IT OUT! I DON’T WANT TO DO THIS
gone. He didn’t seem surprised by the discovery. ‘REMEMBER
ANYMORE. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. PUT ME DOWN! YOU
WATAHANTOWET?’” By putting all his faith in God’s power
ASSHOLES!’” Owen’s classmates always ignored him, and
rather than his own, Owen was able to accomplish an
would continue to play their game whenever their teacher left
extraordinary feat and fulfill a great purpose. At the end of the
the room. John Wheelwright, the book’s narrator and Owen’s
book, John returns to the memory of holding Owen helplessly
best friend, remembers how Owen “grew more fatalistic about
aloft when they were children, and considers the divine forces
it, each time. His body was rigid; he wouldn’t struggle. Once we
that must have made him so miraculously light: “they were the
had him in the air, he folded his arms defiantly on his chest; he
forces we didn’t have the faith to feel, they were the forces we
scowled at the ceiling.” Owen accepted that he was powerless
failed to believe in—and they were also lifting up Owen Meany,
to escape his predicament; he even denied himself the
taking him out of our hands.” Even at that age, Owen’s
opportunity to stop his classmates from harassing him again,
supposed powerlessness foreshadowed his mighty surrender
refusing to tell on them to the teacher. John claims, “As vividly
to God.
as any number of the stories in the Bible, Owen Meany showed
us what a martyr was,” foreshadowing Owen’s later—and much John concludes his remembrance with a humble appeal to God:
greater—act of martyrdom. “O God—please give him back! I shall keep asking You.” Like
Owen’s armlessness, John is also damaged by the forces of
The second vivid image of powerlessness that becomes
bloodlust, greed, and hubris that produce so much warfare and
sacrifice is the armless totem of Watahantowet, a Native
violence during his lifetime—he loses a finger to the Vietnam
sagamore, or chief. When John’s ancestor, the Rev. John
War, and is traumatized by the endless bloodshed and death he
Wheelwright, purchased the land for the town of Gravesend
witnesses firsthand and watches unfold from afar. He
from Watahantowet in 1638, town legend recalls that
confesses, “What has happened to me has simply neutered me.”
Watahantowet “made his mark upon the deed in the form of his
Unlike Owen, John is paralyzed by his powerlessness to change
totem—an armless man.” The townspeople later wondered why
the violent course of the world. His anger and frustration do
he had chosen that form for his totem, whether “it was how it
not have a clear outlet, but his final acceptance of humility
made the sagamore feel to give up all that land” or perhaps “to
before God’s will represents a hopeful chance to move closer to
indicate the sagamore’s frustration at being unable to write.”
a sense of purpose in God just like Owen did.
Owen Meany made the helpless, armless figure his own totem
when he formally apologized to John for hitting the foul ball
that struck and killed John’s mother. He removed the claws
from his and John’s favorite toy, a stuffed armadillo, to create a
SYMBOLS
resemblance to the Watahantowet’s tragic symbol. On a Symbols appear in teal text throughout the Summary and
primary level, the dismemberment of the armadillo showed Analysis sections of this LitChart.
how horrified and helpless Owen felt after the fatal accident.
On a secondary level that John would only later uncover,
Owen’s declawed armadillo had another message: “GOD HAS

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like when he carves the arms off of the Mary Magdalene statue
THE BASEBALL
and leaves it on the school stage following his unjust expulsion.
When Owen hits the baseball that kills Tabitha, the
fatal ball represents a loss of innocence and the
different ways people grapple with that loss, especially in the THE VOICE
context of religious faith. Owen and John are no longer Owen’s exceptional voice, made unforgettable by
children, and life is no longer a game. To the novel’s characters, the ALL-CAPS formatting of his speech, symbolizes
the deadly ball is proof of either life’s senseless chaos or God’s that he is chosen by God. John Irving’s special treatment of
mysterious will at work. People like Chief Pike search for the Owen’s speech in the book has been compared to the red-
ball because they want to restore order and understand how lettering editions of the Bible, in which the words spoken by
this tragic accident could have happened. Everyone thinks that Jesus are printed in striking red ink, while the rest of the words
Owen kept the ball in light of his role in Tabitha’s death, but are printed in black. Owen’s voice is thus unmistakably divine,
Owen understands that God’s will cannot be known, and he as he himself claims throughout the book. He believes that his
does not take the ball. Instead, Rev. Lewis Merrill takes the ball, voice was made permanently high and childlike by God,
believing that he caused God to kill Tabitha by praying for her to suggesting lasting innocence and moral purity and allowing him
die. Tabitha’s death prompts Merrill to completely lose his faith, to communicate his good intentions to the frightened children
and although he continues to preach, his sermons are laced when he carries out his climactic self-sacrifice. After Owen’s
with doubt. When Merrill later shows John the baseball, John death, when divine forces save John from falling down the
accuses him of childishly believing in a self-centered religion stairs and also reveal his long-sought-after birth father to him,
and imagining signs from God instead of recognizing real it is Owen’s unmistakable voice speaking to him from the
miracles. John throws the ball through the church window beyond that proves to John beyond a doubt that God is at
when he tricks Merrill into thinking that Tabitha is sending him work.
a message from the beyond, and the ruse ends up restoring
As a child, Owen sometimes abstains from using his voice, self-
Merrill’s faith in a God who speaks to him and forgives him his
conscious of how unusually high and childlike it sounds.
sins.
Ironically, as Owen gets older and his peers’ voices all begin to
deepen with puberty, Owen seems to grow into his unchanging,
ARMLESS TOTEMS squeaky voice. Rather than avoid drawing attention to his
peculiar speech, he makes it central to his adolescent identity,
Armlessness is a complex symbol in the book,
becoming The Voice of Gravesend Academy in the school
representing both helplessness and heroic sacrifice
newspaper. The period when his voice did not change with
in light of God’s will. The symbol of the armless totem takes
puberty seems to have confirmed to him the special role God
many forms throughout the book, including Chief
intended for him and his voice to play. If his earlier reluctance
Watahantowet’s armless man, Tabitha’s armless mannequin,
to speak represented his doubts and unease about God’s
John’s declawed armadillo, the vandalized statue of Mary
design, then his later determination to raise his voice
Magdalene, and even Owen Meany himself after a grenade
represents his faith and commitment to God’s path for him.
explosion rips off his arms. The symbol of the armless totem is
always associated with Owen, who repeatedly declares, “GOD
HAS TAKEN MY HANDS. I AM GOD’S INSTRUMENT.” WEIGHTLESSNESS
(Owen’s obsession with symbolism is conspicuous; John
Owen’s weightlessness, which forms the opening
himself says, “As always, with Owen Meany, there was the
and closing motif of the book, symbolizes the way
necessary consideration of the symbols involved.”) Owen
that one’s flaws or deficiencies actually can be used for good.
alternatingly feels helpless and heroic for being chosen by God. Throughout the story, John is fixated on Owen’s extraordinary
Through these different armless totems, the book highlights lightness and his seeming vulnerability to every minor force,
how people can despair at losing their arms or agency to even the meager strength of his young peers. Owen’s weakness
greater forces, or they can embrace the path set before them is deceptive, however. He cannot be budged from any
by God and selflessly give up their arms to fulfill his plans. The ideological stance; his will is like the heavy granite he mines and
symbol takes both male and female—and even animal—form, refines in the family business. Moreover, the conclusion of the
suggesting that all living creatures are subjects of God, book suggests that Owen’s weightlessness was merely a sign of
dependent on him and capable of submitting to his will. While his formidable mission and his election by God. His lightness
morbid, armlessness is also an understandable image for doesn’t stop him from orchestrating enormous feats of
children to identify with, given the lack of control that young strength, from picking up a whole car and carrying it up a flight
people have over their own lives. Owen is at his most fixated of stairs to prying up a solid marble statue and depositing it on
with armlessness when he is still subject to adults’ authority, an auditorium stage. Of course, Owen himself never touched

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the car—the basketball team did all the work—nor did he
dislodge the statue without a great deal of specialized firsthand how it feels to be someone who most needs help
equipment, but he was the primary force behind these efforts. from God—the vulnerable and the powerless, whom he
He transcends his physical limitations by wielding other means would bravely try to champion later in life. In high school, he
of carrying out his objectives. Thus he refuses to let his spoke for the students who were subject to the
disadvantage dictate his life, determined to fulfill his ambition administration’s arbitrary regulations. After high school, he
by force of will. He trusts in God to help him where his own joined the military for the purpose of protecting innocent
means fall short; the novel implies that God intervened when children from violence. His early experiences of being
he was being tested for the Army’s height and weight picked up by his peers helped instill his lifelong mission of
requirements (“Since when do you weigh one hundred helping others in God’s name.
pounds?” John later asks him in disbelief). In the novel’s climax,
Owen’s diminutive size endears him to the frightened
Vietnamese children, who quickly follow his orders to get down Chapter 2 Quotes
on the ground, and allows Owen to rise high out of John’s I think [Hester] was up against a stacked deck from the
hands with the deadly grenade, sacrificing himself to save start, and that everything she would become began for her
everyone else. when Noah and Simon made me kiss her—because they made it
clear that kissing Hester was punishment, the penalty part of
the game; to have to kiss Hester meant you had lost.
QUO
QUOTES
TES
Note: all page numbers for the quotes below refer to the Related Characters: John Wheelwright (speaker), Simon
Harper Collins edition of A Prayer for Owen Meany published Eastman, Noah Eastman, Hester Eastman
in 1989.
Related Themes:
Chapter 1 Quotes
Page Number: 59
Owen was so tiny, we loved to pick him up; in truth, we
couldn’t resist picking him up. We thought it was a miracle: how Explanation and Analysis
little he weighed. John recalls how his cousins Noah and Simon liked to play a
game with him where the loser had to kiss their younger
Related Characters: John Wheelwright (speaker), Mary sister, Hester. Hester grew into a very sexually aggressive
Beth Baird, Owen Meany young woman who slept with all her brothers’ friends. She
later finds great fame as a rock star known as “Hester the
Related Themes: Molester,” the name her brothers christened her when they
found her playing a board game alone with John when they
Related Symbols: were children. John imagines that Hester’s radical path,
“everything she would become,” was provoked by her
Page Number: 4 brothers’ demeaning treatment of her gender, suggesting
that being a woman was a defect and a disgrace. If her
Explanation and Analysis family found her sexuality so disgraceful, she was going to
The image of Owen being lifted into the air during Sunday disgrace them as much as she possibly could by wielding her
school class bookends A Prayer for Owen Meany. It subtly sexuality frequently and prominently. She perhaps also
foreshadows from the very beginning how the “miracle” of internalized her brothers’ idea of her and spent the rest of
Owen’s weightlessness would play a significant part in the her life living up to the identity they imposed on her of a
story to come, making him seem angelic and set apart from sexual deviant. It isn’t clear exactly what John means by
his peers. It also establishes Owen as someone who has claiming that this incident triggered Hester’s evolution into
always had to contend with other people’s claims over his a woman of an exceptionally bold, even transgressive,
body. His classmates on earth handed him around as they sexuality. One possibility that John doesn’t appear to
saw fit, while divine forces also had their hands on him at entertain is that this experience taught Hester about how
this point, John later thinks. Being in such a humble and men oppress women and unthinkingly engage in abusive
helpless position at a young age must have taught Owen to demonstrations of power. Her brothers repeatedly exert
appreciate the humility necessary for true faith in God. their power over her by forcing her to kiss John unwillingly,
Being subject to such treatment also must have shown him

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Chapter 3 Quotes
and one way for her to get her power back is to humiliate
them in turn. It made [Owen] furious when I suggested that anything
was an “accident”—especially anything that had happened to
him; on the subject of predestination, Owen Meany would
accuse Calvin of bad faith. There were no accidents; there was
“Your friend is most original,” Dan Needham said, with the a reason for that baseball—just as there was a reason for Owen
greatest respect. “Don’t you see, Johnny? If he could, he being small, and a reason for his voice. In Owen’s opinion, he had
would cut off his hands for you—that’s how it makes him feel, to INTERRUPTED AN ANGEL, he had DISTURBED AN ANGEL
have touched that baseball bat, to have swung that bat with AT WORK, he had UPSET THE SCHEME OF THINGS.
those results. It’s how we all feel—you and me and Owen. We’ve
lost a part of ourselves.” And Dan picked up the wrecked
armadillo and began to experiment with it on my night table, Related Characters: Owen Meany, John Wheelwright
trying—as I had tried—to find a position that allowed the beast (speaker), John’s Mother / Tabitha Wheelwright
to stand, or even to lie down, with any semblance of comfort or
dignity; it was quite impossible… Related Themes:

And so Dan and I became quite emotional, while we struggled

Related Symbols:
to find a way to make the armadillo’s appearance
acceptable—but that was the point, Dan concluded: there was Page Number: 105
no way that any or all of this was acceptable. What had
happened was unacceptable! Yet we still had to live with it. Explanation and Analysis
Owen doesn’t believe in accidents—he believes in God’s
Related Characters: John Wheelwright, John’s Stepfather / purpose. John says that Owen was more extremist in his
Dan Needham (speaker), Owen Meany convictions than John Calvin, the founder of Calvinism, who
preached that the lives of all humankind were
Related Themes: predetermined by God, making it impossible for anyone to
live a good enough life to enter heaven if they weren’t
Related Symbols: already destined for salvation at birth. Owen insists that
nothing in life is left to chance; the fatal flight of his baseball
Page Number: 89 that day was due to a divine design. Perhaps this belief is a
coping mechanism for Owen, used to keep his grief and
Explanation and Analysis despair at bay. He may not be able to bear the thought of all
Owen, at the young age of eleven and in the aftermath of a of his suffering being for nothing. His dread of the angel he
shocking tragedy, somehow manages to conceive of a way thought he saw over Tabitha’s sleeping body one night
to express his feelings perfectly without words. After seems to predate her death, making it more than a
accidentally killing John’s mother with a baseball, Owen convenient justification for later events, but he and John
offers John a gift: the stuffed armadillo they share, but with could both be remembering things even more ominously in
its arms cut off. John initially fails to understand what he hindsight. Throughout the book, John wonders what is
means by mutilating the armadillo, but Dan is able to worse—believing that nothing one does could have any
interpret for John what Owen sought to symbolize. meaning in a senseless world, or believing that God could
Accidentally killing John’s mother made Owen so horrified really allow such tragedies as his mother’s death to take
that he would have cut off his hands if he could. The place.
creature that is missing a crucial part of itself is also a
symbol of Tabitha’s grieving loved ones—John, Dan, and
Owen. That a happy and healthy young woman, newly
Mrs. Hoyt was the first person I remember who said that
married, should die in a freak baseball accident on a
to criticize a specific American president was not anti-
beautiful summer day is senseless and absurd, like an
American; that to criticize a specific American policy was not
armadillo without claws. Life is unbelievably ugly at times,
antipatriotic; and that to disapprove of our involvement in a
and mortals are as helpless in the face of death’s whims as
particular war against the communists was not the same as
creatures without arms. The armadillo toy, like the fatal
taking the communists’ side. But these distinctions were lost on
baseball, also symbolizes John and Owen’s ruined
most of the citizens of Gravesend; they are lost on many of my
innocence, their childhood forever destroyed.
former fellow Americans today.

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Related Characters: Mrs. Hoyt, John Wheelwright Tabitha’s funeral to witness the grief of the most superior of
(speaker) them all, Harriet, and to testify that even she and hers were
not immune to the strict standards of morality that have
Related Themes: governed their lives for so long. Conceiving an illegitimate
child had been a considered a great sin in Puritanical New
Page Number: 131 England societies since the days of The Scarlet Letter.
Explanation and Analysis Decades later, most of these women remain opposed to
allowing women any more autonomy over their bodies and
When John thinks back to Tabitha’s funeral, he reflects on their sexuality. They are still obsessed with dictating what
the people there who would die in the years afterward, like women like Tabitha should wear—if not a red letter A on her
Mrs. Hoyt’s son. After Tabitha’s accidental death, the town chest, then certainly not a white dress on her wedding day.
is marked by a large number of deaths related to the Tabitha refused to play by their rules, and she died for it,
Vietnam War. In a way, these deaths are even more tragic they think. John himself does not believe this to be true, and
than Tabitha’s because they could have been prevented by the book portrays Tabitha as a wonderful, strong-willed
the nation not expending its soldiers in such an unwise and woman who had more conviction and self-respect than the
unwinnable war. Mrs. Hoyt told John that it was right to man she had an affair with, and who certainly didn’t deserve
question the war and criticize the government if necessary, to die. When Tabitha wore red, it was on her own terms.
but most Americans found it unacceptable to challenge However, growing up in a community that demanded such
their leaders. In a way, their faith in their country was like modesty and subservience from its women still gave Tabitha
Owen’s faith in God; they needed to believe that their damaging notions about her sexuality. She was so
suffering had a purpose. The soldiers’ deaths were part of concerned about keeping her singing career within strict
some unknowable design for the greater good, not to be moral bounds that she invited her pastor to approve her
questioned or called meaningless. If they accepted that performance, leading them into their affair. Her sexuality
their sons were sacrificed for nothing, then their grief and was given so much scrutiny that she hated to be seen
rage would be overpowering. The difference is, Americans wearing her red dress. Men leered at her, and women
are not as helpless to change their government’s ways as judged her. She couldn’t win, and can’t even escape society’s
they are to change the will of God, and a government of men judgment after her death.
and women is infinitely more flawed than God’s judgment.
People should not neglect the power they have to influence
their mortal leaders and protect lives. Chapter 4 Quotes
Barb Wiggin looked at Owen as if she were revising her
opinion of how “cute” he was, and the rector observed Owen
All those same crones, as black and hunchbacked as crows with a detachment that was wholly out of character for an ex-
gathered around some roadkill—they came to the service pilot. The Rev. Mr. Wiggin, such a veteran of Christmas
as if to say: We acknowledge, O God, that Tabby Wheelwright pageants, looked at Owen Meany with profound respect—as if
was not allowed to get off scot-free. he’d seen the Christ Child come and go, but never before had
Getting off “scot-free” was a cardinal crime in New Hampshire. he encountered a little Lord Jesus who was so perfect for the
And by the birdy alertness visible in the darting eyes of my part.
grandmother’s crones, I could tell that—in their view—my
mother had not escaped her just reward.
Related Characters: John Wheelwright (speaker), Rev.
Dudley Wiggin, Owen Meany, Barb Wiggin
Related Characters: John Wheelwright (speaker), John’s
Grandmother / Harriet Wheelwright, John’s Mother / Related Themes:
Tabitha Wheelwright
Page Number: 169
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis
Page Number: 132 This passage shows the Wiggins changing their opinion of
Owen, who has been cast in their pageant. Even from a
Explanation and Analysis young age, Owen shows the world that he is more
The elderly women of Gravesend’s traditional elite attend formidable than he may appear. His diminutive size and his

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piercing, childlike voice cause people to underestimate him, that Owen insists on practicing the repetitive, ridiculous
to his immense frustration—he can’t stand people taking slam-dunk shot, and is a faithful accomplice to Owen at the
him lightly. Most superficial misconceptions about Owen climactic moment of Owen’s heroic sacrifice. He never
are quickly corrected, though, as he is a master of eclipsing outgrows his “Joseph” role, though, even when Owen
others’ expectations. The effect he can wield upon people is Meany is gone. He follows Owen’s posthumous instructions
remarkable, and from this point on John begins to liken him to go to Canada, and spends the rest of his life praying for
to Jesus Christ himself—whom Owen is about to play in the Owen to come back. He never prays to be given a purpose
Christmas pageant. Owen’s innate understanding of human in his own life.
nature is unparalleled, and once he reaches the age in which
he can put his understanding to use, he becomes a powerful
force to be reckoned with, compensating for his delicate Sexual stereotypes did not fall, [Amanda] liked to say, from
appearance with a fearless way of carrying himself and a
the clear blue sky; books were the major influences upon
commanding way of speaking.
children—and books that had boys being boys, and girls being
girls, were among the worst offenders! Tom Sawyer and
Huckleberry Finn, for example; they were an education in
Chapter 5 Quotes condescension to women—all by themselves, they created
“He sounds a little sicker than I had in mind,” Dan told me sexual stereotypes! Wuthering Heights, for example: how that
on our way back to town. “I may have to play the Ghost of book taught a woman to submit to a man made Amanda
Christmas Yet to Come myself. Or maybe—if Owen’s too Dowling “see red,” as she would say.
sick—maybe you can take the part.”
But I was just a Joseph; I felt that Owen Meany had already Related Characters: John Wheelwright, Amanda and
chosen me for the only part I could play. Arthur Dowling (speaker)

Related Characters: John Wheelwright, John’s Stepfather / Related Themes:

Dan Needham (speaker), Owen Meany
Page Number: 244-245
Related Themes: Explanation and Analysis
Page Number: 211 Amanda Dowling is a passionate feminist who serves on the
Town Library Board, and who condemns books for teaching
Explanation and Analysis harmful gender stereotypes to young readers. Irving
In the Christmas pageant, Owen plays the Christ child, satirizes her opinion, depicting her objections to classic
while John plays the part of Joseph. If Owen is the reborn stories as an oversensitive simplification of the issue. The
son of God, gifted with superior knowledge and authority, frequent emphasis to Amanda’s words—“worst offenders,”
John is Joseph, the mortal husband to the Virgin Mary. A “created sexual stereotypes,” “taught a woman to
simple carpenter with no role in Jesus’s miraculous submit”—make her sound worked up, even hysterical.
conception, Joseph is a passive spectator to the birth and Indeed, books are far from the only influence upon
life of the Savior. John himself is also a deeply passive children’s views of the world, but they do present an
character, content to follow while others lead. He lets his important example of behavior to developing minds. John
cousins walk all over him, going along with all their games seems to recognize how his male cousins’ sexist words had a
and schemes rather than taking a stand against their damaging effect on their sister, and the book’s parallels to
excessive violence or their teasing of Hester. He fears that The Scarlet Letter seem to suggest that Irving recognizes the
they will surely hurt the delicate Owen, but Owen quickly harmful legacy of sexism that would cause people to look
has the Eastmans eating out of the palm of his hand. Unlike down upon Tabitha. At the same time, he is more interested
John, Owen can stand up for himself and stand behind his in making fun of Amanda’s radical book-banning stance than
convictions. He has the bravery and the faith to carry out in making real progress against sexism, and his portrayal of
what he believes to be right rather than second-guessing her as an overwrought and unsophisticated crusader, the
himself. Joseph does have the faith to stand by Mary and shrill feminist cliché, certainly doesn’t help to dispel sexual
help her with her holy duty, and John does have enough stereotypes.
faith to be a good partner to Owen throughout all the years

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Chapter 6 Quotes
“YOU CAN’T TAKE A MIRACLE AND JUST SHOW IT!” Related Themes:
[Owen] said indignantly. “YOU CAN’T PROVE A
MIRACLE—YOU JUST HAVE TO BELIEVE IT! IF THE RED SEA Page Number: 283
ACTUALLY PARTED, IT DIDN’T LOOK LIKE THAT,” he said. “IT Explanation and Analysis
DIDN’T LOOK LIKE ANYTHING—IT’S NOT A PICTURE
ANYONE CAN EVEN IMAGINE!” Similarly to Owen’s principled declaration that “YOU CAN’T
PROVE A MIRACLE—YOU JUST HAVE TO BELIEVE IT,” he
and John think that it is necessary to believe in the miracle
Related Characters: Owen Meany of the resurrection in order to truly be a Christian.
Christmas is secondary, because while no one still living
Related Themes: witnessed the birth of Jesus, countless other births take
place every day; it is a routine part of life. It is therefore
Page Number: 277
easier to believe that a holy child could be born than to
Explanation and Analysis believe that a person could come back from the dead, which
will never happen in most people’s lifetimes, no matter how
Owen objects to biblical films that try to recreate
hard they may pray. People have no proof at all that the
miraculous events—most notably “The Ten
resurrection could have occurred, let alone that it is
Commandments” starring Charlton Heston. Owen doesn’t
promised to all of God’s faithful, and even the elder John
believe in making a miracle appear so convincing on screen
himself is still struck with doubt. He has seen Owen
that it could be real. In the first place, he doesn’t think that
Meany’s miraculous martyrdom, but he has not seen Owen
people should need to witness any miracle in order to
come back to life, despite addressing prayer after prayer to
bolster their faith: “YOU JUST HAVE TO BELIEVE IT!” In
God asking Him to “please give [Owen] back!” The fact that
the second place, he doesn’t want humans to have the
John doesn’t give up on his prayers—“I shall keep asking
arrogance to think they could actually envision a miracle:
You” is the final line of the book—suggests that he still
“IT’S NOT A PICTURE ANYONE CAN EVEN IMAGINE!”
believes God can give Owen back. He still believes in the
Ironically, Owen in earlier chapters seemed to care very
resurrection. He may hate Christmas, to the horror of his
much about trying to direct as faithful a scene of the
fellow parishioners, but he has not given up on Easter.
Nativity as possible. He wanted the portrayal of Jesus’s
miraculous birth to be true to his vision of it, down to the
costumes and the music. Of course, he allowed his own ego
to interfere in his design, and the show was an utter In both classes, Pastor Merrill preached his doubt-is-the-
disaster. Perhaps from this failure he learned that humans essence-of-and-not-the-opposite-of-faith philosophy; it
cannot presume to visualize or depict a miracle. Yet John was a point of view that interested Owen more than it had once
himself seems to violate Owen’s principles when he says interested him. The apparent secret was “belief without
that he became a Christian only after witnessing Owen’s miracles”; a faith that needed a miracle was not a faith at all.
miracle, and he depicts this miracle in the writing of the Don’t ask for proof—that was Mr. Merrill’s routine message.
book itself. Human faith is impossibly flawed; it struggles to “BUT EVERYONE NEEDS A LITTLE PROOF,” said Owen
take root in the absence of proof. Meany.
“Faith itself is a miracle, Owen,” said Pastor Merrill. “The first
miracle that I believe in is my own faith itself.”
Anyone can be sentimental about the Nativity; any fool can
feel like a Christian at Christmas. But Easter is the main
event; if you don’t believe in the resurrection, you’re not a Related Characters: Rev. Lewis Merrill, Owen Meany
believer. (speaker)

“IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE IN EASTER,” Owen Meany said. Related Themes:
“DON’T KID YOURSELF—DON’T CALL YOURSELF A
CHRISTIAN.” Page Number: 314

Explanation and Analysis

Related Characters: Owen Meany, John Wheelwright
Interestingly, Owen seems to be wrestling with his earlier
(speaker)
declaration that “YOU CAN’T PROVE A MIRACLE.” He has

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already shown himself to be susceptible to the temptation possibly be an instrument of God—such an idea is only a
of reenacting a miracle like the Nativity, and perhaps he delusion that the mad believe. But incredulous as John is, or
cannot live up to his own lofty standards for faith. He may pretends to be, he never truly quits on Owen and the shot.
also be playing devil’s advocate against Merrill’s ideas for Owen sees the shot as the ultimate exercise of faith—he
the sake of argument, exaggerating his skepticism. Ironically, doesn’t yet know exactly why it’s so important to master,
Merrill is the one who has already lost his faith after but he has a gut feeling that God wants him to learn it. Every
witnessing what he believes to have been an act of divine time Owen listens to his intuition and practices the shot, he
retribution for a wicked prayer of his. He took Tabitha’s is practicing his faith. Even after he has the recurring dream
death as proof that God had heard his prayer and turned his that finally illustrates how he will use the shot to save many
back on him, while Owen took Tabitha’s death as proof that lives, practicing the shot still means keeping faith in God’s
God had chosen him to be his servant. Both Merrill and plan. God never gives John a clear sense of why the shot
Owen tend to interpret events as “proof” of God’s will more matters, but John always manages to keep his faith in Owen
readily than they will admit to doing. Indeed, Merrill later and Owen’s connection to God.
believes that a divine message comes to him from a dummy
that John plants in the church flowerbeds. It’s almost an
elitist way of thinking, for the preacher to proclaim that the
According to The New York Times, a new poll has revealed
faithful should not live their lives expecting to hear the word
that most Americans believe that President Reagan is
of God, because God will not speak to most people—but he
lying; what they should be asked is, Do they care?”
speaks to Merrill.
John does not pretend that his faith comes from anything
Related Characters: John Wheelwright (speaker)
other than witnessing what he believes to be a true miracle
in Owen’s death, and he doesn’t doubt what he saw pr what
Related Themes:
it meant, even when others—even Merrill—would try to
convince him that he did not see a true miracle or find true Page Number: 377
faith. The book itself is a testimony to the miracle he saw,
the proof that flawed humans crave despite themselves. Explanation and Analysis
As an adult, John frequently criticizes the American people
for failing to pay enough attention to their leaders’ vices. As
Chapter 7 Quotes long as their own lives aren’t affected, they don’t mind what
“IF WE CAN DO IT IN UNDER FOUR SECONDS, WE their government does to other people. The majority of
CAN DO IT IN UNDER THREE,” he said. “IT JUST TAKES A Americans aren’t interested in rigorously defending ethics
LITTLE MORE FAITH.” and principles when they can just live their own lives in
peace and convince themselves that the president knows
“It takes more practice,” I told him irritably.
what’s best. A country’s unwillingness to challenge the
“FAITH TAKES PRACTICE,” said Owen Meany. government creates disastrous situations like the Vietnam
War, when most Americans continued to support the
Related Characters: John Wheelwright, Owen Meany government’s war, stubbornly denying the idea that the
(speaker) nation’s leaders could ever make such a mistake. John
himself used to be one such uncaring American, avoiding
Related Themes: anti-war protests and rallies because he didn’t like the type
of people who were the biggest activists. He later says that
Page Number: 346-347 he believed their vocal activism only hurt their cause, but he
would rather believe that than believe that he didn’t do
Explanation and Analysis
enough to prevent Owen Meany’s death at the hands of a
As John and Owen gradually approach the end of their psychopath whom the raging war drew into violence.
senior year, facing the possibility of going two separate Perhaps his later resentment of his indifferent countrymen
ways, John is losing patience with Owen’s quest to master is an outgrowth of self-hatred.
their trick basketball shot. Owen finally tells John that he
believes himself to be an instrument of God, which John
thinks is preposterous. He doesn’t think that anyone could

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I remember the independent study that Owen Meany was
conducting with the Rev. Lewis Merrill in the winter term Related Characters: John Wheelwright (speaker), Owen
of l962. I wonder if those cheeseburgers in the Reagan Meany, John’s Stepfather / Dan Needham
administration are familiar with Isaiah 5:20. As The Voice would
say: “WOE UNTO THOSE THAT CALL EVIL GOOD AND Related Themes:
GOOD EVIL.”
Related Symbols:

Related Characters: Owen Meany, John Wheelwright Page Number: 409

(speaker), Rev. Lewis Merrill
Explanation and Analysis
Related Themes: Owen always thinks in terms of symbols. By explicitly
pointing this out, John Irving is mildly satirizing his own
Related Symbols: literary mode of writing. The symbolism in A Prayer for Owen
Meany can be quite heavy-handed at times, but at least
Page Number: 402
Irving is upfront about it. In this case, Owen has removed
Explanation and Analysis the arms and head from the statue of Mary Magdalene,
then installed the mutilated statue on the school stage in
Owen and Merrill both liked to discuss this biblical saying. It
symbolic protest of his expulsion. As John observes, the
preaches that people will be punished for not speaking
result of Owen’s work is a figure of extreme helplessness,
truthfully, calling evil things good and good things evil. It’s
wholly at the mercy of a greater power. The armlessness of
not clear if people will similarly be punished for being
the statue represents humans’ lack of control over their
ignorant or mistaken, not knowing the true nature of which
lives, when their futures can be taken from them when they
they speak. Deliberately lying is one matter, but people can
least expect it. If they place their faith in God and trust him
also misunderstand or be misinformed. John seems to be
to guide their actions according to his needs, however, their
the angriest with the people who understand but deny the
arms are not really gone—just given to God.
truth, or have suspicions but don’t look into them, content
to live in ignorance. Maybe people would be more virtuous, The headlessness of the holy statue in addition to its
he thinks, if they believed that they really would pay the armlessness suggests that one’s individual identity must
consequences for their unprincipled behavior, but just like also be sacrificed for God—one’s personal ambitions,
people doubt in God’s existence if they can’t see him or his emotions, and connections to others. People must be willing
miracles, they also doubt that there will really be a price for to give up all of their private desires to fulfill the work that
their wrong actions if they see people around them getting God asks of them. Owen will give up on Harvard and Yale to
away with unethical choices. That’s why Owen always join the army, and give up a long life with Hester and John
believed that a president like Kennedy had the for a heroic sacrifice.
responsibility to uphold a high moral standard, so the
country would have someone to look up to. This is also why
John is so angry at President Reagan for badly Chapter 8 Quotes
compromising his moral integrity. What we witnessed with the death of Kennedy was the
triumph of television; what we saw with his assassination, and
with his funeral, was the beginning of television’s dominance of
As always, with Owen Meany, there was the necessary our culture—for television is at its most solemnly self-serving
consideration of the symbols involved. He had removed and at its mesmerizing best when it is depicting the untimely
Mary Magdalene’s arms, above the elbows, so that her gesture deaths of the chosen and the golden. It is as witness to the
of beseeching the assembled audience would seem all the more butchery of heroes in their prime—and of all holy-seeming
an act of supplication—and all the more helpless. Dan and I innocents— that television achieves its deplorable greatness.
both knew that Owen suffered an obsession with
armlessness—this was Watahantowet’s familiar totem, this was Related Characters: John Wheelwright (speaker), Owen
what Owen had done to my armadillo. My mother's Meany
dressmaker’s dummy was armless, too.
But neither Dan nor I was prepared for Mary Magdalene being Related Themes:
headless—for her head was cleanly sawed or chiseled or blasted
off.

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Page Number: 448 Page Number: 458

Explanation and Analysis Explanation and Analysis

Television plays a fairly large role in A Prayer for Owen Owen provokes John by asking him how he’s so sure that
Meany. Irving spends a lot of time describing the television the statue of Mary Magdalene hasn’t actually disappeared
shows that Harriet, John, and Owen watch together after when it becomes impossible to see in the dark. To John, it
Harriet finally gets a television set. While the narrative of seems like a ridiculous thing to ask—solid objects like
the book may be drawn-out and stuffed with secondary statues, firmly rooted to the earth, never just vanish into
characters, everything tends to connect back to its primary thin air. But while John’s certainty that the statue hasn’t
themes. The lengthy section about television, however, moved or ceased to exist is based on absolute laws of
seems to be somewhat disconnected from the story. Only physics as well his own experience of object permanence,
near the end does Irving suggest how television might Owen’s faith in God is not based on any empirical science or
reflect on the events and themes of A Prayer for Owen visual evidence. His sense of God’s existence is purely
Meany. In this quote, John suggests that television makes subjective. Even the times when he claims he saw or felt
death and tragedy into spectacle, something to entertain God at work can be rationalized away by logic, if he allowed
people rather than make them think. It thrives by portraying himself to be swayed by convincing scientific explanations,
a simplistic narrative with familiar, iconic imagery, like the but Owen’s faith is absolute. He believes in miracles, the
tragic death of a “golden” figure. It doesn’t convey nuance or impossible that God makes possible. For him, to be a
try to communicate a new viewpoint, only show Americans Christian and to believe in the Resurrection, one must be
what they already care about. able to recognize a knowledge—“I ABSOLUTELY KNOW HE
It’s not obvious, but John as an adult never talks about IS THERE!” that exists apart from science.
watching the news on television, even though he’s obsessed
with news. Instead, he only talks about reading the
newspaper. Evidently, he’s sworn off the television he used Chapter 9 Quotes
to watch with Owen and Harriet, unable to stand its What has happened to me has simply neutered me.
shallowness.
Related Characters: John Wheelwright (speaker)

“YOU HAVE NO DOUBT SHE’S THERE?” [Owen] nagged Related Themes:

at me.
Page Number: 521
“Of course I have no doubt!” I said.
“BUT YOU CAN’T SEE HER—YOU COULD BE WRONG,” he Explanation and Analysis
said. John may not have served in the Vietnam War, but it has left
“No, I’m not wrong—she’s there, I know she’s there!” I yelled at him with lasting trauma nonetheless. He lost his faith in his
him. government and in his fellow Americans after seeing the
“YOU ABSOLUTELY KNOW SHE’S THERE—EVEN THOUGH great wrongs that people are capable of inflicting on each
YOU CAN’T SEE HER?” he asked me. other. He saw how ideologies can become fatally warped, as
Dick followed America’s fervent anti-Communist stance to
“Yes!” I screamed. homicidal extremes. Even before the war, Owen’s parents’
“WELL, NOW YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT GOD,” said extreme religious ideology led them to burden their son
Owen Meany. “I CAN’T SEE HIM—BUT I ABSOLUTELY KNOW with the terrible idea that he was the Messiah, and Hester’s
HE IS THERE!” parents’ staunchly sexist ideology led them to treat their
daughter like a mere afterthought. People do so much harm
Related Characters: John Wheelwright, Owen Meany to one another, and the best people of all can be
(speaker) extinguished at any moment: John’s exceptionally brave,
loving, and generous mother died in a freak accident when
Related Themes: he was only eleven years old, and his brilliant, loyal, and
heroic best friend died of a random act of violence when
Related Symbols: they were only twenty-six.

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Dan Needham, occasionally, stares at me that way, too.
Witnessing so much senseless loss and suffering has sapped How could he possibly think I could “forgive and forget”?
John’s desire for intimacy with another person. He can’t There is too much forgetting. When we schoolteachers worry
make himself vulnerable to the loss of another loved one, if that our students have no sense of history, isn’t it what people
he could even find someone to love, someone who could forget that worries us?
understand everything he’s been through. In his celibacy he
is like a priest who has given his life to God, or an armless
Related Characters: John Wheelwright (speaker), John’s
man who has given up the ability to touch or hold another
Stepfather / Dan Needham
person.
Related Themes:

“SINCE I DISCOVERED SEVERAL YEARS AGO, THAT I Page Number: 532

WAS LIVING IN A WORLD WHERE NOTHING BEARS
Explanation and Analysis
OUT IN PRACTICE WHAT IT PROMISES INCIPIENTLY, I
HAVE TROUBLED MYSELF VERY LITTLE ABOUT THEORIES. John describes how Dan sometimes looks at him like he’s
I AM CONTENT WITH TENTATIVENESS FROM DAY TO crazy for refusing to move back home to the country that he
DAY.” blames for killing his best friend. Owen died twenty years
ago, but John is unable to bury his hostility to America. The
rest of the country has mostly moved on from the Vietnam
Related Characters: Owen Meany (speaker), John
War, choosing national unity over division, but John fears
Wheelwright
that America has not learned its lesson, and continues to
harbor another dishonest leader who thinks himself above
Related Themes:
ethics and the law. They don’t seem to remember when
Page Number: 528 their leaders took the nation to war with lies, at great cost.
John is powerless to change what happened to Owen in the
Explanation and Analysis past, but he can choose not to forget, and to try and keep
Here Owen quotes Thomas Hardy to John. Hardy wrote others from forgetting, so that such a tragic history might
this in a diary, and Owen suggests that John should use it in not repeat itself. John’s choice to exile himself from his
his Masters thesis. An atheist, Hardy is referring to his lack remaining family is extreme, but he feels that to return to
of belief in a higher power or a philosophy that explains the America is to condone or downplay his country’s sins.
world. Owen says that Hardy came very close to believing in
religion, but could not overcome his skepticism and doubt.
Too much meaningless pain and injustice in the world Because he’d wished my mother dead, my father said, God
persuaded him that there could be no greater purpose for had punished him; God had taught Pastor Merrill not to
human life. People’s hope and goodwill too often come to trifle with prayer. And I suppose that was why it had been so
nothing; their prayers are not answered. Faith in God makes difficult for Mr. Merrill to pray for Owen Meany—and why he
no difference, in his experience, so he would rather greet had invited us all to offer up our silent prayers to Owen, instead
each day with no expectations, instead of being continually of speaking out himself. And he called Mr. and Mrs. Meany
worn down by disappointment. This way of thinking is also “superstitious”! Look at the world: look at how many of our
tempting to John, who would rather live a passive life than peerless leaders presume to tell us that they know what God
seek in vain to understand what purpose God might have wants! It’s not God who’s fucked up, it’s the screamers who say
for him. In the end, however, John cannot help but believe they believe in Him and who claim to pursue their ends in His
that God shapes people’s lives. After all, he saw how Owen’s holy name!
miraculous life really did bear out as heroically as God
promised him it would.
Related Characters: John Wheelwright (speaker), Owen
Meany, John’s Mother / Tabitha Wheelwright, Rev. Lewis
Merrill

Related Themes:

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faith in Owen Meany is absolute, and their friendship is

Related Symbols:
extraordinary. He trusts Owen so much that he will do what
Owen asks of him without knowing the whole story, just as
Page Number: 554
people trust God’s will without knowing why He asks them
Explanation and Analysis to bear things. Owen himself doesn’t know why God needs
John to be a part of Owen’s dangerous mission. He would
John thinks that Merrill and the Meanys are equally guilty
do anything to protect his friend from harm, and bringing
of warping religion to justify events they experienced. Both
John to Arizona is the hardest thing that God has asked of
Merrill and the Meanys became convinced that God had
him, but God has also told him that John’s life will not be at
directly intervened in their lives, and their relationship with
risk, and Owen trusts in God like John trusts in him. By
religion suffered as a result. People must be humble before
inviting John to fly out West, Owen lets go of his final
God, John thinks, and not presume to understand why He
reservation regarding God’s mission for him.
allows events to unfold in a certain way. On the other hand,
Owen always believed he had been chosen by God to fulfill a
purpose, and events seemed to prove him right. His faith
was tested from a young age, when he hit the baseball that “THAT IS WHERE THIS COUNTRY IS HEADED—IT IS
killed Tabitha, but instead of turning away from such a cruel HEADED TOWARD OVERSIMPLIFICATION. YOU
God, he remained humble and did not imagine he could WANT TO SEE A PRESIDENT OF THE FUTURE? TURN ON
know why God took Tabitha in such a way. He waited for ANY TELEVISION ON ANY SUNDAY MORNING—FIND ONE
God to show him what he was meant to do next. Most often, OF THOSE HOLY ROLLERS: THAT’S HIM, THAT’S THE NEW
people who claim to be doing God’s work have ulterior, MISTER PRESIDENT! AND DO YOU WANT TO SEE THE
preconceived ideas of what such work should be, as John FUTURE OF ALL THOSE KIDS WHO ARE GOING TO FALL IN
rants about here. THE CRACKS OF THIS GREAT, BIG, SLOPPY SOCIETY OF
OURS? I JUST MET HIM; HE’S A TALL, SKINNY, FIFTEEN-
YEAR-OLD BOY NAMED ‘DICK.’ HE’S PRETTY SCARY.
WHAT’S WRONG WITH HIM IS NOT UNLIKE WHAT’S
“YOU’RE MY BEST FRIEND,” said Owen Meany—his voice
WRONG WITH THE TV EVANGELIST—OUR FUTURE
breaking a little. I assumed it was the telephone; I thought
PRESIDENT. WHAT’S WRONG WITH BOTH OF THEM IS
we had a bad connection.
THAT THEY’RE SO SURE THEY’RE RIGHT! THAT’S PRETTY
SCARY.”
Related Characters: John Wheelwright, Owen Meany
(speaker)
Related Characters: Owen Meany (speaker), Dick Jarvits
Related Themes:
Related Themes:
Related Symbols: Page Number: 613-614
Page Number: 589 Explanation and Analysis
Explanation and Analysis Owen writes this in his diary after meeting Dick Jarvits. He
connects Dick’s deeply troubled and violent mindset with
Owen tells John that he’s his “BEST FRIEND” after John
the people on television who captivate an audience by
says he’ll come to Arizona with him on a last-minute
preaching about the righteousness of their cause and how
invitation. John doesn’t really understand what Owen is
sure they are to win, with the proper loyal support. It’s the
asking him to come for, but he agrees to go because he
kind of ideology that brands any opponent or neutral party a
trusts Owen and wants to be there for him. Owen doesn’t
traitor—everyone is either with them or against them, and
tell John that he wants him there because he thinks he’s
there is no middle ground. When this kind of divisive,
going to die soon, and he needs John to be there if he’s
simplistic talk is all anyone hears, they don’t learn to think
going to pull off the heroic sacrifice God has entrusted him
with nuance or to seek out an alternative to the two warring
with. He’s overcome by John’s faith in him, his willingness to
sides of a conflict. They just line up to join the fight, like Dick.
cross the country on a whim for his friend and not question
He never questions whether it’s right to exterminate the
it. John may not always have perfect faith in God, but his
Vietnamese—he just accepts what he’s been taught, without

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hesitation. A nation of such thoughtless militants will

Related Symbols:
consume itself, Owen fears. His prediction that America’s
future president would be like a popular TV evangelist was
Page Number: 627
also uncannily farsighted—more so than perhaps Irving
himself could have known. Explanation and Analysis
In the final passage of the book, John recalls Owen’s
astonishing weightlessness. He and the other young
When we held Owen Meany above our heads, when we children thought Owen’s size was a gift just for them, a
passed him back and forth—so effortlessly—we believed minor miracle that made them feel a bit less small and weak
that Owen weighed nothing at all. We did not realize that there themselves. They hated feeling so powerless in a world
were forces beyond our play. Now I know they were the forces where adults controlled everything. Only Owen, the
that contributed to our illusion of Owen's weightlessness; they smallest of the small, could accept his powerlessness and
were the forces we didn’t have the faith to feel, they were the humble himself before God, putting himself into God’s
forces we failed to believe in—and they were also lifting up hands. The other children were so preoccupied with their
Owen Meany, taking him out of our hands. own rare experience of strength that they were blind to a
O God—please give him back! I shall keep asking You. greater force at work as they lifted Owen. Now John knows
just how much greater God’s power is—great enough to
bring back Owen Meany, if he chooses to have Owen live
Related Characters: John Wheelwright (speaker), Mary again. John demonstrates his faith and his humility be
Beth Baird, Owen Meany continuing to pray to God to give Owen back, but he also
shows how he is still trapped in the past, lost in the wake of
Related Themes:
Owen’s disappearance from his life.

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SUMMARY AND ANAL

ANALYSIS
YSIS
The color-coded icons under each analysis entry make it easy to track where the themes occur most prominently throughout the
work. Each icon corresponds to one of the themes explained in the Themes section of this LitChart.

CHAPTER 1: THE FOUL BALL

John Wheelwright believes he is “doomed” never to forget The opening section of the book immediately grabs the reader’s
Owen Meany, an extremely small boy with a broken voice who attention by dropping the bombshell that John’s best friend killed
killed John’s mother and is the reason John believes in God. He John’s mother. Irving doesn’t hold back this part of the story, but
admits that he is not zealously religious—he reads The Book of shares this shocking fact upfront. It also sets up the book’s major
Common Prayer much more frequently than he reads the ideas of fate, religion, and forgiveness.
actual Bible. However, he has always attended church regularly,
even if he has changed denominations multiple times.

John was baptized into the Congregational Church, confirmed John switched churches frequently throughout his life. The
in the Episcopalian Church, attended nondenominational numerous changes from one church to another suggest that John
church as a teenager, and then joined the Anglican Church did not have a strong individual will, and was content to go where
after moving from the United States to Canada twenty years others took him. He seems to have found a stubbornness later in
ago. When he dies, he would like to be buried in America, in his life, or perhaps he’s just clinging to the last place Owen pointed him,
home state of New Hampshire, but he wants his services as Irving later reveals that Owen told John to go to Canada.
performed in the Anglican Church before his body is taken
back to the United States.

However, despite John’s strong personal ties to the Anglican John’s faith is more flawed than many other believers’. Calling it a
Church, he acknowledges that he sometimes skips Sunday “church-rummage faith” suggests that it is worn and battered rather
services, and is far from being especially pious. He says he has a than polished and pristine, like old furniture donated to raise money
“church-rummage faith—the kind that needs patching up every at a church rummage sale. It is not perfect—but it can still be put to
weekend.” His limited faith only exists because of Owen Meany. good use.

John recalls how as children, he and his peers would take Irving shows the natural cruelty of humans through the actions of
advantage of Owen’s miniature size to entertain themselves uninhibited children. They amuse themselves with Owen’s body
during Sunday school. Owen was such a small child that his legs against his will. The notion of children easily lifting one of their own
didn’t hang over the edge of his chair, but stuck straight out. above their heads seems surreal, introducing the idea that Owen is
John and the rest of the class “couldn’t resist” lifting up the tiny somehow holy or separate from others.
Owen like an infant and passing him over their heads. They
thought his weightlessness was miraculous.

Owen’s unusually slight stature was a great contrast to his Owen’s survival as such a frail and delicate-looking child born to
family’s business, which was mining granite in the local quarry. such a rough livelihood was always rather miraculous. He was
It seemed absurd that he could come from a family who ran always so fundamentally ill-suited to the life he lived, first in the
such a rough and dangerous operation as granite mining. He quarry and later in the army, that his premature death seemed
looked very pale and fragile—“the color of a gravestone” or “a almost inevitable. After all, he was born “the color of a gravestone.”
pearl,” with nearly translucent skin and visible blue veins. His
stunted size and apparent fragility, among other things,
suggested that he was born prematurely.

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Owen also had an underdeveloped or damaged voice, perhaps Owen’s unmistakable high-pitched voice captivates everyone he
a side effect of breathing in so much quarry dust since birth. He encounters throughout the book. It is described as both terrible and
had to shout through his nose to be heard. But the children all endearing, a source of tension always existing between the two
loved him, and loved treating him like “a little doll.” extremes.

The children’s Sunday school teacher was named Mrs. Walker, The opportunity for silent spiritual contemplation was valuable, but
and she frequently left the classroom while ordering the class the children were too young to appreciate it. Perhaps the only one
to think silently about the Bible in her absence. John thinks she who would have enjoyed it would have been Owen, but the others
was probably addicted to smoking, and had to take smoke prevented him from doing so.
breaks. While she was gone, the class would grab Owen and
pass him overhead around the room, never dropping him.

Owen’s tie would often become untucked from his trousers, The children justified their harassment of Owen by arguing that
and his loose change and baseball cards sometimes fell out of they never dropped him or abused their power for profit—only
his pockets, but he wasn’t injured or stolen from, only subject to inconvenienced him for their amusement.
his classmates’ manhandling. He was annoyed by this
treatment, especially when his baseball cards became
disorganized—he was a baseball fanatic, and kept his cards in a
specific order.

While Owen loved baseball, he was not a good player. He was Owen’s love of baseball is rather tragic, given his physical
too small to swing at a ball without falling down, but he was handicaps. However, the game is not wholly rigged against him, and
frequently inserted into games as a pinch hitter because he he is still able to help his team in many instances. Like most young
could always gain a base on balls. His strike zone was so small athletes who dream of individual heroics, Owen is not a selfless
that the pitchers rarely managed to aim any strikes there, so he team player—he has his pride, and he won’t relinquish his dream of
always walked. The coach told him not to swing, which Owen making a big hit, even when he can help his team more by standing
hated, but which was somewhat less humiliating than falling still.
down on his own feet whenever he tried to hit. Pitchers hated
missing his strike zone every time, so they would sometimes hit
him with the ball when he refused to swing.

Owen was fast, so he was inserted as a pinch runner, too. But Owen was also not one to stay silent about his grievances and
he was afraid of the baseball, and rarely caught it, and his hand injustices. His voice makes his passionate complaints ring out so
was too small to throw it. However, his unique voice made his curiously that his peers are tempted to egg him on. The fact that his
complaints entertaining to listen to. John now believes Owen’s voice sounds like it was made to perfectly captivate children will
voice motivated the Sunday school class to mess with later seem to be divine design.
him—they liked to listen to him protest. John also now believes
that Owen’s voice was “not entirely of this world.”

“PUT ME DOWN! YOU ASSHOLES!” Owen would shout in his Owen was willing to protest as forcefully as his voice would allow,
falsetto voice. But the class ignored him, and would resort to but his body always betrayed him. He is only one small figure
tickling him to pry him away from his chair. Whenever Mrs. against the will of many, a powerless position that he and John later
Walker came back into the room and found Owen up in the air, find themselves in when they are in the minority of the country
she would scold him for leaving his seat. John found this opposed to the Vietnam War and other governmental failures.
extremely stupid of her, to imagine that Owen could possibly Owen forgave his classmates their faults, however.
have lifted himself up. But Owen never blamed his classmates
or told the teacher what was going on, only stoically endured
the teacher’s scolding. He wasn’t a snitch, but a juvenile martyr.

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Owen was also lifted up and hung by his collar on coatracks and Even when Owen was subjected to pranks that were more mean-
in his gym locker, but he never struggled or made a commotion, spirited than being handed around for fun, he kept his composure.
only waited for someone to put him back down. John didn’t His vulnerability to being put in such humiliating situations didn’t
imagine at the time that Owen was really a hero. make him seem heroic, and his lack of vengeance wasn’t outwardly
tough, but he had a quietly heroic self-discipline.

John identifies himself as a Wheelwright, one of the local John is descended from a prestigious and wealthy line of New
families whose names still carried weight at the time. His type Englanders, the closest thing to an aristocratic legacy in America.
of family was not typically sympathetic to Owen’s type of His proud grandmother looked down on the working-class Meany
family, the Meanys. John’s family was matriarchal because his family. Ancestry and money meant a great deal to her, and she
grandfather died young, leaving his grandmother to run the viewed the poor Irish-Catholic Meanys as her inferiors. However,
family. John’s grandmother rose to the challenge “grandly,” he she would later come to care for Owen and support his ambition to
recalls. She was descended from John Adams, and she was improve himself.
born a Bates; her family came over on the Mayflower. She
always carried herself with the gravity of her three extremely
dignified names. Her first name was Harriet, but everyone
called her Mrs. Wheelwright. She wrongly associated the
Meany family with George Meany, an influential labor union
leader whom she frowned upon.

The Wheelwright family lived in Gravesend, New Hampshire, a The Wheelwrights and families like them were not the first men and
town bought by John’s namesake, Rev. John Wheelwright, from women to inhabit the land of Gravesend, despite their haughty
an Indian sagamore in 1638. A sagamore was the name for an attitudes. The land belonged to the Native tribes of New England
Indian chief, although in John’s lifetime the word had lost its first, but the settlers who followed them did not even give them the
history, and was merely the name for a lake and his neighbor’s dignity of remembering the term for their most powerful warrior
dog. Ignorantly naming the pet Sagamore was a sign of and leader.
disrespect—as karma, the innocent dog was eventually struck
and killed by a diaper truck.

The Rev. John Wheelwright presumably named his town after John’s ancestor and namesake was an ambitious and unscrupulous
the Gravesend in England. He graduated from Cambridge, man, not a leader with a strong ethical code. He wouldn’t have felt
where he earned a reputation as a vicious soccer player who any shame or remorse for extorting as much as he could from a tribe
tripped his competitors and played dirty. He bought the land of people who were outgunned and powerless to stop him from
for Gravesend from a local sagamore named Watahantowet. making his own rules. Watahantowet couldn’t stop Wheelwright
Watahantowet signed the deed with his totem, which was an from taking his land, but he could make the loss into a powerful
armless man. No one knew why he chose an armless man for statement.
his totem—whether he was indicating the loss he felt in giving
up all his land, his frustration at not being able to write, or his
wish for peace.

Among the eminent names of Gravesend’s founding families, The prestige of John’s family name would be theoretically lessened
“Meany” is nowhere to be found, but Wheelwright is foremost. by his illegitimate birth, but his mother doesn’t allow anyone to
Wheelwright was John’s mother’s name, and she never gave it slander him for being born out of wedlock. She carries off her
up. John kept her name as well, since he never knew who his pregnancy by an unknown man with unimpeachable dignity.
father was. His mother had been waiting until he was the right
age to tell him who his father was, but she unexpectedly died
before he was old enough.

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After John’s mother died, Owen and John talked about the John flashes back to a time when he and Owen discussed his
unsolved mystery of his father. They skipped rocks while they unknown father. Owen is firmly positive that John’s father is alive
talked. Owen told John that his father would know what had and will be revealed to John by God. His confident words are
happened to his mother, and he would approach John when he accompanied by a rock that flies beyond his normal means. God
was older. John isn’t sure if his father is alive or aware that he’s seems to be with him as he divines John’s future.
John’s father, but Owen insists that he’s certain that John’s
father isn’t dead or clueless. Owen also believes that God
knows who John’s father is, and will show John the truth even if
his father never introduces himself. As Owen says this, he
throws a stone all the way to the water for the first time.

While New Hampshire is known as the Granite State, its The Meanys are contending with a doomed enterprise, forced to
biggest business was originally lumber. John’s uncle, Alfred expend a great deal of effort for rarely valuable returns. The granite
Eastman, was in the lumber business. He married John’s aunt, industry has less history and dignity than the lumber industry,
Martha. Owen Meany’s family was in the granite business. which Martha Wheelwright happily marries into.
Harriet Wheelwright believed that lumber was a clean business
and granite was dirty. Lumber was certainly more lucrative than
granite. The granite quarry in Gravesend was mostly out of
good granite when the Meanys took it over, and it was
extremely difficult to get any remaining good granite out of the
ground without cracking it.

Owen read the book History of Gravesend when he was very Owen has more historical consciousness that John does. John
young, and told John that it was full of Wheelwrights. John was doesn’t initially feel the need to understand his place in history,
born in the Wheelwright house after his mother became taking a comfortable and sheltered existence for granted. John’s
pregnant with a man she met on the Boston & Maine Railroad. mother never had to worry about how to support herself or her son,
Other than this fact, his mother never spoke a word of the and had the freedom to pursue her hobby of singing rather than
baby’s father, not even to her family. As a young woman, she going to school, finding a job, or getting married for the sake of
decided not to go to college, but to stay home and care for her financial security. Her lack of ambition was frowned upon in her
dying father while taking weekly singing lessons in Boston. Her family, but they never withheld their support.
mother was distracted by her father’s illness, and the leader of
her church choir, the Rev. Lewis Merrill, vouched for her talent,
so she was allowed to skip the college degree her older sister,
Martha, had earned.

John’s mother took the train to Boston once a week and stayed John’s mother was apparently gifted with real talent, but her idea of
overnight for an early morning singing lesson with a teacher following her calling is merely taking once-weekly lessons on top of
who normally only saw professionals. Martha disapproved of her normal performances in the church choir. She doesn’t seem
her sister’s frivolous path in life, although she was jealous of especially interested in launching a real career, and doesn’t wish to
her natural gift for singing and her beauty. At the time, going to leave behind her small-town life for a full-time artistic pursuit in the
Boston meant visiting a “city of sin,” and John’s mother had to city.
stay in a chaperoned women’s hotel while she was there. But
she still managed to have an affair on the train there.

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Although Martha and others frowned on John’s mother’s John’s mother was able to live a very happy life by blithely
conduct, she was never bothered by their disapproval. She deflecting the judgment of others, ignoring disapproval, and
happily called her son her “little fling.” Martha later told her charmingly endearing herself to all. Despite scandalizing
children that her sister had been “a little simple.” She was conservative sensibilities with her illegitimate pregnancy, she
always slightly resentful of how talented her sister was, and doesn’t lose her social standing or her place in the church choir. She
how she was spoiled by their parents for her sweet disposition even returns to the same routine where she got into such trouble to
that made staying mad at her impossible. Not only did John’s begin with.
mother manage to make her illegitimate pregnancy acceptable
to her family, her conservative town, and her church, but she
also got away with continuing her weekly singing lessons and
trips to Boston after giving birth to John.

John occasionally resented his mother’s weekly absences. As a young child, John naturally wanted to be the constant center of
John’s mother only canceled her trips when he was seriously ill his mother’s attention, but she kept this one personal pilgrimage for
or injured, until she stopped going altogether when he was ten herself. Finding a partner perhaps gave her enough adult
and she married John’s stepfather. companionship and happiness that she didn’t need to take time
away to herself.

John was born in his grandmother Harriet’s grand old brick John enjoys antagonizing Owen to elicit his cries of protest, but his
house. The house included a secret passageway to a separate grandmother finds the sound of Owen’s distress terrifying and
basement. John purposefully scared Owen down there, and unnatural rather than amusing. His voice has an ominous side to it.
Owen’s peculiar voice made his fear very memorable. Harriet
was very disturbed by Owen’s shrieks from the
passageway—she told John his singular voice could have raised
the dead.

John explains that Harriet, while snobbish, was also generous John’s grandmother was a large figure in his life, being a more
and noble. When her longtime maid, Lydia, had to have her leg enduring presence than his own mother. While she had certain class
amputated for a tumor, Harriet replaced her with two prejudices, she had a good heart and was generous to all who
maids—one for herself and one for Lydia. Lydia joined her needed it, from her former maid, Lydia, to her grandson’s poor
former mistress for tea every afternoon and played cards with friend, Owen.
the guests she used to serve; she even began to talk like
Harriet, and was mistaken for her by visitors. When Harriet
grew older and began losing her memory, she never forgot the
disturbing sound of Owen’s piercing voice.

Owen’s working-class Irish family came to New Hampshire The Meanys were outsiders in Gravesend, especially compared to
from Boston. The local kids could swim in one of the Meanys’ the Wheelwrights, who are descended from the town’s founder. The
granite quarries if they went in the water one at a time, with a local children at least didn’t seem to care where their playmates
thick rope around their waists. It was very deep, cold water, and came from, and enjoyed the thrill of swimming in deeper water that
not safe to swim in freely. Once Owen untied himself and swam was not the tame, familiar beach or pool. They only like the thrill
away to give his friends at the end of the rope a scare. They when there’s no real danger, however—they’re not brave enough to
were too frozen with terror to jump in and look for him, and he risk their lives to try and save their friend.
accused them of being uncaring: “YOU LET ME DIE.”

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John and Owen both joined the Episcopal Church after leaving John and Owen both have mixed religious histories. Owen has a lot
the Congregational Church and the Catholic Church, of antagonism towards the Catholic Church, while John seems to
respectively. John’s mother insisted on switching churches miss the Congregational Church. By the end of the book, both of
after she married an Episcopalian, John’s stepfather—whom them eventually appear to have found peace with the religious
she also met on the train. The Congregational pastor, the Rev. institutions that divided them. Most of the time, they speak
Lewis Merrill, was unhappy to lose John’s mother, who sang so generally about God and faith, not any particular organization.
beautifully in his choir and whom he’d supported when she
insisted on her maintaining her privacy after becoming
pregnant. Owen’s family turned away from the Catholic Church
for darker, more mysterious reasons—“an UNSPEAKABLE
OUTRAGE” against Owen’s parents that Owen never
explained to John.

John reflects that he partially took pleasure from manhandling From a young age, Owen had a strong sense of spirituality. His
Owen during Sunday school because he was resentful that dislike for religion’s sacred objects and rituals is ironic given his own
Owen had a much stronger religious faith than he did. Owen passion for symbolic objects and rituals like writing in his diary and
disliked dogmatic, ritualized worship, but he strongly believed practicing his and John’s basketball shot.
in God’s will and in personally communicating with God.

Owen took everything very seriously, and was insulted by Owen later develops a strong sense of sarcasm, but he does not kid
jokes. He read the whole Bible, and was a brilliant student. John around. He has a maturity and an intellect beyond his years. He is
was not a strong student, and he wouldn’t have been admitted conscious of the gulf between his background and means and the
to the town’s private school, Gravesend Academy, if his mother pedigree of most of the students who attend Gravesend Academy.
hadn’t married a man on the faculty. Owen was a natural The best education doesn’t always go to those who most deserve it,
candidate for admission, and would have gotten a full but to those who can afford to pay for it.
scholarship for tuition, but he was worried about paying for
things like the expensive formal uniforms and supplies. He
came from a working-class family, and was wary of going to
school with the rich. John’s mother promises to take care of
everything for him, but Owen worries about how he will get to
school, because his parents can’t drive him.

Mrs. Meany can’t take Owen to school because she never goes Owen’s mother is quite a sad case—she won’t leave her house or
outdoors, and never even opens the windows; Owen says she’s even let any air inside. Presumably she was once more capable of
allergic to dust. She also wears headphones to muffle the noise engaging with the outside world, to have met a husband and started
from the quarry. Mr. Meany runs the family’s errands and a family, but something seems to have deeply traumatized her.
drives Owen to Sunday school. He doesn’t want Owen to go to
the academy.

Gravesend Academy was an extremely old institution, founded Gravesend Academy is nearly as old as the country itself. John’s
in 1781. John’s mother secretly visited Owen’s parents to mother wants the best for Owen just like she does for her own son,
convince them to allow Owen to go there—Owen could smell so she uses her position as a Gravesend native to explain to Owen’s
her perfume after she left. His mother doesn’t wear perfume, parents, newcomers to the area, why the school would be so
or even look out the window at the world. John suspects that beneficial for their son.
her withdrawal is related to the Catholics’ “UNSPEAKABLE
OUTRAGE” that Owen won’t tell him about.

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Owen had a crush on John’s mother, who couldn’t resist Owen is very close to John’s mother, who is technically also a stay-
touching Owen. Owen tells John that she has the best breasts at-home mother but in a much more active and present sense than
out of all their peers’ mothers, and John lets him get away with the detached Mrs. Meany. Owen’s affection is not entirely innocent,
it because he trusts that Owen never jokes around. John’s but his obsession with the bosoms of his peers’ mothers could stem
mother drives the boys back and forth between their houses to from the lack of physical intimacy he wishes to share with his own
play, since Owen’s house is too steep to easily ride a bike to. mother.

Owen and John were eleven when John’s mother died. It was On the day of the fateful baseball game, nothing seemed amiss. It
summer, and they were growing bored with baseball. Their was such an unremarkable game that the whole team—even the
team was badly losing the game, and the coach, Mr. Chickering, coach—felt bored and wished for it to end. For once in this story,
was bored, too. The game was almost over, and he told Owen there were no omens to hint at the tragedy to come. Death came
he could bat for John if John came to bat. John’s mother had from out of nowhere, on a beautiful day, during a children’s game of
just arrived to pick them up. She was looking off at the stands “America’s pastime.” The innocence of the children involved was
to see who else was sitting there. There were two outs in the brutally shattered.
inning when Harry Hoyt walked and Buzzy Thurston hit a
grounder that should have been an out. Owen came up and the
coach told him to swing away and end the game.

After letting the first two pitches go, Owen hit the third ball John saw his mother die, but he did not have to see her gruesome
foul, and it struck John’s mother in the head, killing her almost wound or her final expression. The kind and empathetic coach
instantly. Mr. Chickering reached her first; he closed her eyes protected the remaining innocence of mother and son by shielding
and rearranged her splayed legs to preserve her dignity. He the body from indecent exposure and the boy from a worse sight.
took off his jacket and threw it over John’s face before John The police chief can’t seem to accept that the death was an
could see his mother’s face. John was initially angry, but he unpreventable freak accident, as if he is unable to believe that such
quickly changed his mind and didn’t want to take the jacket a horror could happen in the town he is supposed to keep safe.
off—he stayed under it, hiding, in Mr. Chickering’s lap, while the
Chief of Police looked for the baseball that had killed his
mother. Chief Ben Pike was obsessed with taking the
“instrument of death” into police custody.

Owen fled the game after apologizing to John for hitting the After hitting the ball that killed John’s mother, Owen has to go home
ball, and everyone later assumed he took the fatal ball from the and face what he’s done. People assume he took the ball because he
scene. He was a big collector of things like his baseball cards. collected special objects and because they couldn’t imagine anyone
But John ominously says that he had no idea, at the time, who else taking it. But someone else there would have also had a
else had been there and could have taken the ball. personal reason for keeping the ball—John’s real father.

CHAPTER 2: THE ARMADILLO

John’s mother’s name was Tabitha, but everyone called her Readers don’t learn the name of John’s mother until after they hear
Tabby. Only her mother refused to call her Tabby, although Rev. how she died. All that mattered to the first part of the story was her
Lewis Merrill once called her Tabitha when he was trying to identity as a mother, as readers could envision her as their own
convince her not to leave his church. Tabby was a popular name mother and imagine how devastating her death would be. Now
for pet cats at the time, and John says that his mother was Irving can describe Tabitha in detail, and she’s a complex character,
feline in many respects—not sly, but sleek and touchable. both charming and somewhat detached from others.
Everyone wanted to touch her, and like a cat, she could both
repel and welcome being touched.

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Owen once told John, “YOUR MOTHER IS SO SEXY, I KEEP Owen might as well have said, “Your mother is so sexy, I keep
FORGETTING SHE’S ANYBODY’S MOTHER.” Indeed, forgetting she’s a person.” Tabitha’s sex appeal sadly eclipses
Tabitha’s sex appeal gave most people the wrong idea about everything else about her as a human being. People can’t see
her. Everyone assumed she was all body and no brain, but she beyond her body, and she becomes an empty vessel for others to
was never as simple or as eager to please as she appeared. She pour their longing or jealousy into. Even John and Owen can’t help
was a wonderful mother, and a woman whose pure happiness but think of her in terms of her physical attractiveness.
provoked envy in others, for she was perfectly content with
very little. She seemed to need nothing but her son and the
right man to be happy, and she had them both for the last few
years of her life. Tabitha’s sister, Martha, was a warm and kind
woman who loved Tabitha, but never understood her.

Tabitha mostly dressed modestly, never exposing much flesh or John’s mother dresses like a man’s ideal woman: not immodest, but
wearing dresses tight around the hips, but she liked to wear pleasing to the male gaze. Such a woman doesn’t flaunt her
things that flattered her ample chest and small waist. John sexuality, but she is still sexy, and men enjoy looking at her and
wonders if she was a flirt, or if she just discarded her inhibitions fantasizing about her. John thinks about his mother in the
on the train, since she met both of her lovers there. Owen tells traditionally misogynistic way that men often think about
him he’s being absurd, and nothing happens to his mother on women—suspecting that they are secretly promiscuous and
trains. The story behind his mother’s first liaison on the train is unworthy. Owen corrects him, not allowing Tabitha’s dignified
her own secret to keep, but she readily tells John the story of memory to be insulted.
how she met his stepfather, Dan Needham, on the same train.
Dan loves telling the story with equal enthusiasm, and John
badly wishes Dan were his real father.

The Wheelwrights and Lydia were eating dinner one evening Tabitha’s judgment seems to be so sound in the case of her future
after Tabitha returned from her weekly overnight stay in husband that readers have to wonder what could have gone wrong
Boston when Tabitha announced that she had met another man before. Why did she have such an unwise first love affair with a man
on the train. At first they all assumed she meant that she was who wouldn’t marry her?
pregnant again, with a different man. But she realized what
they were thinking and corrected herself, saying she had just
met a man whom she really liked. Harriet and Lydia are
skeptical that she could already know how strongly she felt
about this man, but Tabitha is sure.

Harriet is horrified to hear that the man Tabitha met is an actor. Harriet has snobbish expectations for a man worthy of marrying
Tabitha explains that he was coming to town to interview for a into her pedigreed family. She is satisfied to learn that he also has a
job teaching drama at the academy, which is somewhat more respectable—that is, traditionally wealthy—background, but any
acceptable to her mother. He also graduated from Harvard, idea she may have entertained of Dan as a refined and aristocratic
which pleases Harriet. When she learns that his name is Daniel type is quickly corrected by his down-to-earth, unassuming nature.
Needham, a fine old New England name, she finally relaxes. Just
then, Dan himself arrives at the house.

All of Tabitha’s past dates were young men who didn’t have a Dan shows a rare understanding of how children think, and he is
clue about what to do with a six-year-old. Dan was unlike the prepared to be a dedicated father to John from the start. He is not
other men because he was gawky and far from handsome; he an aloof man who expects absolute obedience from children, but a
also knew just how to kindle John’s curiosity with a mysterious loving and compassionate figure who will later fill in for the absence
package. John peeks into the package when he isn’t supposed of John’s mother. John and Owen are thrilled with the alien creature
to, and finds a terrifying creature inside: a stuffed armadillo. he gives them to play with.
Dan brought it to the academy as a dramatic prop, and he gave
it to John as a present. John and Owen both loved it, and liked
to scare each other with it.

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Before the armadillo, all the excitement in John’s life came from John’s extended family is very different from his own. Harriet’s
visits with his cousins up north, in the rural country. His cousins house is full of women, usually orderly and quiet. The Eastmans’
Noah, Simon, and Hester Eastman, all older than him, were household, where men outnumber women, is very rowdy. The
daredevils and wildly competitive. He always lost their violent aristocratic Wheelwrights are scrutinized by the town’s civilized
contests, which was a nice change for Hester, who always lost society, while the Eastmans can run wild in the country. John is not
to her two older brothers. Hyper-masculine Uncle Alfred was well-suited for this dramatic change in environment.
equally wild, while conventionally feminine Aunt Martha was
perfectly mild.

John’s cousin Hester was more drawn to her father’s robust Hester’s father was a towering figure in her life, and she wanted to
role model, and disdained the constraints of womanhood. Being be as tough as him. If most implicit social messages at the time
constantly disparaged by her brothers for being a girl must suggested that females were weaker than males, then Hester
have also formed her attitude about gender, but Noah and wanted to avoid acting like a female should, or at least prove that a
Simon refuse to believe they pushed their sister to become female could act however she wanted to. But her family refused to
such a radical feminist later in life. Instead they blame Hester’s allow her to be anything but an inferior.
ambition to defy propriety and scandalize her family as much as
possible on an innate “overdose of sexual aggression and family
animosity.”

John now sees the societal forces at work in Hester’s later From his future perspective, John hints that Hester has become a
sexual rebellion, observing that she must have been affected by sexual radical, although he doesn’t go into detail. Ironically, he is the
being constantly told that her sexuality was a detriment and a one who first harbored inappropriate sexual thoughts about Hester.
punishment, like when her brothers repeatedly forced her and He allowed her brothers to tie them up and make them kiss because
John to kiss whenever John lost a race. John eventually started he enjoyed it.
to lose on purpose, and even got a hard-on.

Even after John tells Owen about how “physically damaging John and Owen are both only children, and Owen seems to envy
and psychologically upsetting” his visits to his cousins are, John’s close relationship with his cousins. The two friends are as
Owen seems to be jealous of John having fun with his cousins. close as brothers, and Owen hates to be left out and left alone. He is
He wants John to invite him up to Sawyer Depot, where the also insecure about his small size and worries that John might enjoy
Eastmans live, but John fears that his cousins would absolutely playing with his normal-sized cousins more than he likes playing
destroy Owen. Owen is hurt that John would think him too with Owen. But John doesn’t mind Owen’s size—he only wants to
wimpy to keep up with his cousins, but John insists that they’re protect him from the Eastmans’ savage contests, where even an
simply too wild. Owen asks John if he can meet his cousins ordinary boy risks moderate injury.
when they come to Gravesend for Thanksgiving, but John says
his grandmother gets upset having so many kids in the house.
To make Owen feel better, John invites him to stay the night,
which Owen does so frequently that he keeps a toothbrush and
pajamas at the Wheelwrights’.

Owen becomes very attached to John’s stuffed armadillo, and It makes Owen feel better to be entrusted with the care of the
asks if he can take care of it when John is with his rough armadillo while John is away with the Eastmans. The beloved
cousins. John agrees that Owen should take the armadillo to creature is a comfort to him when he feels bad that he can’t join
protect it. Over Thanksgiving, Owen comes over to the them.
Wheelwrights’ to finally meet John’s cousins.

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The night before Owen comes over, he calls John to check in. Owen and John are both nervous for Owen to meet the
One more time, they go over everything about the Eastmans: Eastmans—Owen doesn’t want to make a bad impression, and John
Noah is the oldest, Simon is next, but no smaller or less wild doesn’t want Owen to get crushed by his cousins. They discuss
than his brother, and Hester is the youngest, “PRETTY, BUT Hester’s looks like they would any girl’s, even though she’s John’s
NOT THAT PRETTY.” She has the same masculine traits that cousin. John believes Hester’s attractiveness is decreased by her
look so handsome on her brothers—broad shoulders, big “masculine” attributes, but he approves of her many other pleasing
bones, heavy jaw—but she’s also dark and hairy, with her traits. His judgment of her appearance is terribly thorough and
father’s large hands. She has almost no traits of her mother’s, critical, and he even shames her for putting on more weight than
who was blonde and aristocratic. Nonetheless, her tough he’d like in a woman.
appearance and attitude created a certain sex appeal,
combined with her clear skin, solid curves, flashing healthy
teeth, thick hair, and taunting, sharp eyes. She would struggle
with her weight in her teens, but she was still sexy.

When Owen arrives, he is reluctant to announce himself and Owen is more self-conscious about his voice in this moment, when
give a bad first impression with his freak voice. So he waits he wants to impress children who are older than him, than he is
quietly to be noticed by John and the Eastmans, who are throughout the rest of the book. Of course, being Owen, he still finds
naturally making as much of a ruckus as one can possibly make it impossible to make an ordinary, inconspicuous entrance. He
in an old attic. They finally spot him when the sun blazing strikes John and his cousins as a creature not of this world, come to
through the attic skylight strikes him from above and judge them.
illuminates him like a descending angel, posed with his arms
clasped behind his back like an armless Watahantowet. His
face is blood red from his bitterly cold bike ride down the hill.
He looks so inhuman that Hester screams, startling Owen into
screaming back at her in his singular, high-pitched voice.

The Eastmans are so unsettled that they don’t think of harming John may be used to Owen’s strange voice and appearance, but his
Owen, as John had feared. They don’t want Owen to catch cold cousins are not, and they restrain their wildest impulses in the
outside, so they decide to play a game indoors where Hester presence of this exceptional boy, who is at once so delicate and so
hides inside a dark closet and someone has to find her. Simon self-assured. They try to be considerate of Owen by coming up with
goes inside, and she yanks his “doink” to get back at him for a game to play inside, but he’s still not used to the Eastmans’
ruining her blouse. Owen goes next, and Hester grabs him and signature rough treatment—including rather inappropriate groping.
tickles him. But he’s so surprised—and scared she’s going to He accidentally pees himself and thinks that he blew his chance at
yank his “doink”—that he wets his pants. Poor Owen fitting in with the older Eastmans, but they thankfully seem to
immediately sprints out of the house and launches himself on recognize that their antics are too extreme for everyone to handle.
his bike to ride home. Instead of making fun of him, John’s
cousins feel bad about frightening him.

John and Tabitha drive after Owen, and find him pushing his Owen is very embarrassed and worried about telling his parents
bike up the hill, wet and cold and embarrassed. He’s stubborn what happened. He would rather go back and face the Eastmans
but anxious about getting in trouble with his dad, who is mad at again than face his father. John’s mother, on the other hand, is very
Owen for struggling to outgrow his pants-wetting. John’s understanding and doesn’t make Owen feel ashamed of himself at
mother promises to wash and dry Owen’s clothes, and give him all. Owen’s feelings of disappointment and frustration boil over and
a bath and some of John’s old clothes to wear. In the car, Owen he finally reveals why he wanted to visit the wild Eastman
says he’s upset he didn’t make a good impression on the household so badly—he never gets to go anywhere, period. He’s not
Eastmans to win an invitation to Sawyer Depot. John explains as jealous of the people John spends his time with as he is of the
again that he thought his cousins were too rough for traveling John gets to do, even if it’s just going upstate. Owen’s
Owen—which they just proved, he thinks—but Owen shouts parents stay in their own little world.
that he doesn’t care what they would do to him. He just wants
to ride on a train, and see the mountains. He only gets out of his
house when he goes to school, church, or John’s house.

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Tabitha stops driving to give Owen a hug and a kiss, and she Tabitha and John pity Owen’s claustrophobic existence and try to
promises him that he can always come with them anywhere. comfort him. Owen bravely returns to the Eastmans after wetting
John puts his arm around Owen until he’s ready to go back to his pants in front of them. He restores his influence over them,
the house. Owen marches up to John’s bathroom and takes a leading them in a game of his own devising where less harm
bath before rejoining John and the Eastmans. He proposes a threatens his dignity. Already Owen is good at influencing others for
new game, where one of the others gets to hide him around the his own advantage. The secret of Owen’s hiding place won’t be
house and the others search for him. Hester goes first, and they revealed until decades later, after Owen’s death.
search everywhere for Owen until giving up. He never tells
where she hid him.

Owen stays the night at John’s, and remarks how it’s difficult to Owen has really become a part of John’s family, sleeping at the
go to sleep without the armadillo, now that he’s gotten used to Wheelwrights’, wearing John’s clothes, sharing custody of the
it. John would think back to this moment, and to the earlier creature Dan gave John, befriending the Eastmans, etc. He may
image of Owen struggling to ride his bike up the hill, at a later even love the Wheelwrights more than his own family, who never
date, on the night his mother died. He knew that he and Owen show him such love and affection. His closeness with the
would be thinking about the same things while trying to fall Wheelwrights’ makes his fatal swing even worse, knowing that he’s
asleep after that awful tragedy: Tabitha, Dan, and Dan’s inflicted the worst kind of pain on the people he loves most. But
armadillo. And he knew what poor Owen must have looked like their love also allows him to remain part of the family even after the
while riding his bike home alone after the fateful baseball accident, which is extraordinary.
game, preparing to face his parents and tell them what he had
done.

The morning after Tabitha died, Owen deposits a few big boxes John is puzzled about why Owen has left him all his baseball cards,
at their door. The boxes contain Owen’s entire baseball card but Dan wisely understands the offering. When words fail to
collection, his most prized possession. Dan says that Owen capture the enormity of feeling, Owen frequently turns to symbols
gave the beloved cards to John as a gesture of apology, trust, to express himself. The baseball cards are not meant to be
and love, and that Owen surely wishes for John to return the equivalent to the value of Tabitha’s life, of course, but Owen has so
cards to him as a gesture of forgiveness. John needs to give the little to call his own in life that the cards are especially precious.
cards back, and give Owen a prized possession of his own. John
gives him the armadillo. The boys exchange these objects
because they cannot yet express their feelings about the
tragedy.

Owen returns the armadillo to John after removing its front Owen takes the opportunity to add a further layer of symbolism to
claws so that it can no longer hold itself upright. John is quite his exchange of meaningful objects. He identifies with the armless
upset that Owen has mutilated the animal, until Dan explains totem of the sagamore Watahantowet, who was also both robbed of
that the amputation is a symbol of how Owen feels, having his agency and unwillingly responsible for taking life away from his
accidentally killed Tabitha with his own two hands and ripped people by signing away so much of their land to the white settlers.
John’s mother away from him. He and John have lost a part of
themselves with Tabitha’s death, and he would cut off his hands
to bring her back. John realizes that the armadillo also
resembles Watahantowet’s armless totem. Owen told him
that Watanhantowet believed that animals had souls, along
with rivers, rocks, trees, and other living and non-living natural
things. Giving up his land therefore cost him more than the
buyer could have imagined.

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Later, Owen would tell John what else he meant to Owen believes that only God could have been behind such a freak
communicate through the armless armadillo: “GOD HAS event as Tabitha’s death by foul ball. Because Owen was the one
TAKEN YOUR MOTHER. MY HANDS WERE THE who sent the ball flying on its fatal trajectory, he believes that God
INSTRUMENT. GOD HAS TAKEN MY HANDS. I AM GOD’S acted through him, making him—and his hands, literally—God’s
INSTRUMENT.” John could not have conceived of such a instrument(s). John later learns that Owen had other signs pointing
thought at eleven years old, and he would not even have him towards such a striking conclusion.
believed in divine appointments. He did not know at the time
that Owen had other evidence to convince him that God had
selected him for a mission.

John steps back into the present: January 1987, where he’s From John’s hostility towards everything American, readers can
walking his dog in the snow in Toronto. He tries to avoid assume that his past life in America likely includes terrible memories
American news and television, as well as other Americans in that he has yet to fully reveal.
Toronto, but even Canada’s news features too much coverage
of American politics, and he finds it difficult to look away.

In recent news, President Ronald Reagan is militantly John’s anger over the mistakes and misbehavior of American
determined to prevent the Soviet Union from establishing a presidents in the Cold War suggests that the trauma in his past is
“beachhead” in Central America from which to spread tied to the long, violent conflict between American democracy and
Communism in the Western Hemisphere. John criticizes Soviet communism. The importance of remembering history is
Americans and their leaders for forgetting recent history: for something John often emphasizes.
example, the massive antiwar demonstrations in the late 1960s
following the disastrous escalation of the war earlier in the
decade, under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson.

Owen had strong doubts all along about the rationale behind The Vietnam War (1955–1977) was a long, ugly conflict between
going to war in Vietnam. He questioned whether America was Western democratic forces, primarily America, and Soviet
supporting the right Vietnamese leaders in the lead-up to war: Union–supported communist forces in Vietnam, Laos, and
“[NGO DINH] DIEM IS A CATHOLIC […] WHAT’S A Cambodia. The region was formerly a colony of France that gained
CATHOLIC DOING AS PRESIDENT OF A COUNTRY OF its independence after WWII. The newly independent countries had
BUDDHISTS?” He questioned the dubious authority on which to choose their governments, and became caught between the
the United States went to war: “DOES THAT MEAN THE different models of the United States and the Soviet Union. In
PRESIDENT CAN DECLARE A WAR WITHOUT DECLARING Vietnam, the U.S. supported President Ngo Dinh Diem, who was
IT?” And he quickly perceived the fatal strategic flaw at the unpopular with the people. His regime collapsed and civil war broke
heart of the war: “THERE’S NO END TO THIS […] THERE’S NO out. America intervened without officially declaring war.
GOOD WAY TO END IT.”

John asks if people today remember the Tet Offensive, a fierce America fought with the South Vietnamese pro-democratic forces
North Vietnamese offensive during the Vietnamese New Year against the North Vietnamese pro-communist forces, also known as
celebration in January 1968 that struck a heavy blow to morale the Viet Cong. The American military continued to fight even when
late in the war. Later that year Robert Kennedy was the war was hopeless. The Viet Cong would hide among civilian
assassinated, and Richard Nixon was elected. Over 500,000 populations, and American soldiers would target innocent
American soldiers were still in Vietnam a year later. Over Vietnamese civilians in frustration. The worst civilian massacre was
30,000 Canadian soldiers served, too, and a similar number of in My Lai, a name which came to symbolize horrific war crimes.
Americans moved to Canada during the war, including John. In John is unable to forget the war’s terrible toll of American and
1971, Lt. William Calley was convicted of premeditated murder Vietnamese lives.
in the My Lai massacre of Vietnamese civilians, and John was
applying for Canadian citizenship.

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John says that Owen kept him out of Vietnam, which he’s very At the time, nearly all young men in America were drafted to fight in
grateful for. In fact, John believes that everything Owen did for Vietnam, whether they wanted to join the military or not. Owen
him more than outweighs everything Owen took from somehow kept John from having to go to war, among many other
him—even John’s mother. blessings he apparently did for his friend—help so valuable to John
that it eclipsed Tabitha’s loss.

CHAPTER 3: THE ANGEL

Tabitha kept a dressmaker’s dummy next to her bed. She was a As readers have already seen, Tabitha’s body is very important to
talented seamstress who made her own clothes. She never had the book—John and Owen give thorough commentary on it. The
a real job, and lived off of Harriet’s generous allowance, but she dummy, as her body incarnate, will also hold a meaningful place in
saved a lot of money by bringing home clothes from nice stores, John and Owen’s lives.
copying the designs for herself, and then returning the clothes
to the store. The dummy was designed to match Tabitha’s
physical measurements exactly, and at night John and Dan
frequently mistook it for Tabitha standing next to the bed.

John and Owen liked to play dress-up with the dummy and Tabitha is faithful to her puritanical New England heritage,
Tabitha’s clothes. She was practical, and only made clothes in abstaining from anything that could be seen as overly frivolous or
black and white, easy to mix and match. The one dress Tabitha flashy. The only colorful dress in her wardrobe is justified by its
owned that she never wore or put on the dummy was a red pattern and the extreme circumstances (later revealed to be false,
dress she brought home to copy into white and black, and then however) of how it fell into her hands. She can’t bring herself to just
was unable to return when the store had a fire. Dan suggested get rid of it, however.
donating it to his costume collection, but Tabitha thought that
the dress would be wasted.

Dan became the director for both the students at the Tabitha’s discomfort with acting compared to her passion for
Gravesend Academy and the members of the town’s amateur singing corresponds with her reluctance to draw too much attention
theatre company, the Gravesend Players. Tabitha loved to sing to her body. The attention is on her voice when she sings.
but was too shy to act—she only acted in one of Dan’s plays as a
gesture of love for him, when she was the star of the play Angel
Street. She wore the red dress once during a rehearsal, but
appeared very uncomfortable in it.

One night, Owen was sleeping over at the Wheelwrights’ when The fact that Owen was sick with a fever and that there was a
he woke up feeling very ill with a fever. He went to Tabitha’s lifelike dummy standing next to Tabitha’s bed makes John, and the
bedroom, and came back to John’s room to tell him he saw an reader, skeptical that Owen really saw an angel in Tabitha’s room.
angel by Tabitha’s bed. John thought Owen must have seen the His belief that the angel was an ominous figure of death rather than
dummy, but Owen insisted it was on the other side of the bed. a comforting figure of protection is surprising, since many children
Tabitha gave him an aspirin for his fever and he stayed in bed are taught that good angels are watching over them.
with her in case the angel came back—he suspected he had
seen not a guardian angel at her bedside, but the Angel of
Death.

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John thinks that this angel sighting was just a feverish John doesn’t share Owen’s belief in divine intervention. He can’t
hallucination that Owen believed was real. He became irritated bear to think that his mother would have been taken from him by
when Owen later suggested that the baseball that killed God. Meanwhile, Owen can’t bear to think that God is not behind
Tabitha was “fated”; John believes that his mother’s death was his trials, and that his pain is meaningless. After Tabitha’s death, he
purely an accident, while Owen thinks there are no accidents. thinks back to the omen he believed he saw, and concluded that he
Owen believes that he hit that baseball for a reason, and that had been re-assigned the task of ending Tabitha’s life.
he was made to be so little and speak so strangely for a reason.
He is convinced that in going into Tabitha’s room that night, he
had interrupted a holy angel at work, and the angel had thus
made him responsible for carrying out Tabitha’s death.

Later that same night, Harriet came into Tabitha’s room to Still feverish, this time Owen is definitely mistaken in believing that
scold her for leaving the light and the water on in the bathroom an angel has come to Tabitha’s room. The second “angel sighting”
when getting Owen’s aspirin. Owen woke up and mistook incident serves to cast doubt on the first, although Owen still
Harriet for another deadly angel, letting out such a terrible manages to fit it into his theory of omens by suggesting that
scream that he awoke the household and the whole Harriet’s scream was like the mythological wail of a banshee,
neighborhood. Harriet cried out in response, and Lydia foretelling Tabitha’s death. Owen dubiously mixes religion with
shrieked in pain from leaping out of bed and crashing into her pagan myth in this questionable theory of events.
dresser. Owen would frequently recall Harriet “wailing like a
banshee,” which Dan later told John referred to a female spirit
in Irish folklore whose wailing foreshadowed a loved one’s
death.

Although Tabitha and Dan were clearly in love from the start, Tabitha’s instincts about Dan were so clearly correct that her
she waited four years to agree to marry him. The rest of her hesitation to marry him is baffling to people. Why did she leap into
family and the town didn’t understand why she insisted on such a bad choice and hold back from such a good one? Her motives
waiting so long, especially because she had already been in were a mystery to everyone else who was already convinced that
such a hasty affair when she became pregnant with John. John her judgment was correct in Dan’s case.
thinks that maybe she waited to prove the town wrong about
her impulsive judgment, but everyone was quite impatient with
her by the time she finally agreed to marry Dan—everyone
adored him so much.

Harriet frequently prodded Tabitha about her surprising Tabitha keeps her feelings about her marriage to herself like she kept
hesitation to marry Dan, which Tabitha insisted was not based her details about her lover to herself. Either she’s always this
on any specific obstacle but just “to be sure.” During their four- intensely secretive about love, or the two secrets are connected. By
year courtship, Tabitha gradually started bringing John to the the time she is ready to get married, she has left both her old church
Episcopal Church and gradually stopped going to her singing and her old singing ambition behind, suggesting that perhaps the
lessons. Dan would never have insisted on either change, but two things are connected to her first secret.
she chose to end her old routine. John wondered if Tabitha’s
singing teacher could have been her lover, but Owen insisted
that it wouldn’t have made sense for her to keep seeing him.

John worried that maybe he was the problem—that Dan John fears that he and his secret paternity could be getting in the
wouldn’t marry Tabitha until she told him who John’s father way of Tabitha and Dan’s blissful marriage, but Owen reassures him
was—but Owen argued that Dan would never have forced that he isn’t the reason—Dan would never have a problem with
Tabitha to tell him anything she didn’t want to. Dan’s family John and would never pressure Tabitha to reveal John’s father.
wasn’t the reason for their wait, either—while they certainly
didn’t approve of Tabitha being an unwed mother, Dan didn’t
get along with them and wouldn’t have listened to them.

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There were no religious objections to Tabitha and Dan’s Even though Tabitha was an unwed mother, both Protestant
marriage, either. Both churches approved of the couple and churches in Gravesend welcomed her. John never speculates on
wanted them for their congregations. John preferred the whether the Catholic Church would have accepted her, having a
atmosphere and the reverend of the Congregational Church to traditionally rigid and less progressive stance on sexual morality.
those of the Episcopal Church. Rev. Lewis Merrill was the The two Protestant churches are led by very different men—one
pastor of the Congregational Church, while Rev. Dudley Wiggin highly intelligent and philosophical, and the other more blue-collar
was the rector of the Episcopal Church. Wiggin was a former and blustering.
airline pilot, forced to retire early from flying after he
developed a disqualifying visual impairment. Merrill was highly
educated, with an Ivy League English degree, and preached
eloquently.

Wiggin had a pilot’s cocky confidence and lack of doubt in his Wiggin preaches as if God is an invisible but certifiable fact, like the
preaching, while Merrill was “full of doubt” in a relatable way temperature and wind speed he measured from the cockpit in
that endeared him to his congregation. Merrill preached that midair. But many people fear flying in a plane because they can’t
faith required clearing the high hurdle of believing in God quite believe that unseen forces will keep them in the air, and many
without any certain evidence that He exists. To Merrill, doubt people also find it very difficult to believe in a God that can’t be
was not the opposite of faith, but the essence of faith. Wiggin seen. Merrill’s sermons about the natural doubts people feel are
believed absolutely—fearlessly—and he wanted to impart the extremely relatable.
fear of God into his congregation. Merrill was so popular that
members of other churches would regularly miss their own
services to hear him preach.

Owen disapproved of what he considered to be Merrill’s overly Owen, who has no doubt in God’s existence, believing himself to be
intellectual approach to faith, arguing, “IF HE’S GOT SO MUCH living proof of divine intention, disagrees with Merrill. But people
DOUBT, HE’S IN THE WRONG BUSINESS.” But people liked born into ordinary bodies, who don’t find themselves at the center of
the boyishly handsome Merrill, who had an endearing mild freak accidents, aren’t as sure that God is watching over them. They
stutter. The town also sympathized with Merrill because of his like Merrill’s empathy for their flawed faith and they like his deeply
unfortunate family—his wife was a native Californian who human, imperfect life.
failed to acclimate to New England, suffering from endless
colds. His children were also sickly, and they were dull and
disrespectful.

Wiggin was comparatively robust and healthy, with a tendency New England traditionally prefers a bit more humility from its
to smirk. He was a bomber pilot in WWII. His wife, Barb, was a church leaders than this couple has, who used to command the
former stewardess with a manner as brash as his own, and their skies. Tabitha doesn’t mind the Wiggins, although Dan doesn’t seem
kids were great, bulky athletes. John didn’t really understand to be a big fan of them, as Irving will later show in greater detail. It’s
why they had to leave Merrill’s church for Wiggin’s, but Tabitha not clear therefore why Dan would have been the reason for the
implied that Dan cared more about which church they went to switch. Splitting the ceremony between two reverends also seems
than she did. They were married in a neutral, rather unusual. Tabitha can’t seem to shake her old church. She
nondenominational church at Gravesend Academy. Merrill and can’t leave her past behind, as the occasion of her wedding is still
Wiggin shared the service, which was very well attended. In shadowed by her past transgression.
retrospect, John reflects that much of the town may have
wanted to see his “fallen” mother finally making herself
“respectable,” many thinking to themselves, “Tabby
Wheelwright has some nerve to wear white.”

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A reception followed at the Wheelwrights’ house, where the Hester is just one of the kids messing around in the backyard until
Eastmans were their rowdy selves, slapping each other with a she has to go to the bathroom, and then her sex sets her apart from
toad. There were only two bathrooms in the house open to the the rest of the group. She only wants the same freedoms that they
reception, and the boys bragged to Hester that they could pee have, to get back to playing instead of wasting a quarter hour in the
in the bushes. Hester asked them to stand guard so she could bathroom line, but social decorum would forbid it.
squat in the bushes. She gave her underwear to Owen to hold
and keep dry while she went.

For a wedding present, Owen made the couple an abiding Owen doesn’t have much to work with—he doesn’t have money to
memento cut from his father’s finest granite: a brick-shaped buy Tabitha and Dan anything—but he uses what he does have
marker that he designed and polished himself, engraved with available, granite, and spends days perfecting it for a heartfelt
the month and year of the wedding—July 1952. He was very wedding present. Unfortunately, it’s a bit morbid, like a gravestone.
proud of his work.

Owen playfully refused to give Hester her panties back for the Owen denies Hester the simple relief a boy takes for granted, of
rest of the party. She was mildly angry, with a hint of quickly and inconspicuously peeing. He insists on holding onto the
flirtatiousness. A summer storm descended on the backyard evidence of her transgression. She doesn’t make a big protest, but
party, providing an ominous early end to the festivities. The she is reminded of yet another male privilege that society prevents
judgmental attendees in the group probably thought the storm her from seizing for herself. And when the rain turns her dress
was “what that Tabby Wheelwright deserve[d]—her in her transparent, she is shamed in front of the entire party while Owen
white dress.” It even began to hail while Tabitha and Dan were has his fun. She is judged for what she is not wearing just as Tabitha
leaving. Tabitha told Owen to come along so they could drop is judged for what she wore—a white dress, traditionally symbolic of
him off at his house. When she stepped out of the car to make virginity. The old conservatives at the party believe that the
room for him, a hailstone struck her in the head, another omen. rain—and maybe even the hailstone that strikes her—are divine
Owen drove off with Hester’s panties still in his grasp. When signs. And of course, Owen is forever associated with Tabitha’s bad
she ran outside after him, the rain soaked her dress, showing omens.
the whole party that she wasn’t wearing underwear.

Back in the present, Coach Chickering is dying of Alzheimer’s. Tabitha’s tragic death would have a long-lasting effect on many
He occasionally remembers John and says things like “Owen’s Gravesend residents, like poor Mr. Chickering. The premature death
batting for you, Johnny!” and “You don’t want to see her, of a young woman at the prime of her life prefigured the senseless
Johnny.” At Tabitha’s funeral, he cried openly, mourning both deaths of many young people that would later occur during the
Tabitha and his team, which mostly disbanded after the tragic Vietnam War. Tabitha dies at a baseball game, that favorite
accident. Sitting with him was John’s teammate Harry American pastime, and America would utterly lose its way during
Hoyt—the boy who had walked before Owen came to bat. the war, unable to stop playing an unwinnable game.
Harry would enlist in the Navy after graduating from the town’s
public high school, to the great dismay of his mother, a widow.
He would then go to Vietnam, where he would die of a
venomous snake bite while peeing under a tree outside a
brothel.

After Harry died, his mother became politically opposed to the While Harry had willingly enlisted in the military, the fact that he
war, and offered to help other local boys avoid the draft and died for the sake of such a dubious war enraged his mother. Unable
escape her son’s fate. Her employer, the local Gas Works, fired to go back and save her son, Mrs. Hoyt wanted to save all the other
her, and her home was vandalized. She was compelled to move boys who might not have known what they were getting themselves
away. At Tabitha’s funeral, she didn’t sit with her son and the into—or how to get themselves out of it.
rest of the team—unlike her son, Mrs. Hoyt “was never a team
player.”

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John recalls that Mrs. Hoyt was the first person to suggest to Mrs. Hoyt told John that true democracy meant making one’s idea
him that criticizing the president was not, in fact, anti- and opinions heard, not following along with whatever one’s leaders
American, criticizing the country’s policies wasn’t anti-patriotic, said. If the leaders were wrong, it was a citizen’s responsibility to
and criticizing the Vietnam War wasn’t the same thing as speak up. Exercising one’s right to free speech and protest is as
supporting the communists. Most other Gravesend residents “patriotic” and “American” as it gets.
couldn’t tell the difference, and most Americans still can’t.

Buzzy Thurston was not present at Tabitha’s funeral—although In John’s mind, the teammates who allowed Owen to come up to
he “should have been,” since he was the player who brought bat are accountable, in part, for what happened to his mother. It’s
Owen up to bat when he should have been out on an easy not rational, but he still holds it against them, as anger helps him
grounder. But John admits maybe he just didn’t see Buzzy, forget his grief. He is also angry at the self-righteous townspeople
since the church was so full, as packed as it had been for who gather like buzzards to reap their satisfaction at his mother’s
Tabitha’s wedding. The same people who had witnessed Tabitha death, feeling like her transgression was finally punished.
walking down the aisle in her white dress were back “to
acknowledge, O God, that Tabby Wheelwright was not allowed
to get off scot-free.”

God did not allow Buzzy “to get off scot-free, either,” one could Buzzy, like Tabitha, died at the prime of his life; he was perfectly
say. If Buzzy was judged for reaching base and allowing Owen healthy but was forced to throw his health away in order to escape a
to come up to the plate when he should have gotten out, he tour of duty that would likely have destroyed his body or his soul.
received his punishment when he later died. Buzzy was in His self-sabotage saved him from Vietnam, but couldn’t save his life.
perfect shape before he was called to appear before the draft
board, but he was so desperate to receive an exemption that he
poisoned himself for two weeks straight before his physical. He
binged on drugs and alcohol so heavily that he got himself
declared psychologically unfit to serve. However, his plan
worked only too well, and he became addicted to his drugs and
alcohol. He crashed his car and died while he was high. Mrs.
Hoyt argued that he was yet another tragic casualty of the war.

Chief Pike was also at Tabitha’s funeral, still on the lookout for The Gravesend Chief of Police is still searching in vain for a way to
the stolen ball. Pike stared at Owen throughout the whole restore order and bring closure to this tragic case. But there was no
funeral, suspecting him of possessing the ball. Just like at the sense in this death, and there would be little sense in the deaths to
wedding, Wiggin and Merrill shared the service. When it came come. The only way to avoid hopeless despair, the book suggests, is
time for the ending hymn, a song about resurrection, John to have some kind of faith.
knew that Owen would sing it at the top of his lungs, being
extremely fond of the song. For once, John dreaded the sound
of Owen’s voice.

When the mourners proceed to the cemetery, John notices The world does not stop turning when a loved one dies; people
several people holding their ears. He doesn’t understand why continue to live as they have always done. Most of the grieving
until he hears it for himself—the sound of children nearby members of John’s family can’t bear it at first, but they will move on
playing baseball. After the funeral, the Wheelwrights and eventually. John, as an adult, seems unable to move on from his
Eastmans return to Harriet’s house, where Aunt Martha and trauma.
Dan each invite John to move in with them. John decides to
stay with Dan, who has already legally adopted him.

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At the funeral at Harriet’s house, John’s cousins are subdued. Everyone is processing their grief in their own ways. Hester tries to
Harriet is stoic, and Martha is overwhelmed by grief and make John feel better by getting him out of the house. She has
disbelief. Hester offers to take a walk with John, alone. She enough distance from the tragedy to see how both and John and
holds John’s hand as they walk and tells him that Owen feels Owen must be hurting, and how both of their lives have changed
worse than he does. They walk to the cemetery, where Mr. forever. The incident seems to have changed how Owen’s parents
Meany sits in his truck. He tells John that he will keep his treat him, allowing him to have his own way from that day on, like
promise to Tabitha not to interfere if Owen wants to go to he is no longer a child.
Gravesend Academy. Although John didn’t realize it at the time,
he says later that Mr. Meany stopped interfering with anything
Owen wanted after Owen hit the fatal ball.

John and Hester walk into the cemetery to find Owen praying Owen is intently praying; whether he prays for his own sake or
over Tabitha’s grave. When John calls his name, Owen thinks Tabitha’s, no one knows. He surely wants answers from God about
God is speaking to him. When John and Hester tell Owen that what this terrible death at his own hands could mean. He seems to
Dan has gone back to his apartment in the Gravesend Academy want to make things right for Tabitha’s family, sparing them as
dormitory for the night, Owen declares that Dan shouldn’t be much pain as he can.
left alone with Tabitha’s dressmaking dummy, her double. Mr.
Meany drives them over to the dormitory and Owen leaves his
flashlight illuminating Tabitha’s grave, knowing that she hated
the darkness. Dan, who is drinking whiskey, makes no protest
when Owen carries the dummy in the red dress away.

Owen says he’ll keep the dummy with him, since Dan, John, and While Owen may seem to have only the most helpful of intentions,
Harriet shouldn’t have it around to look at. Hester points out John perceives an element of self-interest in his preoccupation with
that he really shouldn’t be looking at it, either, but Owen the dummy. Taking the armadillo claws and the dummy are actions
ignores her. John marvels at how Owen once again manages to with their own private motives for Owen as much as they are meant
orchestrate events exactly as he wants to, easing the to help Tabitha’s family grieve. But in John’s later experience, he
Wheelwrights’ grief while making off with what he wanted for finds that Owen’s secretive actions usually do turn out to help other
himself—first the armadillo claws, now the dummy. As it turns people, especially John himself.
out, the dummy would later have a purpose, proving Owen’s
gift for foresight yet again. But at the time, John thought Owen
just wanted the dummy to protect him from the forces he
disturbed with his supposed “angel” sighting.

In the present, it is February 1987, and John believes in angels Like Mr. Meany, John doesn’t doubt Owen any longer. Today he
now. He is upset that he wasn’t elected—or even knows that angels really can visit. His belief is strong, and he thinks
nominated—for any of the parish offices at Grace Church-on- he deserves an appointment to a parish office at his church for the
the-Hill. He feels he should have at least been recognized for strength of his convictions. However, a church is about more than
his longstanding devotion with a courtesy nomination for individual belief—it’s about community, and John evidently
something. He recognizes that his fellow parishioners were struggles with that. The new rector of Grace Church isn’t as tolerant
probably well-intentioned in granting him a break, but still of John’s eccentricities and anti-social tendencies.
takes the gesture as an insult. He reminisces about the golden
years when Canon Campbell was alive, and rector of Grace
Church. He finds the new Canon Mackie to be warm and kind, if
long-winded, but doesn’t have the same special bond with him
as he did with Canon Campbell.

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John rebukes himself for allowing childish petty thoughts to John is trapped in a black mood, finding fault with just about
distract him from the service. But even the Bible proves everything. Owen and later John himself have a strong faith in God
unsatisfactory that day. Canon Mackie reads Matthew’s and His divine miracles, but they don’t agree with everything that
Beatitudes, which always troubled John and Owen. Statements Christianity teaches. They have seen how people twist religion to
like “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” justify their own ends. The idea that suffering on earth is acceptable
strike John as false—he is still grieving Tabitha’s death, and has because the reward in heaven will be great makes people passive
yet to feel “comforted.” Like John, Owen didn’t believe that pain about helping others—or helping themselves.
and suffering on Earth should be hailed for bringing one closer
to God and a heavenly reward. Owen called such ideas
“GOODNESS AS BRIBERY,” not genuine faith or selflessness.

John also struggles to sincerely proclaim the language of the John believes in the power of the words one speaks—perhaps a
Nicene Creed and the general confession. Canon Campbell lesson he learned from Owen. Other people are content to repeat
used to talk him through the words and their meaning, but what they ought to say, but becoming too caught up in pinning
Canon Mackie tends to brush him off by saying he worries too down the exact meaning of certain words can keep one from seeing
much about “mere words.” The only part of the service that the big picture or taking concrete action. John can recognize the
really speaks to John is the verse from Psalms that says, “Leave danger of his unresolved anger, even when he’s caught up in it.
off from wrath, and let go displeasure: fret not thyself, else
shalt thou be moved to do evil.” He admits that he has been
“moved to do evil” by anger in the past.

CHAPTER 4: THE LITTLE LORD JESUS

John spends the Christmas after Tabitha’s death at home. Tabitha’s loss leads to the loss of other happy traditions. Cut off
Harriet argues that if the whole family is together at Sawyer from the past, Owen and John look for the clues to their future.
Depot without Tabitha, her loss will be too painfully apparent.
John and Owen occupy themselves over break by using Dan’s
master dorm key to infiltrate the students’ rooms at the school.

Dan is busy rehearsing with the Gravesend Players for their Owen resented the limited roles that he was sorted into based on
annual production of A Christmas Car
Carol
ol. Dan wanted Owen to his unusual appearance. Ironically, his new part in the Christmas
play Tiny Tim, but Owen refused to play another “cute” pageant will be more dependent on his size than ever.
part—he is already forced to play the Announcing Angel in the
Wiggins’ Christmas pageant every year, havng the perfect size
and delicate appearance to be suspended in the air above the
stage to declare Jesus’s birth.

Owen also complains that whoever plays Joseph, Jesus’s Owen has a long list of complaints about the Wiggins’ annual
father, always smirks obnoxiously throughout the show, while Christmas pageant. His faith is so strong that he thinks he knows
Mary, Jesus’s mother, is always played by the prettiest girl in better than the pastor what the scene of the Nativity should look
the church: “WHAT DOES PRETTY HAVE TO DO WITH IT?” like.
He also hates the Wiggins’ insistence that the Baby Jesus
should never cry, requiring an assembly line of adults to swap
out fussy babies for calm ones throughout the show. Owen
believes in taking things seriously, and hates that his voice
always wins laughter rather than respect when he plays the
Announcing Angel.

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Harriet tends to get cranky when Owen and John play at her Owen and John have the whole dorm building to themselves, and
house, so they would rather spend their days at Dan’s dorm. they have no inhibitions on how they act. They can freely violate
The students are all gone, as are most of the faculty occupants. people’s privacy and indulge in fantasies about Ginger Brinker-
Only Mr. Brinker-Smith and his wife, Ginger, are around, and Smith. The boys’ appraisal of her sexual appeal as a nursing mother
the couple is very busy with their newborn twins. Ginger is a is rather disturbing. They haven’t even hit puberty yet, so their
freckled, voluptuous, strawberry-blonde beauty, and the sex- preoccupation with her figure is not based in real desire—yet they
obsessed boys at the academy lust over her even during her have been conditioned to think of women’s bodies as objects for
pregnancy with the twins. John remarks that her appearance male appreciation.
was hardly alluring during that Christmas break he and Owen
spend at the dorms—she wears only loose, slept-in clothes due
to her exhausting nursing schedule.

Once, Mr. Brinker-Smith brought Ginger into his biology class Nursing a child is not a seductive act—it’s the primary biological
to demonstrate nursing in mammals—an “eye-opening” function of a woman’s breasts—but many men cannot separate
illustration that Owen and John are extremely sad to have their lust from an innocent action. If they’re not shaming women
missed. During Christmas break, they often linger around the into hiding themselves away when they have to nurse, they’re lining
Brinker-Smiths’ apartment in the hopes of being invited in for a up for a view. Owen, who hates that his body makes him the target
similar “scientific demonstration.” They even volunteer to help of unwanted attention and physical exploitation, should understand
Ginger on a trip to the grocery store, but after all their work how a woman in that position would feel.
pushing the stroller and carrying the groceries, Ginger does
not reward them with a glimpse of her breasts.

Owen and John let themselves into the students’ rooms and go Again, Owen and John feel entitled to ogle the female body at will. If
through all their belongings. Owen looks through each boy’s they can’t see enough of the body to please them, the picture is too
things methodically and lies on each bed to try and get an idea “wholesome.” They feel ashamed if the pictures aren’t clear or well-
of what each boy is like. John and Owen learn where the staged, suggesting that the woman isn’t pleased to be
students keep their dirty magazines or pictures, and are photographed. They dream of women happily willing to expose
dissatisfied to find that most of the pictures are either themselves for the sake of fulfilling male lust.
“disturbingly unclear” or “disappointingly wholesome.” The truly
nude photos are usually creepy-looking, featuring grim-faced
women with censored nipples.

Owen is preoccupied with determining whether or not an Owen wants to understand what other, older boys are like. He
occupant is “happy.” He imagines that the presence of any kind wants to understand how people think out of a general curiosity, but
of hard-core pictures proves that the boy must be he also wants to understand who he could one day become. He’s
unhappy—“HOW CAN YOU BE HAPPY IF YOU SPEND ALL searching for reasons to attend Gravesend or not, his family’s
YOUR TIME THINKING ABOUT DOING IT?” John thinks that prejudices warring with John’s family’s admiration for the school.
the rooms are probably less illuminating than Owen believes He wouldn’t have a dorm room himself, but perhaps he wants to
them to be, given that they are only the boys’ temporary know who he’ll be studying with.
homes. The same sports and movie stars are found in every
room, as are the same tokens of home. Owen thinks that the
transitory nature and homesickness evident in the boarders’
rooms proves the boarding system “EVIL.”

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The older boys’ rooms show John and Owen what awaits them The boys are too young to have real sexual desires, but they are
in adolescence—secrets, messiness, lust. In one room, they find curious about condoms, and about teenage rebellion. They take this
condoms, also known as “rubbers” or “beetleskins,” in a sock opportunity to practice both, trying to forestall the powerlessness
drawer. They unwrap one and take turns awkwardly putting it they feel about growing up.
on. Owen says that the Catholics forbid condoms, which John
doesn’t understand. The two boys are only eleven, and they
treat the condom more like a scientific experiment than a
sexual object. To Owen, putting on the condom is an act of
religious rebellion.

At the first rehearsal for the Christmas pageant, Owen After exerting his influence on John’s family, Owen starts to take
instigates another religious rebellion. He begins by refusing to charge of larger affairs. He turns the Christmas pageant completely
play the Announcing Angel anymore, and proceeds to cast the upside down, giving new directions left and right. As soon as he gets
play himself. He chooses John to play Joseph, which John isn’t on a roll, everyone has to go along with what he’s already set in
happy about—he considers Joseph to be an “uninspiring” part, motion.
being merely “that guy along for the ride.” As Joseph, John is
told to pick the girl to play Mary, a choice he is extremely
reluctant to make. Owen saves John by suggesting that Mary
Beth Baird play Mary because of her name. Mary Beth is far
from the prettiest—she is timid and gawky, a “lump of a
girl”—but no one can rudely deny her the role once she is
offered it.

Barb Wiggin is quite angry that Owen is upending all of her Taking his revenge for always being conscripted into playing the
plans for the pageant. He doesn’t make it easy for her to find a Announcing Angel, Owen tells the rest of the children exactly why
new Announcing Angel—he warns the rest of the class that the they shouldn’t want to play the crucial part. The boy who has the
harness can turn you to face the wrong way and cut into your opposite of the Wiggins’ idea of a perfect body for the role become
skin, and you have to wait a long time in the dark above the Owen’s replacement.
stage and memorize a long speech. Poor overweight Harold
Crosby falls over in his chair from dread, which Rev. Wiggin
mistakes for eagerness to volunteer. He names him to be the
new angel.

Finally, Owen brings up the Christ Child and the ridiculous One would have thought that Owen would hate nothing more than
spectacle of the adults handing the babies on and off the stage. to play an infant because of his exceptionally small size. However,
He offers to take the place of the baby in the manger, since he the chance to play Jesus Christ himself evidently outweighs the
can fit in the crib. The rest of the children love this idea—Mary humiliation of calling more attention to his childlike body.
Beth wants to lift him up onstage like they do in class. Barb
reevaluates how “cute” she used to find Owen, while Rev.
Wiggin appears to recognize in the masterful Owen “a little
Lord Jesus.”

Owen continues to get his way in subsequent rehearsals for Owen’s resemblance to Jesus Christ is not just physical, but
the pageant, scrapping the confining crib for a bed of hay, behavioral. He leads the other children and even the adults in his
where he will be more comfortable—and more visible. He even design for the show. He seems to want to be worshipped, while also
rearranges the order of the music. Mary Beth wants to caress being set apart from the others.
Owen like a loving mother, but he refuses.

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Harold continues to dread his role as Announcing Angel; scared Despite Owen’s modifications, the pageant still promises to be a
of heights, he can’t concentrate and always forgets his lines. farce, with a tongue-tied angel, a mummified newborn, and an
Owen objects to having his arms trapped in the “swaddling incestuous Holy Mother and Son. Owen’s vision doesn’t appear to
clothes,” so only his torso, chest, shoulders, and neck are be working out in practice.
swaddled. Covering his Adam’s apple is necessary to preserve
the illusion that he could be an infant, but his face isn’t babylike,
either. The swaddling clothes just look like bandages on some
horrible burn victim. Mary Beth is still determined to perform
some gesture on Owen—she suggests kissing him on the
forehead, which he refuses. Barb teases him about it, but he
convinces Mary Beth to bow over him instead.

When Mary Beth bows over Owen, he raises his hand over her Just when the whole scene is looking its most ridiculous, Owen pulls
head in a blessing. The image they make is so holy that the off a miracle: a truly holy Nativity. Without saying a word, he leaves
whole stage freezes in awe for a long moment before the choir everyone stunned and speechless. John starts referring to him in the
begins to sing the final carol. Barb wants to rehearse one more text using names for Jesus, like the “Prince of Peace.”
time, but the “Prince of Peace” declares, “I THINK WE’VE GOT
IT RIGHT.”

Back in the present in Toronto, John reflects on how he prefers John has become a very solitary man, who prefers his own inner
attending weekday services to Sunday worship. On weekdays, thoughts and reflections to the words and presence of others. His
he has the church practically all to himself, and doesn’t have to negative attitude towards most people makes the reader question:
listen to the sermons delivered on Sundays. John finds people to whom is he really telling this story?
who attend Sunday services reluctantly to be a great
distraction. How can one pray while surrounded by so many
petulant, unhappy people? The crowded, miserable atmosphere
of the church on Sundays invites cynical, ungenerous thoughts.
In contrast, the weekday services are peaceful.

Back in the Christmas season of 1953, the evenings seem very With both Owen and Dan, John is surrounded by theater directors.
long without Tabitha. Dan complains bitterly about how his He has no interest in running the show himself. Between all the
amateurs are making a mess of A Christmas Car
Carol
ol. Harriet’s rehearsals for the two Christmas plays, it’s impossible to forget the
neighbor Mr. Fish, who plays Scrooge, always complains about looming holiday without Tabitha, which surely doesn’t help
the ghosts. The worst is the Ghost of Christmas Future, played everyone’s attitudes. The two plays are supposed to be hopeful
by the mailman, Mr. Morrison. He is insulted to be cast as a stories—Christ is born and Scrooge embraces the generous
character without any speaking lines, and doesn’t take the role Christmas spirit—but the mood evoked is bleak.
seriously. None of the ghosts are scary, which undermines the
effect of the story.

Years ago, Mr. Fish had a dog named Sagamore. One In this book, a harmless game is never just a harmless game,
September day, he convinced Owen and John to play football especially when Owen is involved. The football incident
with him. The boys only liked to see Sagamore lunge after the foreshadows the baseball incident to come.
football and try to fit it in his mouth, so they always dropped
Mr. Fish’s passes. A young couple with a new baby who lived on
the street would always complain about the noisy game, which
the boys and Mr. Fish always ignored.

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That day, Owen managed to punt the ball high out of the yard Ironically, the dog named after an Indian chief left this earth in one
and into the street. Chasing it, Sagamore was struck and killed of the least heroic ways go. John would say it was karma for having
by the diaper truck, headed for the young couple’s house. Mr. such an ignorant name. The dog’s burial is dignified, however,
Fish decided to bury his dog in Harriet’s rose garden. The thanks to Owen’s vision. Merrill appears less at ease with such
young couple with the baby attended Sagamore’s burial, along spontaneous, untraditional ceremonies. His faith is more formal.
with the neighborhood children, Tabitha, and even Harriet.
Owen wanted the mourners to hold candles, and Rev. Merrill
and his wife noticed the candles when they walked by. Mr. Fish
asked Merrill to say a few words for Sagamore, but he could
only stutter.

Owen was the one who found the words: “I AM THE Owen speaks over Sagamore’s grave with a tone of considerable
RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE […] WHOSOEVER LIVETH gravity. Given that the deceased dog was probably not a
AND BELIEVETH IN ME SHALL NEVER DIE.” Owen would “believer”—his owner certainly wasn’t—Owen’s words are not
preside over all the town’s rituals. particularly relevant, but he is compelling nonetheless. He speaks as
if he is Jesus: “I am the Resurrection…”

In the Christmas of 1953, John says he was mostly unaware of Most of Owen’s designs only become apparent to John in hindsight,
Owen’s orchestrations. He couldn’t tell if the Meanys sometimes many years later. That Christmas, John notes the
celebrated Christmas—they had no decorations except for a Meanys’ battered crèche. In retrospect, one could say that the blind
battered wooden crèche, where Mary’s eyes and one of Mary represents the blindness of most Americans, Joseph and his
Joseph’s hands were missing, and the baby Jesus himself was missing hand represent John and his future loss (both physical and
nowhere to be found. In Owen’s room, the dummy stands at psychological), and the absent Jesus represents the loss of Owen
the head of his bed, close enough for him to touch. John Meany.
imagines that Owen must be keeping other things out of
sight—his baseball cards, the fatal baseball, the armadillo’s
claws, and the missing baby Jesus.

Mr. Meany is pleasant whenever John stops by with Owen, but Owen’s parents, especially his mother, continue to act cryptically
Mrs. Meany only stares into the distance, or into the fireplace. around their son. Owen hasn’t told them about what he’s doing in
When John mentions that Owen is playing Jesus in the the Christmas pageant, and they seem especially shocked to hear
pageant, Owen hits him—his parents don’t know about his role. that he’s playing the Baby Jesus—even when one takes into account
John says that Owen is both the star and the director of the the fact that it’s an unusual role for just about any child Owen’s age.
show, making Owen hit him again. Mrs. Meany stares at Owen
with a strange, confused look of shock and resentment.
Outside, John asks Owen if he said anything wrong, but Owen
doesn’t explain.

John goes back inside to get his hat. In Owen’s room, he finds Evidently, Mrs. Meany can move from her perch by the window, and
Mrs. Meany sitting on Owen’s bed, staring at Tabitha’s dummy. she can speak. She can’t look at John, however. The experience of
Without looking at John, she says, “I’m sorry about your poor crossing under a bridge as a rare express train is going over provides
mother.” Walking down the hill later, Owen and John pass another example of John and Owen’s separate ways of thinking:
under the railroad trestle bridge just as The Flying Yankee, the John believes—or used to believe—in chance, while Owen believes in
express train from Portland, Maine, to Boston, thunders holy design.
overhead. The boys are thrilled to watch the speeding train
cross over their heads for the first time. John believes it is a
great coincidence of timing, but Owen doesn’t believe in
coincidences—he believes that everything happens by design.

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The maid who replaces Lydia is named Ethel. Ethel is a robust, For someone who takes pride in running her own household
strong worker, but she in’t very bright or self-assured. Unlike “grandly,” Harriet manages to hire the most inept pair of maids to
Lydia, she is no fun for John and Owen to scare. The second replace Lydia. Perhaps after losing Lydia’s expert help around the
maid is named Germaine, and she is young, extremely timid, house, her heart wasn’t in it. John mostly thinks of the maids in
and incredibly clumsy. In a generous and practical gesture, terms of how they can amuse him—are they pretty? Are they fun to
Harriet donates all of Tabitha’s clothes to Germaine after frighten?
Tabitha dies, but she didn’t realize how upsetting it would be to
see someone else wearing her daughter’s familiar clothing.

Unlike Ethel, Germaine makes a great target for John and If Owen and John take pleasure in terrorizing Germaine, one would
Owen to scare, and they frequently do. She is superstitious, and sympathize with her hostility towards the boy whom she doesn’t
Owen’s size and voice disturbs her. Once, Harriet asks whether work for. Owen doesn’t believe that his voice should be treated; it
the Meanys have ever tried to fix Owen’s voice. John says that should be left as God gave it.
Tabitha suggested Owen visit her voice teacher for a
consultation, but Owen would never go. He thinks his voice has
a purpose, or a reason for being the way it is—he thinks it
comes from God.

Germaine, overhearing, counters that Owen’s voice comes Germaine claims that Owen’s voice has a more diabolical origin. It
from the Devil. Harriet says both ideas are nonsense—Owen’s frightens her—but the voice of God is often frightening to people in
voice surely comes from the granite dust. She then asks religious stories. Tabitha trusted Owen enough to give him the name
whether Owen ever kept the information about Tabitha’s voice of her voice teacher, which she kept from her family.
teacher. John lies and says no, wanting to explore this
information privately.

One afternoon when John and Owen are exploring a room on The young voyeurs finally see more than they were looking for.
the second floor of the dorm, they hear another master key Apparently the temptation of an entirely empty residence hall is
unlocking the door. John rushes into the closet while Owen irresistible to everyone. The couple seem to be trying to recapture
hides under the bed. Mr. Brinker-Smith and Mrs. Brinker-Smith their youth and escape the responsibilities of their children for a
enter, laughing that it is finally “Nap time!” They live on the first while.
floor, making their visit to the second floor unexpected, and the
boys realize that the couple is following the same mission that
they are—to stop in every room. They would have sex in every
bed in the building.

After that afternoon, the boys decide to return to playing at Surprisingly, Owen and John, once so eager to see a woman in the
Harriet’s house. They’re there on the day when Mr. Morrison, nude, make no effort to stake out the next room and witness the
the mailman, tells Harriet to tell Dan that he’s quitting the couple in action again. They really were too young to see sex
show. Owen tries to talk him into staying on, explaining why the firsthand. They have glimpsed the future, however, and it was rather
Ghost of Christmas Future is such an important part even with frightening.
no lines. But Mr. Morrison isn’t convinced that simply acting
like he knows the future is scary.

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Standing behind Owen, Harriet thinks that nothing is scarier Harriet has the experience to know that Owen is right—the future is
than the future, or someone who knows it. The rest of the frightening—but Mr. Morrison can’t see it. Owen takes the
household stands behind her, rapt. Mr. Morrison finally leaves, opportunity to nominate himself for the vacant role after realizing
and Owen calls Dan to tell him what happened. He volunteers how important a part it is. He has already shown himself to be
himself as Morrison’s replacement. Owen couldn’t be happier capable of silencing a crowd without saying anything.
to have a nonspeaking part, so he won’t have to use his
laughable voice. Like the Christ Child, he has to project a
staggering presence—to convey his knowledge of the future
without uttering a word.

Dan is initially skeptical, but Owen convinces him to let him Owen naturally has a very unsettling presence due to his
rehearse that afternoon and test the reactions of the cast. John extraordinary maturity for his age and his size. When he
already knows what Owen’s test will prove—he can see how purposefully plays up his disconcerting aura, he is terrifying. He is
unsettled Owen has made Harriet and the maids. Indeed, Dan like the angels of God who people find frightening, like Tabitha’s
reports that night that Owen was a stunning success, striking supposed angel.
terror into everyone, even Mr. Fish as Scrooge, who screamed
when he saw Owen’s face under the ghostly hood. Dan even
heard that Mr. Early’s daughter wet her pants. Mr. Fish comes
by the house after dinner, and they worry that Owen might be
too scary.

Mr. Fish is leaving just as Owen arrives at the door, and he In this one brief scene, Owen is called both “the Devil” and “the little
steps out just as Owen is reaching to ring the bell. The Lord Jesus.” To outsiders, his true nature is somewhat ambiguous,
unexpected sight of Owen sends him jumping backward into but John never doubts Owen’s humanity and friendship.
the hall. “Speak of the Devil,” Dan says. Mr. Fish starts humming
a Christmas carol to himself “as the little Lord Jesus stepped
inside.”

CHAPTER 5: THE GHOST OF THE FUTURE

Owen has established himself as a prophet—one who knows As Dan worried, Owen is indeed too frightening for the purpose of a
the future, and can even orchestrate it as he wills. He is a family entertainment, despite the fact that he is still—in theory—a
scene-stealer in A Christmas Car
Carol
ol. Dan is concerned, however, child, himself. He’s playing an infant in the Christmas pageant, after
by the number of small children who burst into tears when all. But in neither role is he childlike—his “baby Jesus” is more
Owen comes onstage—surely not what Dickens intended. He “Jesus” than “baby.”
takes some comfort from the fact that Owen seems to be
coming down with a cold, which might detract from his ghostly
presence onstage by humanizing him.

Mr. Morrison would surely also wish for Owen’s presence to be Owen continues to keep his roles a secret from his parents. He
somewhat diminished—he is upset to hear what a terrific splash doesn’t seem to long for their praise like another child might—he is
Owen has made in the part. John wonders if Owen’s parents remarkably self-sufficient for an eleven-year-old. But adults like Dan
know about his impressive performance. Dan asks Owen if he and Tabitha can still perceive in him an unfulfilled need for love and
would like to invite his parents to the show, but Owen insists affection.
they wouldn’t enjoy it. “Anything you say, Owen,” Dan tells him.
Like Tabitha, he understands that Owen is not shown affection
at home.

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Owen gets a curtain call all to himself on Saturday night, and a Owen’s ghostly aura terrifies girls into fainting—extreme reactions
girl faints when he pulls back his hood. His face is whitened that feed the stereotype of feminine weakness and hysteria. Even
with baby powder and his eyes are darkened with eyeliner. But John is drawn into Owen’s all-seeing air, trusting that Owen is right
his cold is getting worse, and he’s coughing frequently. Dan tells to deem him “a Joseph.”
John that he might have to play Owen’s part if Owen is too sick,
but John thinks that Owen has already chosen his role for
him—“just a Joseph.”

That Sunday, the day of the church Christmas pageant, Owen Owen seems to care more for Tabitha and even Harriet than he
arrives at Harriet’s house layered in winter clothes, including a cares for his own parents, whether Harriet is aware of his esteem or
“lucky” scarf that Tabitha once gave him after she learned that not. She has expressed only her objections to Owen’s voice thus far,
he didn’t own one. He coughs horribly while he and John walk leaving Tabitha and Dan to be the fond and affectionate ones. Her
to the church. Owen is very disappointed that Harriet isn’t aloofness towards Owen is seemingly no worse than whatever
coming to the pageant, being too worried that she could slip treatment he receives at home, though.
and fall on the icy pavement. They run into Mr. Fish on the way
there, who doesn’t normally go to church but wants to see
Owen’s performance. Dan joins them, and they arrive at Christ
Church.

The Wiggins are outside the church with the Merrills. Barb The Merrills’ shocked reaction to Owen as the Christ Child reminds
hurries Owen inside to be wrapped in his swaddling clothes the reader that it really is an unusual role for Owen to play, despite
while the Merrills look scandalized to hear that Owen is playing his air of cool nonchalance about volunteering for it. He acts as if he
the Christ Child. Owen is very picky about how Barb swaddles was simply meant to play the part, but not everyone can see it.
him—he finally insists that she wrap him in his scarf, then the
cotton swaddling cloth on top.

When Owen is finally wrapped to his satisfaction, Barb has to Getting ready for his part requires Owen to make himself helpless.
carry him over to the manger, since his legs are bound too To prove his faith, he has to surrender to the will of someone greater
tightly together. She wipes his running nose with a than himself. Barb is surely not the person he imagined putting his
handkerchief, and makes him blow. Then she pinches Owen’s faith in, and she cruelly takes advantage of his powerless position.
cheeks, which she says are too pale, and kisses him on the She leaves him with an erection, an extremely inappropriate look for
mouth to make him flush. Owen is furious; the last person to a newborn Christ. But the experience is humbling to Owen, perhaps
kiss him was Tabitha. When Barb lays him in the manger, it reminding him that he isn’t really Jesus.
becomes apparent to her and John that Owen has an erection,
visible through his tightly swaddled clothes. Owen is angry and
humiliated, and Barb finally has her revenge.

However, Owen miraculously recovers his composure and Owen overcomes his early adversity just as the newborn Jesus did,
controls his erection. As Barb mans the controls that raise and summoning an innate dignity that transforms the scene into his
lower Harold the angel above the stage, Owen gives her such a sovereign ground. He shatters the composure of a grown woman,
withering glare that she freezes. Harold suffers a terribly jerky and announces his own birth when the tongue-tied angel falters.
descent, and predictably forgets his lines in fear. Owen
prompts him from below. Mary Beth kneels and lays her head
heavily in Owen’s lap, overcome.

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In the heat of the stage lights, a donkey faints, causing a cow to The scene quickly verges on farce and chaos; only Owen maintains
butt a shepherd off the stage. Mary Beth throws herself on top his air of gravity, to the audience’s amazement. His parents seem
of Owen, who is not strong enough to push her off—he can only especially cowed by Owen’s commanding presence. Their fear and
prod her off by “goosing” her painfully, out of sight of the tears at the sight of Owen as the Christ Child are puzzling to John,
audience. He then stares out at the audience, who are in awe of who still doesn’t know what pushed them away from the Catholic
his undiminished stage presence despite error, bad acting, and Church. Later he will understand that they took Owen’s role literally.
characters going off-script. Owen sees his riveted parents in
the crowd: Mr. Meany looks afraid of his son, while Mrs. Meany
is overwhelmed with uncontrollable sobbing.

Owen abruptly sits up in the hay and points into the crowd, Owen’s reaction to seeing his parents is just as puzzling as their
yelling, “WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING HERE? YOU reaction to watching him. He breaks character—or does he?—and
SHOULDN’T BE HERE!” He is talking to his parents, but the screams at his parents to leave. He shamelessly spurns the
audience can’t tell who he means, so some of them get up to traditional principle of theater that “the show must go on”
leave along with Mr. Meany and Mrs. Meany. Owen tells John regardless of what happens, forcing the show to go along with him
to get him out of there, so he and Mary Beth carry him down instead. John and Mary Beth end up carrying him out, after all, and
the center aisle and out of the church. They exit in a leave him lying helpless in his parents’ laps in an unsettling image—a
spontaneous procession with the rest of the cast following grotesque reflection of the Christ child with Mary and Joseph.
behind as the choir sings. John and Mary Beth deposit Owen in
the cab of the granite truck, lying across his parents’ laps. Even
the snowplow makes way for Owen as they drive home.

Back in the present in Toronto, it is now February. John This dark image of what was supposed to be a festive religious
remarks on his church’s communion services, expressing his celebration colors John’s future experience of religious customs. He
preference for a lightly attended communion, where people is quick to perceive human flaws in sacred rites. Even pregnancy is
don’t have to stand in line like a herd about to feed. He wants too human for his sanctified ideas.
communion to be a sacred event, not spoiled by Canon
Mackie’s jokes. He manages to find fault in the two wine
servers—the Rev. Katherine Keeling shouldn’t serve the wine
when she’s heavily pregnant, and the Rev. Mr. Larkin pulls the
cup back too quickly and doesn’t wipe the rim of the cup closely
enough.

Nonetheless, John expresses his admiration for Rev. Keeling, Despite his objections to her pregnancies, John respects Katherine
who is his favorite person to talk to in the church now that Keeling’s keen mind and kind manner. Her clerical peers have less
Canon Campbell is gone. The other reverends aren’t as willing patience for John’s spiritual conflict, being more concerned with
to talk to him at length—one unsympathetic reverend, who is meeting the critical material needs of the less fortunate of God’s
heavily involved in volunteer projects for the city’s most needy, children. John thinks that his spiritual suffering is just as agonizing.
says John’s worries are all merely in his mind. John thinks this
doesn’t make them less painful to him.

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John is left to try and talk to Canon Mackie about his Unsurprisingly, a Canadian reverend is less than enthused about
frustrations with President Reagan’s nuclear subterfuge, but discussing the behavior of an American president—there are enough
Canon Mackie turns the conversation towards John’s people out there who make a living talking about the President, and
disappointment in the recent Vestry elections. He points out the Canon’s profession is not (supposed to be) a political one. But
that John’s strong opinions (a distinctively American trait) John seems to have no real friends of his own to converse
could be alienating him from the rest of the church, as “it’s very with—possibly because he only wants to talk to his fellow
Canadian to distrust strong opinions.” John insists he is Canadians about American politics. His anger prevents him from
Canadian, but Mackie points out that John talks about America finding friends or finding peace.
more than any American he’s ever met. John’s constant anger
about America isn’t very Canadian, either—nor is it very
Christian.

Mackie believes that John lives in the past, and even John John does seem to be living in the past—most of the book itself is
himself wonders if his fondness for Canon Campbell is part of about his memories. He’s clearly spent years thinking about his
his inability to let go of the past. He imagines that if Campbell childhood and its repercussions on the rest of his life. Perhaps this
were still alive today, he might be as frustrated with John’s written account is his attempt to put history to rest for good, so that
stubbornness as Mackie is. Mackie points out that John’s he can make the most of what life still has to offer. He needs to
recent speech about Christmas at the Parish Council move on from his own story to re-engage with the rest of the world.
meeting—in which he said that he found Christmas If he can’t even understand what Christmas means to other people,
depressing—surely also hurt his candidacy. The church greatly he’s very alienated.
relies on Christmas for the success of its missions and its
general livelihood, but John can’t see past his own bitter history
with Christmas.

After the Christmas of 1953, the old idyllic vision of Christ’s Owen gave many blessings to John, but one of the things he took
birth was replaced by the memory of Owen Meany angrily from him may have been the comfort of an uplifting holiday like
banishing his parents from church, then lying stiffly swaddled Christmas. Perhaps Tabitha’s death had already taken that from
across their laps like a mortally wounded patient laid out on a him, but Owen’s astonishing behavior during the Christmas pageant
stretcher. “How can you like Christmas after that?” John asks. made John’s memories of the holiday even more harrowing.
Outside the church after Owen’s departure, the rest of the
children have no idea what to do—fleeing the freezing cold,
they push their way back into the church. People are exiting
early, confused and disturbed by what they just witnessed.

Mr. Fish is impressed by the drama of the Nativity—he thinks Mr. Fish, unfamiliar with the real Nativity story, mistakes Owen’s
Owen’s improvisations are part of the biblical account. When shocking interruption for actual events. John is rather jealously
John goes to gather his and Owen’s clothes, he finds Mary Beth possessive of his understanding of Owen—he doesn’t want to share
weeping on top of Owen’s things. She is distraught to think that Owen with a girl (who is implied to be struggling with her own
Owen now hates her. Her hysterics make John furious—she feelings).
imagines that she has a special understanding with Owen, but
John knows that what she really has is an unconscious desire to
“take him home and lie on top of him.”

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Barb grabs John as he finally leaves with Owen’s clothes and Barb is hell-bent on regaining control over their church like she use
shakes him, ordering him to tell Owen that he must come see to have over her airplane. If it came to a battle of wills, though,
her before he’s allowed back into the church. John tells Dan Owen would rather leave the church forever than concede to a
everything that happened between Owen and Barb, worried woman as tyrannical as Barb. John senses that there’s something
that Owen will shun the Episcopalians as he has shunned the wrong with Barb’s enraged attitude towards a mere child, and Dan
Catholics. Mr. Fish suddenly observes that Harold is still agrees. Barb has allowed her resentment of Owen to blind her
hanging in the stage’s rafters. Dan uses his theatrical expertise judgment and distract her from her responsibilities to the other
to lower Harold in his harness to the ground. Harold has children.
thrown up all over himself and ruined his costume, but Dan still
picks him up and carefully carries him over to Barb to confront
her.

Dan tells Barb that he doesn’t want to have to tell the Vestry Barb surrenders her quarrel with Owen so quickly that she appears
members the story of how she left Harold hanging twenty feet even more contemptible. She did have a fair cause to be angry with
about a concrete floor. He tells her that she will not give Owen Owen—his outrageous outburst and spontaneous exit utterly
any ultimatums—Owen is welcome in the church anytime, derailed the program, and he showed little regard for the success of
without her permission, and if the rector wants to talk about the show he had insisted on taking over. Her fury with Owen was far
Owen, he can talk to Dan. Barb quickly becomes eager to too personal, but someone probably should have held Owen
please, helping Harold get into cleaner clothes just before his accountable for his rudeness.
mother arrives.

John wishes he was back at Sawyer Depot for Christmas Eve. John goes to see A Christmas Carol on Christmas Eve, the night
This year, he and Dan are going to the final production of A when the story is supposed to take place. The real world and the
Christmas Car
Carol
ol, then the cast party—planning to occupy them world of the play will collide tonight, as Owen will be visited by a
for as much time as possible, so they won’t grieve Tabitha’s vision of the future just as Scrooge is visited by the various ghosts.
absence. Harriet almost refuses to join them at the show, since Harriet’s concern for Lydia nearly prevents her from going out, and
Lydia is sick and she doesn’t want to leave her alone with only her foreboding will be proven right.
Germaine for company. But she finally agrees to go, and John
escorts her to the performance, where she makes her usual
regal entrance.

John goes backstage to see Owen, who is so feverish that he Owen looks even worse after his recent impassioned outburst. He is
barely needs his makeup to look ghastly. On his makeup table, juggling so many roles—Christ Child, Ghost of the Future, his
he has traced his name in baby powder. He refuses to explain parents’ son, the child he no longer is—that he perhaps writes his
why he evicted his parents from church the other night, only name down to try and remember who he is.
referencing the old unspeakable “RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION.”

From backstage, John looks out into the audience. Mr. John observes the world from an unfamiliar perspective, looking out
Morrison is there, as is Rev. Merrill and his family. It occurs to invisibly from behind the scenes. A powerful instinct abruptly rises
John that many of the same people in the crowd must have also in him as he takes in this new perspective—an instinct that Owen
been watching the baseball game the day Tabitha was killed. would call heaven-sent. Despite Tabitha’s account of meeting a man
Mr. Chickering is there, and Chief Pike. John remembers his on the train, he suddenly suspects that his father is one of
mother had been waving to somebody in the bleachers before Gravesend’s familiar faces.
she died—the last person she ever saw. He imagines that she
must have been waving at his father. With this idea in mind, he
searches the crowd for people who were present at the game.

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The girls Maureen Early and Caroline Day were at the game. As John canvasses the faces that he recognizes from the baseball
Arthur and Amanda Dowling were also there. Amanda is game, Irving expands on the idiosyncrasies of the Gravesend locals.
playing the Ghost of Christmas Past. She challenges sexual He introduces the characters of Arthur and Amanda Dowling, a
stereotypes by dressing in men’s clothing and cutting her hair couple with strong ideas about gender equality. They’re essentially
short, while her husband wears an apron to the grocery store caricatures of the radical feminist and her emasculated husband.
and grows his hair long. If they have a daughter, they will insist Amanda is basically right about classic literature being full of sexist
in enrolling her in baseball, to Mr. Chickering’s dismay. Amanda characters, but her lack of nuance makes her a ridiculous figure,
serves on the Town Library Board, and believes in banning another one of the book’s hysterical women.
books that teach children to conform to sexual
stereotypes—basically all the classics. She and her husband try
out for opposite-gender roles in Dan’s plays.

John watches the audience until Owen comes on stage, and he Owen’s effect upon the audience is more terrifying than ever.
sees their faces transformed by fear. Owen’s cough is not However, in an ironic reversal, he gets a dose of his own medicine
humanizing, but a death rattle. When he points to the grave and tastes the overpowering fear of the future that he inspires in his
engraved with Scrooge’s name, he suddenly faints. He regains audience. His “vision” of his gravestone is so clearly a parallel of the
consciousness by jumping to his feet and screaming, then plot of the play that it’s easy to dismiss what he saw as a harmless
backing off the stage. Dan and John find him sobbing over his delusion. He even had the engraving of his name in his mind before
makeup table, burning with fever. Rev. Merrill comes backstage he went out on stage.
to try and help, and Owen tells him he saw his own name on the
grave. Dan hugs Owen and tells him he’s just hallucinating the
same story as Scrooge’s grave. John points out that Owen
wrote his name on the table earlier, making it easier to imagine.

Merrill drives Owen home and drops John off at Harriet’s Owen refuses to be comforted by the rational explanations offered
house. He seems to believe that Owen had an upsetting by everyone else. He firmly believes in the truth of what he saw.
“vision,” but not the type of prophetic vision that Owen thinks Even Merrill, a man of faith who might be familiar with spiritual
he saw. John feels upset to be missing the cast party at Dan’s visions, refutes Owen’s story, but Owen doesn’t listen. John returns
apartment. Harriet’s house is silent. Then John hears Germaine home to find Germaine hiding in the secret passageway and Lydia
whispering in the secret passageway, praying to herself. dead. The ominous mood of the night found its fated victim.
Germaine tells him that Lydia died in her bed while Germaine
was reading to her. While Germaine was sitting with the body,
she had grown spooked, and fled into the secret passageway.

Harriet imagines that Owen had somehow foreseen Lydia’s Everyone tries to rationalize the events of the night differently,
death and mistaken it for his own. Germaine agrees, saying that believing in certain fateful connections and dismissing the rest as
she and Lydia thought they heard a scream right before she coincidence. Like in the case of Tabitha’s death, everyone has their
died. Dan protests, saying that Owen was simply feverish and own particular system of order that they want to fit the unsettling
prone to an overactive imagination. Germaine is so beside occurrences into, to make them less disturbing.
herself that she is put to bed in John’s room. John wants to call
Owen, but he has to wait for Germaine to fall asleep.

As Germaine tosses and turns, John begins to imagine climbing After his secondhand experiences of condoms, passionate sex, and
into her bed and taking advantage of her distraught state. He erections, John finally feels the stirrings of his own desires. Like
says that he believes her about hearing Owen’s scream, and Owen’s on-stage hard-on, John’s desire strikes at an inappropriate
takes her hand between the beds. But she is soon asleep, and moment, and he feels deeply ashamed. John thinks he and his
he is left with his shame. He imagines that his lust comes from father must be uniquely connected by a terrible lust, but he doesn’t
his unknown father, and wants to find him even more, in order realize he’s far from alone.
to discover in that man what sins he himself might one day be
capable of.

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John goes into the kitchen to call Owen. He tells Owen John entrusts Owen with all his private intuitions about his father’s
everything that he realized that night about his father, and identity. Owen fails to entrust all of his secrets to John, however. He
Owen agrees that John’s instincts regarding the baseball game tries to keep from John the fact that he saw a date on the
and stirrings of lust are pointing him in the right direction. He gravestone—the day of his death. Presumably, he lies because he
argues that it was not Lydia’s death he saw a premonition of—it believes the vision is true, and doesn’t want to burden his friend
was his own gravestone, with his real name on it: Paul. He with the knowledge he now carries. Perhaps he understands that
hangs up on John, who calls him back to ask if he saw a date on John is not meant to know what he knows.
the gravestone. Owen hesitates—a giveaway—then says there
was no date. John thinks that this is the first time Owen has
ever lied to him.

CHAPTER 6: THE VOICE

Harriet always hated a lack of effort, which is ironic because Television insinuates itself into even the most resistant of
she never worked in her life, never told Tabitha to work, and households. The device becomes linked to the decline of Harriet’s
never gave John any chores. She thought watching television household.
demanded too little effort. But after she sees a TV in an old
folks’ home, she begins to crave one, even as she denounces
them for hastening the deaths of the elderly. She finally gets a
TV after Tabitha and then Lydia die. Without Lydia to take care
of, Germaine soon resigns.

John and Owen didn’t know what would be on TV—they were The town movie theatres run either Tarzan films that indulge
only familiar with the films shown in town, mostly Tarzan people’s fantasies of living an uncivilized existence, or biblical films
movies or biblical epics. Owen found the biblical epics that remind them about proper religious values. Ironically, the
“SACRILEGIOUS.” When the TV comes, Harriet watches it all conservative citizens of Gravesend enjoy both types of films equally.
day long, but her passion is born from contempt—commenting
on the trashy shows on TV gives her endless energy and
purpose.

Harriet and Owen both appreciate one show, at least—The Criticizing everything on TV makes Harriet feel happily superior to
Liberace Show, featuring the flamboyant piano prodigy Liberace. everybody else, and even John can’t help feeling superior to her and
John cannot understand their love for such a kitschy Owen in their love for Liberace, a campy popular pianist.
performer, whose attention to his costumes surpassed his Homophobia was especially strong at this time, and many of
attention to his music. Liberace is rumored to be gay, but he Liberace’s fans would have been horrified if he were gay.
fiercely denies the rumors and successfully sues a newspaper
for libel, much to Owen and Harriet’s delight.

John complains to Dan about feeling left out of this ridiculous John doesn’t understand why Harriet and Owen like Liberace.
phenomenon. Dan is a good listener, patient and devoted to Thankfully, he has Dan for a stepfather, an understanding man who
children. He may not have initially planned to teach at has great empathy for everyone from children to the elderly. John,
Gravesend Academy until his retirement, but losing Tabitha led who tends to be more judgmental of people, could use some of
him to dedicate himself to the education of “the whole boy,” Dan’s compassion. Dan understands that Harriet has little left to
which is what Gravesend Academy sought to promote in its take happiness from now that both her daughter and her closest
pupils. Unlike many of his fellow faculty members, he actually companion are gone.
believes that it’s harder to be a teenager than an adult, and is
sympathetic to the problems of the adolescents in his care. He
also believes it’s hard to be elderly. He tells John to have more
empathy for Harriet, who has suffered many losses.

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John still thinks it’s absurd for Owen, who thinks he’s so smart, Dan explains that Owen finds Liberace so great because he’s seen so
to adore Liberace, but Dan reminds him that Owen is not little of the world. His sheltered childhood has given him little
worldly—he has never even left Gravesend. Dan dismisses a lot exposure to sophisticated art. The flamboyant Liberace is the
of Owen’s eccentricities to his stilted and superstitious opposite of buttoned-up Gravesend sensibilities, and it’s thrilling to
upbringing, but John thinks this is too simplistic a theory. He Owen—another rebellion, perhaps. Dan thinks Owen will see
thinks Dan is too simplistic in his thinking about the Academy everything clearly after going to Gravesend Academy, but John is
too—Dan thinks the Academy can save any boy, and Owen just more skeptical.
has to make it there to be rid of his family’s superstitions.

Martha and Alfred Eastman also believe in the saving graces of Martha and Alfred have certain fixed notions about who needs the
a private education, and they have high hopes that sending benefits of a private school education: namely, boys. Even after
Noah and Simon to Gravesend Academy will save them from watching all three of their children grow up wild, they still insist on
the dangers of growing up in rural, uncivilized society—mainly denying what’s before their eyes and pretending that Hester is
driving drunk and having unprotected sex out of sheer inherently different from her brothers.
boredom. Noah and Simon have wild natures, and they need
the heavy workload and strict, numbing routine of Gravesend
Academy to wear them down. They are less worried about
civilizing Hester.

While the boys all prepare to go to the academy, Hester has Hester doesn’t want the life that her parents are stubbornly raising
only the public high school to look forward to. She becomes her for—a life in which she doesn’t need a strong education because
angry that her parents won’t give her the same educational she will marry someone to support herself instead of pursuing her
opportunities—or the same chance to be saved—as her own goals.
brothers.

Owen and Harriet bond over their love for Liberace and their Harriet finally returns the respect that Owen has always had for her.
disdain for everything else, and Harriet becomes a champion Exchanging scornful comments on the low quality of TV shows—all
for Owen’s studies at the academy. When Owen protests that except for Liberace—reveals them to have similar tastes and
his parents can’t afford the kind of clothes boys have to wear to intellects. Like Tabitha, she wants Owen to transcend his low origin
the academy, Harriet promises to take him shopping. Owen has and limited means and fulfill his full potential at Gravesend
no problem earning admission and a full scholarship with his Academy. Meanwhile, the rightful Wheelwright heir can’t get into
stellar grades, but John has to repeat a year of school before the Academy without an extra year of school. Owen proves his
the academy will admit him. Owen could have skipped a grade, loyalty as a friend and follows John.
but instead he faithfully decides to stay behind with John and
help him with his homework—as he promised Tabitha he would.
“I’LL NEVER LEAVE YOU,” he tells John.

Back in the present, Liberace has just died at age sixty-seven, From the present, John reports the news of Liberace’s death. Irving
allegedly of AIDS. He reversed his former public opposition to perhaps interjects this fact here to show how much the world has
homosexuality before he died, but never admitted to being gay. changed since Owen and Harriet first loved the star.

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Over Thanksgiving in 1954, the Eastmans come to Gravesend Simon, who likes to lose himself in fights and other pursuits of
and see Harriet’s television. Simon likes everything, and Hester adrenaline, loves the content on television that appeals to people’s
hates everything. Noah is in his first year at the academy, and is baser instincts. Noah is struggling at Gravesend, perhaps proving to
feeling overwhelmed by the demands of his classes. The his parents that gender does not determine intellectual capability.
Eastmans decide to take a relaxing Caribbean vacation over
Christmas, leaving Owen disappointed by yet another lost
opportunity to see Sawyer Depot.

Owen has become disenchanted with Christmas pageantry, Owen once wanted to stage a perfected scene of the Nativity,
and religious pageantry in general, after the disastrous pageant complete with him at the center in his rightful place. The resulting
of the year before. He denounces the Catholic adoration of disaster soured his feelings towards pageantry, especially Catholic
“OBJECTS” that manifests in biblical films and in representation. His animosity towards Catholicism has only
representations like statues. He especially hates the statue of worsened since his confrontation with his parents at the Christmas
Mary Magdalene erected near the playground of St. Michael’s pageant. He identifies Catholicism with the statue of Mary
parochial school, the school Owen would have attended if his Magdalene, which looms large in his mind.
parents had not switched religions. Mary Magdalene, posed in
a stone archway, makes a tempting target for balls and pucks,
but the nuns living nearby keep an eye out for troublemakers.

Owen is afraid of nuns. Ironically for such an unusual boy, he Owen seems to find nuns more unnatural than priests, for whatever
thinks they are “UNNATURAL”—but he and John can’t resist reason. Both priests and nuns are required to be celibate, but Owen
throwing chestnuts at the statue every fall, or covering its feet seems to find a woman’s choice to forgo a family for a closer
with tadpoles in the spring. The nuns give chase if they see relationship with God more unnatural than a man’s. The nuns don’t
them, but Owen and John can outrun the “penguins.” In the even get the authority and the respect that priests do, since only
spring of 1957, Owen is especially keen on vandalizing the men can lead and preach in Catholicism. For someone like Owen,
statue. He and John had seen the movie The Ten who loves being an authority, perhaps it’s unthinkable to make such
Commandments just before Easter, which Owen found to be a a sacrifice without gaining anything. His objection to the material
terrible time for such a release—showing the story of Moses representation of miracles and saints leads him to vandalism.
during the time dedicated to Jesus. Moreover, he hated seeing
the parting of the Red Sea on screen: “YOU CAN’T TAKE A
MIRACLE AND JUST SHOW IT.”

Owen and John continue trying to solve the mystery of John’s The idea that the boys could identify John’s father by remembering
father by watching the crowds at Dan’s shows and searching who was at the baseball game is fanciful, but they take their
their memories for who was at the baseball game. They decide deliberations seriously. Perhaps their latest quest is yet another
that Mrs. Merrill never would have gone to a game, not being a search for meaning in that terrible accident—they want to believe
fan of baseball, and Rev. Merrill wouldn’t have gone without his that some illuminating revelation can be born from such a random
wife. They agree that they would have remembered the tragedy. Finding a father in the same moment John lost a mother
Wiggins making a spectacle of themselves if they had been would be apt. Or perhaps the boys just take comfort from returning
there. Owen cautions John not to forget the likelihood that if to the moments before they lost their innocence.
his mother had thought his father would be a good influence,
she wouldn’t have kept his identity secret. He should be
prepared for disappointment.

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By the Christmas of 1957, both Noah and Simon are juniors at Noah, Simon, and Hester end up in the same year of school like
the academy—Noah having been held back a year. At Sawyer triplets, a matched set from beginning to end, but their parents still
Depot High School, Hester skipped a grade to end up in the insist on separating them by gender. John can’t shake his mildly
same graduating year as her brothers. John is disappointed not incestuous crush on Hester, but Owen points out it’s exactly the
to see more of Hester, whom he has un-cousinly feelings for. kind of sexual taboo Hester would probably embrace for the
Owen tells him that Hester is probably too dangerous for him, purpose of shocking and embarrassing her family.
but she would probably consider going out with him to drive
her family crazy.

Hester is determined to scandalize her family to punish them Hester wants to act as un-ladylike as possible in protest of how
for denying her the same freedoms and opportunities as her gender norms have crippled her freedom. Her parents return to the
brothers. In 1957, the Eastmans stay home for Christmas tactic of keeping her at home where they can try and keep an eye on
instead of returning to the Caribbean after Hester became her. Perhaps they can tell that inviting boys over would be an
involved with a native boatman the previous year. They still invitation for trouble.
don’t invite John and Owen to Sawyer Depot, to the boys’
regret. They’re both fifteen, and slightly in love with Hester.

Back in the present year, it’s Palm Sunday. John always finds the John finds the Easter holiday to be more trying than the Christmas
week before Easter to be exhausting—he worries that Jesus holiday, although he seems to find the Christmas holiday trying as
couldn’t possibly have come back to life after all that he well lately. Owen made Christmas more like Easter, acting more like
suffered before his death. Christmas is a much easier story to a tortured martyr than a bringer of peace and light. John’s
swallow, being more believable and more upbeat than the saga experience should have shown him that the miracle of peace on
of Jesus’s death and rebirth. But the Resurrection is the central earth—the miracle promised by Christ’s birth—is nearly as
miracle to Christianity, and faith in it is necessary to be a impossible to have true faith in in as the miracle of the resurrection.
Christian.

After the Palm Sunday service, John heads to the dining hall of John judges the outfits of the girls at the boarding school, thinking
The Bishop Strachan School, where he teaches. He reflects on that they don’t know how to dress themselves. He (rather naively
the clothes that the boarders—all girls—are wearing on the and self-centeredly) imagines that they must think about him as
weekend. He thinks that the girls dress badly when they aren’t much as he thinks about them, and dress with him in mind.
wearing their uniforms; he thinks they must prefer not having
to worry about what to wear most of the time. He wonders if
they dress with him in mind on Sundays, since he is frequently
the only man who comes to the boarders’ lunch on Sundays.

Rev. Katherine Keeling, the headmistress, oversees the meal. John can’t even stop from thinking critically about Rev. Keeling, an
John thinks she is fantastic, but finds her too thin. He sees her accomplished adult woman who surely knows how to take care of
not eating at lunch, but admits that her clerical collar makes her herself. John’s thoughts about the girls and women he is
look more underweight than she really is. He says she’s his surrounded by are not sexual in nature, but they are paternalistic
closest friend now that Canon Campbell has died. The previous and patronizing. He thinks it is his place to tell the women in his life
principal of Bishop Strachan, Old Teddybear Kilgour, hired how they should dress and eat. Kilgour trusted him not to take
John on Campbell’s recommendation twenty years ago. John advantage of the young, impressionable female students he would
teases Katherine by asking her if she would have hired him at be teaching, and he has not betrayed that trust, but he has not shed
that age—a young, single American man applying to teach at an his lifelong sexist tendencies.
all-girls school. Kilgour trusted John to take his faculty
responsibilities seriously, and not become involved with any
students.

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Katherine reminds John of Harriet in a way—they both have a John certainly admires the strong female figures in his life, putting
gift for sarcasm and diction. He thinks Harriet and Owen would Katherine and Harriet on a similar level as the exceptional Owen
have liked Katherine. He says the Sunday boarders’ lunches are Meany, but he is still susceptible to condescending thoughts about
an important ritual to him, combatting loneliness. After lunch, most women.
he and Katherine sign up to pray together during an All Night
Vigil. John thinks that Katherine is “wise and kind and witty and
articulate; and she does not bullshit herself about what Easter
means.”

A week later, on Easter Sunday, the weather has miraculously Easter dawns bright and warm, a promising sign of hope and
changed from cold and rainy to humid and summery. John rebirth. Though the details of Owen’s death are not yet revealed,
compares the change in weather to walking into the bright light John is still clearly associating him with Christ, and hoping for
from inside the dark tomb where Jesus’s body once lay. John Owen’s own resurrection.
thinks of Owen when he says to Katherine, “He is risen.”

In the summer of 1958, Owen and John turn sixteen and get Owen and John are officially no longer children, but well on their
their drivers licenses. Owen gets his license first, because he way to adulthood. No longer dependent on parents to drive them
had already learned to drive on the quarry roads in his father’s around, they can seize their own autonomy. Owen is also no longer
trucks. Dan teaches John to drive that summer in the mornings the tiny, pitiable figure struggling to pedal his bicycle up a steep hill,
before his daily rehearsals for Julius Caesar
Caesar. but now a young man driving himself.

In the evenings, Owen drives Mr. Meany’s tomato-red pickup Owen and John don’t get particularly far with their new
truck down to the boardwalk at Hampton Beach with John. privileges—they’re still peering out from the truck at a world out of
They drive along the strip and look at girls until a cop pulls them their reach, like the children sneaking into the high schoolers’ dorm
over and tell them to look on foot. But if the girls rarely look rooms and watching the adult audiences of Dan’s shows.
back at Owen and John when they are driving, they stare and
laugh at them when they’re walking, due to Owen’s size. Owen
also gets hassled by the other guys around. So he and John
leave the boardwalk and head back to Gravesend, or sit on the
deserted beach or harbor.

The boardwalk girls may have ignored them, but John notices Now that he’s a teenager, Owen’s exceptional maturity is less
that women find Owen attractive. He has a confidence borne unsettling and more compelling. His self-assured attitude is
from earning his way in the world, and from being in command impressive to his peers, normal teenagers in the grips of adolescent
of himself and others. Girls want to touch him, like Mary Beth uncertainties and insecurities. In the pampered town of Gravesend,
all those years ago. Then he develops muscles from his hard few can match his rough image. Unfortunately, neither he nor John
labor in the quarries with Mr. Meany, and starts smoking a pack have matured past objectifying the women they know and speaking
a day. The work and the cigarettes give his face a gaunt, adult of them as if boys are entitled to their favors.
quality. He and John still discuss breasts, but they compare
their classmates’ chests now. They despair that the girls their
age all want to date older boys, but await their eighteenth
birthdays, when they’ll get their classmates back and the
younger girls, too.

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In the fall of 1958, when John and Owen finally start at After worrying for years that he wouldn’t fit in at Gravesend
Gravesend Academy, Owen looks especially sophisticated in Academy because of his lower-class background, Owen takes the
the clothes Harriet had bought him in Boston. He isn’t scared of school by storm. He carries himself with more authority than any
the bigger boys because he is used to being smaller, and he isn’t other first-year student. He even embraces the full potential of his
scared of the older boys because he always knoww more than voice, instead of allowing himself to be silenced by self-
them. The boys admire cynicism and rebellion above all else, consciousness. John, meanwhile, seems too timid or self-
and Owen had mastered sarcasm from Harriet. He is consciousness to ever stand out and earn a nickname. Owen’s
nicknamed Sarcasm Master; John never gets a nickname. regular publications in The Grave are ironic, given how death
Owen writes essays for the school newspaper, The Grave, under shadows his life.
the pen name The Voice. His articles are always published in
capital letters, which is part of his plan to become a school
“INSTITUTION.”

Gravesend students embrace The Voice as a new Owen has never hesitated to speak the blunt truth, and his
institution—Owen is their voice, speaking up for their causes, newspaper editorials are no different. Believing that God had a
asserting their dignity in an environment where they are purpose for giving him his voice, he seems to have realized that such
belittled by the adults. He can also criticize the student body, a gift was meant to be used, not muted. He’s not interested in
however, for failing to be open-minded or self-aware, or for pandering or pleasing a crowd, but in voicing his principles.
bullying. He even speaks out against drinking and drugs,
showing a fearlessness towards his peers’ judgment.

That spring, Owen dares to invite Hester to the senior ball as a Owen steps in where John cannot—or will not—and claims Hester
freshman. He had sent her every issue of The Grave, and she for himself. Hester has made herself sexier to male eyes than ever, as
loved the irreverence. She has lost a substantial amount of John notes her weight loss and thinks that her body is so naturally
weight, and mastered a subtle aura of danger and maturity for perfect that it should be observed bare in the wilderness. John’s
her age. She dresses well, although John thinks “her body hopeless preoccupation with Hester’s body seems to get in the way
belonged in the jungle, covered only essentially.” She wears a of a deeper understanding of her character.
fitted, short, plunging black dress to the dance, and Owen
wears an elegant tuxedo Harriet had bought for him. Unlike the
other boys, who have to escort their dates straight to the
visitors’ dorms, Owen gets to drive Hester back to Harriet’s
house.

Other boys brag about their sexual escapades, but Owen does At last, Owen is respectful enough of a woman not to announce
not. Noah and Simon assume Hester had slept with what he’s seen and thinks of her body. He even criticizes his peers
him—“Hester fucks everybody!” Simon claims—but the couple who speak of their dates in this way. Perhaps he finds such locker-
never say how they spend their evening. After the dance, The room talk acceptable in the abstract, as a boy’s harmless fantasy,
Voice denounces both the crass bragging of boys claiming to but objectionable in reference to real relationships.
have taken advantage of their dates, and the chaperones’ rapid
policing of any forms of affection.

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In the search for a new headmaster for Gravesend Academy, Owen’s influence extends beyond his peers to the adult realm when
the candidates for the job are given subscriptions to The Grave, he becomes involved in the recruitment of a new headmaster. The
and they are also given private meetings with The Voice. current headmaster reads his essays faithfully and supports his
Several of the faculty object to this, but the faculty adviser to practice of intelligent dissent, but not all of the adults at the school
The Grave, Mr. Early, supports Owen. The current headmaster, are won over by Owen’s wit and bold opinions. They feel threatened
Archibald Thorndike, also supports Owen, calling him “a by his sharp intellect and willingness to challenge authority. A new
delightful little fella” and saying that he “wouldn’t miss reading headmaster could easily feel the same hostility.
The Voice—not for all the world!” “Thorny” is an old-school type
who believes in “the whole boy,” and believes that well-
educated men will improve society by criticizing it. Thorny is
nice, but a fool when it comes to managing and modernizing a
school.

Over the summer, John gives tours of the school while Owen John gets another boost from his family connections in the form of a
returns to the quarries. Owen doesn’t talk about Hester, but he nice job at the school, while Owen must return to his family’s tough
is able to score some dates for him and John. They are able to labor in the quarries. Dealing with the rough quarrymen, perhaps,
walk the boardwalk after Owen holds his own in a few fights gives him the backbone to take on much larger boys in scuffles on
with the punks and earns a reputation as “a mean little fucker.” the boardwalk. Hester’s neglect by her parents continues, and
That fall, Noah and Simon start college in California, while perhaps she takes her revenge by dating the boy who took her
Hester unhappily starts at the state university, where her mother’s sister from her.
parents can pay resident tuition. Owen’s cool reputation
increases further from dating a college girl.

Back in the present, it’s May, and former U.S. senator Gary Hart John thinks that matters of sexuality are so much less important to
has dropped out of the running for president after being found ethical and moral standards than critical breaches that lead to true
in a hotel with a model. John thinks that Hart will surely be harm. However, the rabid attention Americans pay to sensational
back—“remember Nixon?” John criticizes Americans for caring sex scandals is grossly disproportionate to their weak response to
more about sexual infidelity than Constitutional violations like transgressions like lying to the country and violating the
the Iran-Contra affair. Toronto is rejoicing in the sunshine, but Constitution.
John remembers that Owen hated the spring—it meant school
was almost over, and he would be going back to the quarries.

Owen had written a bunch of essays over the summer about Owen doesn’t want a headmaster beholden to outside interests,
the ongoing search for a new headmaster, urging the Search who won’t put the best interests of his students first. For the
Committee to find someone committed to serving the faculty students, the selection of a new headmaster is like the election of a
and the students rather than the alumni and the trustees, who new president—they’re powerless, too young to vote for the person
prioritize fundraising above education. Dan argues to the who will rule over the next four years of their lives. Owen tries to
faculty that Owen really loves Gravesend Academy, and his reclaim the students’ lost power and assert their will in the decision.
constructive critique is better than blind devotion. Owen’s However, the fact that he hasn’t outgrown his bias against the
petition against fish on Fridays is less defensible—he protests Catholics doesn’t help his case to add his voice to the adults’. Again,
against only fish being served in the cafeteria on Fridays for the he is more preoccupied with nuns’ sexuality than priests’.
sake of Catholics who don’t eat meat that day. He wins his case,
but it seems more frivolous—and more personal—than his
other campaigns. He still calls nuns “penguins,” and often asks,
“DO YOU THINK THEY’RE ALL LESBIANS?”

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Thorny warns Owen that he’s making enemies, and he should Owen’s loud and divisive words could come back to haunt him. As
be careful not to give them any way to get him. Although he much as he would like to believe otherwise, he cannot really see the
doesn’t play baseball anymore, once his favorite game, Owen future—at least, not all of it. He does seem to see a special future
still plays soccer, tennis, and basketball throughout the year. He purpose in the trick shot that he insists on practicing with John—the
makes John practice a coordinated “slam-dunk” shot with him, shot that isn’t “FOR A GAME.” But Owen rarely seems to do
where John boosts him high enough into the air to stuff the ball anything just for a game.
into the basket. John finds this practice pointless and boring,
but Owen says John owes him for all the times he lifted him up
unwillingly in Sunday School. He can’t use the move in a game,
but he insists “IT’S NOT FOR A GAME.”

Owen and John have plenty of time to practice over Christmas, Another Christmas passes in Gravesend, exiled from Sawyer Depot.
as the Eastmans continue to not invite them up to Sawyer Perhaps the idea of having John and Owen over is simply too
Depot. John thinks Martha doesn’t want to encourage Owen’s painful for Aunt Martha, still grieving her sister. Perhaps having
relationship with Hester—that’s what Hester says, at least, but three young adults home for the holidays is enough trouble without
John also thinks she could be making it up to prejudice Owen adding two more. Owen and John are left to be each other’s family.
against her mother. John also has to spend his vacation writing John’s difficulty with his high school English papers is surprising
two late term papers, with Owen’s generous aid. He struggles given that he becomes an English teacher in the present, but in
so much with spelling and other schoolwork that he is enrolled hindsight he suspects he had undiagnosed dyslexia.
in a remedial course and sent to see the school psychiatrist. At
the time he was in high school, learning disabilities like dyslexia
weren’t widely understood, and students’ academic difficulties
were thought to result from stupidity or psychological issues.

The school psychiatrist, Dr. Dolder, believes that John’s studies Dolder hunts for evidence to support his hypothesis of trauma
are hampered by his past and ongoing psychological traumas, rather than actually listening to his patient. He has a fixed idea of
no matter how much John insists that he loves Owen and what the problem must be and refuses to hear otherwise.
forgives him for the accident, and loves his stepfather and
grandmother and doesn’t mind living in two places. Dolder
wants John to bring a baseball to his next session, and bring
Owen, too, but John refuses.

Back in the present, John buys a newspaper about Reagan’s People frequently choose not to hear what they don’t want to hear.
illegal support for the Nicaraguan contras. He considers again Americans cannot bear to think that their president—the man they
that the sexual misconduct of politicians is so insignificant chose to represent themselves—is truly corrupt and dishonest. They
compared to the immorality of the president who acts above would rather believe that he is acting with the right intentions and
the law and runs guns to terrorists, but Americans only care that their country is righteous no matter what.
enough to be outraged by sexual transgressions.

John is teaching his senior girls Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the Of course, sexual abuses and abuses of power frequently go hand in
d’Urbervilles, a nineteenth-century novel about a young woman hand. Tess’s vulnerability to sexual exploitation is symptomatic of a
who was seduced, or raped, and suffered a tragic end. He urges larger imbalance of power where the rich and aristocratic live
them to pay attention to the meaning of Hardy’s text, but the without fear of being held accountable for their actions. People
girls only want to know if they can have class outside don’t like to think that they could be living in such a society.
tomorrow.

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In the winter of 1959, the minister of Gravesend Academy Merrill, with his Ivy league English degree, is prepared to take over a
suffered a bad head injury on the icy steps of the church and teaching role. Owen, as usual, has no qualms about challenging any
Rev. Merrill was hired as his temporary replacement. Merrill of the school’s teachings. Owen’s concern with proof is rather ironic
had to teach the school’s religion classes, where he preached given his earlier scorn for people who think they need to envision a
his “doubt-is-the-essence-of-faith-and-not-the-opposite-of- miracle. Then again, Owen has always taken the unusual facts of his
faith philosophy.” Owen is intrigued by the idea of “belief life as “proof” that God is taking an active interest in him.
without miracles.” He protests to Merrill, “BUT EVERYONE
NEEDS A LITTLE PROOF.” Merrill insists, “Faith itself is a
miracle.”

The rest of the Gravesend boys, including John, are “an Aside from Owen, the other students find the theories of secular
atheistic mob,” taken with secular writers like Jack Kerouac, writers to be more original and compelling than Christian writers,
Allen Ginsberg, Sartre, and Camus rather than with Tolstoy, whose ideas seem more familiar on first glance. Merrill makes the
Graham Greene, Joyce, or Dostoevski. Merrill counters the case that keeping faith is not childish—it is supremely challenging.
boys with Kierkegaard, who said that faith “is the greatest and Owen accuses his classmates of being caught up by the secular
most difficult of all things.” Owen defends Merrill’s ideas to the writers’ style and craft rather than evaluating the merits of their
rest of the class: “JUST BECAUSE A BUNCH OF ATHEISTS conclusions. Of course, Owen is never above making a statement
ARE BETTER WRITERS THAN THE GUYS WHO WROTE THE with his own style to counter theirs.
BIBLE DOESN’T NECESSARILY MAKE THEM RIGHT!” The
Voice tells the school to just hire Merrill as the new minister
instead of searching for someone else, and they do.

Back in the present, John runs into the mother of a girl in his John’s memory is far from perfect, especially for a man who thinks
Grade 12 English class. While he’s talking to her, he thinks of other people forget too easily. He forgot what it was like to be a
giving a pop quiz on Tess to his class, since he’s sure they haven’t teenager reading such a difficult book for the first time, fighting to
been reading it very carefully. Then he remembers that he and wade through the writing while also trying to endure so many other
Owen first read the book in Mr. Early’s tenth grade class, when trials of growing up.
the book shouldn’t have been assigned to them so young. John
has even been trying to convince his colleagues to teach it in
Grade 13 instead of Grade 12. He struggled mightily when he
read it for the first time. “I can’t read this!” he screamed to
Owen.

Owen was willing to even read the book aloud to him if that Owen is deeply devoted to John—for the long term, not just the
would help, but John refused. Owen says he can either do all of short term. He recognizes John’s reluctance to take charge of his
John’s homework for him, or he can teach him how to do it. He own life, and tries to guide him towards a rewarding path to follow.
wants John to succeed “AFTER I’M GONE,” or at least after However, by continually helping John find his way, Owen prevents
high school. He questions John on his plans for the him from finally becoming self-sufficient and taking control of his
future—work? College? What major? Owen says he’s going to own future. Judging from where John finds himself today, he looks
study Geology, and he suggests that John study English. John to have followed Owen’s advice exactly.
protests that reading books is difficult, and he hates it, but
Owen helps him see that the books are not the problem—the
reading is. In the present, he feels terrible for thinking of giving
his girls a nasty quiz after remembering how much help he
needed.

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In the spring of 1960, Gravesend Academy found its new Randy refused to meet with Owen, showing himself to be someone
headmaster. Randolph White, or “Randy,” was the headmaster who does not care about the student body he is applying to serve.
of a small private day school in Lake Forest, Illinois, which John His background implies that he sees his students as objects, not
understands to be “a super-rich and exclusively WASP people but silent bodies for him to profit off of. He also doesn’t see
community that does its utmost to pretend it is not a suburb of people of minority backgrounds as human, as he refuses to live with
Chicago.” A few students who came to Gravesend from the them.
Midwest agree that Lake Forest is one of those homogeneous
suburbs that exclude black or Jewish families from moving in.
White is the only candidate who wouldn’t accept an interview
with Owen when he came to visit the school. Education was
White’s second career, after running a Chicago meat business.
He dresses like a businessman.

Owen predicted the trustees would pick White, also being The trustees in charge of the private institution choose someone
businessmen. They like decision-makers, and don’t care about who makes decisions quickly—rashly, even, as future events will
his lack of educational background. Owen even suggested that show. White is not a thoughtful and open-minded leader, but a bully.
White’s admission policy in Lake Forest had excluded black and
Jewish students. He tried to say all this in a column, but Mr.
Early cut it for its potential for libel. Dan suggested he try to
find proof of White’s school’s exclusionary policies, but Owen
can only find hearsay.

Back in the present, John continues to follow the Iran-contra Like the American president who disregards the principles of the
affair in the Canadian newspapers. He vows not to talk about it Constitution and the wealthy Buchanans who ruin Gatsby in The
and confirm his reputation as the obsessed American, but one Great Gatsb
Gatsbyy, Randy White is “careless” and destructive. America
of his students brings it up in class in order to distract him from has failed to learn its lesson from the past, allowing such people to
the day’s lesson about F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The GrGreat
eat Gatsby
Gatsby. spread their damage without restraint and even electing them to
With great self-restraint, John manages to resist her obvious positions of greater power.
attempt to get him off topic and disguise the fact that she
hasn’t done the reading. To himself, he thinks that the Reagan
administration is filled with the same kinds of “careless people”
who destroy lives in The Gr
Great
eat Gatsby
Gatsby.

One of John’s fellow teachers also tries to prompt him into a Dishonest and ruinous people dislike the “concrete” because they
political rant, but he restrains himself to another line from prefer to make up their own rules and practice their own self-serving
Gatsby—saying that the Reagan administration demonstrated logic rather than face the truth of their actions. Reading books like
“an urban distaste for the concrete.” He remembers when The Great Gatsb
Gatsbyy can help people to recognize these flaws in their
Owen taught him how to read better by showing him how to society. By teaching John to read and write critically, Owen helped
write a complete term paper, and also by making a cheat sheet him to see the truth and share it with others.
for him to place over the page he was reading in order to help
him keep his place on the page. Owen even encouraged John to
learn how to type, since it was easier for him to notice a
typewritten misspelling than one in his own handwriting.

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In the summer of 1960, John and Owen turned eighteen, and John and Owen are legal adults, leaving some of the protections of
they swam in the quarry lake without a rope. They registered childhood behind—like the safety rope in deep water, or the youthful
for the draft and practiced the slam-dunk shot in the exemption from military service—but Owen’s trick shot follows
Gravesend Academy gym. They would time themselves and try them into adulthood. No longer being a minor doesn’t make them
to make the shot in less than four seconds. In the fall, Owen full adults, however—they can die in battle, but not drink or vote.
used the new photocopier in the newspaper office to make
blank draft cards as fake IDs. He sold the cards to students for
$21 each.

Back in Toronto in May, Reagan cites his diary as proof he didn’t Reagan tries to use his own informal record as proof against
bring up aid for the contras with the King of Saudi Arabia. wrongdoing. The diary of an accused liar doesn’t inspire much trust,
Harriet gave Owen a diary for Christmas in 1960—he called though. Owen also kept a diary, which he would never have lied in.
her his “BENEFACTOR.” That fall, Owen had been busy White does away with the school traditions that don’t suit him, and
protesting Randy White’s first decisions as headmaster—to the school lets him do this. Owen is the only one who speaks up and
build himself a new house on campus, to move the morning objects to measures like making student dismissal subject to the
assembly from Hurd’s Church to the Great Hall in the Main judgment of a small, select committee rather than based on a
Academy Building, to abolish the Latin requirement, and to faculty vote.
change the school’s dismissal policy from a faculty-wide vote to
the vote of an Executive Committee. Many of these initial
changes are popular, or neutral, in the eyes of the students and
faculty. Owen protests that changing the dismissal policy
created an oligarchy, but the school is more preoccupied with
the upcoming national election.

Owen organizes a mock election for the student body, and he is Owen appears to have grown out of his personal prejudice against
a big JFK supporter, to John’s surprise—John F. Kennedy is Catholics as he considers the nation’s fate—as Kennedy himself
Catholic. JFK wins the student election in a landslide, although would famously say, “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask
most of the students are too young to vote in the real what you can do for your country.” Owen can put his private grudge
election—the voting age was still twenty-one, at the time. with Catholicism aside for the good of the nation. However, his
Randy White begins to talk back to The Voice during the grudge with White worsens.
morning assemblies, and he personally replaces Mr. Early as
the newspaper advisor. Dan and John warn Owen to be careful.

After receiving the diary for Christmas, Owen begins to write Owen needs to express his feelings in writing, like John will later do
in it every night. He writes furiously the night after President though this book. A Prayer for Owen Meany is strongly yet subtly
Kennedy’s inauguration in January 1961. He is impressed with reminiscent of a diary at times, as John records the present date and
Kennedy’s famous inaugural speech, which he would go on to the events of the day. Of course, diaries are theoretically private,
regularly quote to John: “ASK NOT WHAT YOUR COUNTRY while John seems to be writing for an audience. Owen’s wish to be
CAN DO FOR YOU—ASK WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR useful “without being used” explains a great deal about his noble
COUNTRY.” Owen wants to “BE OF USE WITHOUT BEING actions yet bitter attitude.
USED”; he believes Kennedy is “A KIND OF SAVIOR.”

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CHAPTER 7: THE DREAM

When Owen and John were seniors, practicing the shot in the John is becoming irritated with Owen’s unexplained insistence on
school gymnasium, Owen finally tells him what he has believed mastering a seemingly pointless trick. Owen tells him that he and
since he was eleven: “GOD HAS TAKEN YOUR MOTHER. . . . his hands are God’s instruments, but John doesn’t understand what
MY HANDS WERE THE INSTRUMENT. . . . I AM GOD’S that has to do with the shot. Owen just tells him he doesn’t have
INSTRUMENT.” John asks why Owen needs his help with the enough faith.
shot, if he’s God’s instrument. Owen insists that “FAITH CAN
MOVE MOUNTAINS,” and says John’s problem is that he
doesn’t have faith.

That fall, John only applies to the University of New John is still reluctant to take an adventurous approach to life,
Hampshire, while Owen applies to Harvard and Yale. The preferring the path of least resistance. Even Owen, with all of his
University of New Hampshire gives Owen an Honor Society vast potential, seems to be at risk of getting trapped in a
Scholarship before he even applies, but he won’t go there rut—sticking by John’s side and staying in New Hampshire instead
unless it’s to be with Hester and John. John won’t ask Owen to of striking out on his own. True adulthood is closer than ever, and
turn down an Ivy League school for him, and he is becoming a suddenly they don’t want to leave childhood behind.
good student in English and History by himself—he tells Owen
he can finally fend for himself. But Owen won’t rule out going to
state school to see more of Hester, and his parents.

After their disagreement, Owen and John finally manage to Owen is never satisfied when it comes to how perfectly they can
make the basketball shot in under four seconds. Owen make the shot. He frames their quest as a matter of faith, strangely
immediately wants to try for three seconds, to John’s irritation. enough, for what appears to be an athletic endeavor. As their lives
“FAITH TAKES PRACTICE,” Owen says. That fall, he and John prepare to possibly diverge, he and John begin to experience friction.
begin to quarrel for the first time. They can’t agree on where to Trying to do everything together can’t work forever when they’re
go now that they have the senior privilege of taking the train to fundamentally different people. John is more eager to conform with
Boston once a week. John is happy going along with the boys others, even if their values are questionable.
who buy booze with fake IDs, get drunk, and go to a strip club.
He doesn’t mind drinking, and he hasn’t lost his virginity yet,
despite going on dates with Caroline O’Day and Lorna Pike.

Owen doesn’t drink, and he won’t make fake draft cards Unlike John, Owen sticks to his values. John always goes along with
anymore, having become self-righteous and law-abiding after Owen, so he ends up acting out Owen’s morals—and even Owen
taking Kennedy’s speech to heart. So he and John have to can apparently be persuaded to visit a strip club. While he objects to
endure their trips to Boston completely sober, even the shows the degrading displays that the other men encourage, the woman on
at the strip club that are “only watchable to the blind stage is portrayed as repulsive and grotesque, with little empathy for
drunk”—otherwise the performances are clearly her humanity. Owen does make them leave, but only to pursue
“DISGUSTING” and “DEGRADING.” Owen makes them leave another woman—Tabitha.
the strip club and walk around a nicer part of town, which is a
new sight to him. John doesn’t realize that Owen purposefully
wants to go to the upscale boutique where Tabitha once bought
her infamous red dress.

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Once Owen and John get to the store, they see that Tabitha Owen and John discover that Tabitha was hiding more than just
had lied about it burning down. Owen saw the store in the the identity of her lover—she was hiding large parts of herself. She
newspaper one day and recognized the name from the label on pretended to hate the red dress but wore it frequently, while she
the dress. They go inside and talk to the owner, who says the performed in secret. She wasn’t just taking singing lessons, but
store never had a fire. Owen shows him a picture of Tabitha, singing in a regular act. Doing one show a week seemed to satisfy
and he says she was “The Lady in Red”—a singer at a supper her, as she never pursued more gigs, but perhaps she needed only a
club who always wore the red dress she bought at his store. single outlet to escape the stifling conventions of her town.
She performed one night a week with a black pianist named
Buster accompanying her, and she was a regular feature of the
club.

Next Owen takes John to the office of Tabitha’s singing teacher, Owen and John continue to track down Tabitha’s secret life,
Graham McSwiney, who gave Owen an appointment to have everything she never told her mother or sister about. They don’t
his voice analyzed. They wait outside for the previous lesson to know what Dan knew. John wonders what else Tabitha could have
finish while John absorbs the fact that his mother was a very been lying about. He and Owen already suspected that the man on
convincing liar. McSwiney eagerly examines Owen’s Adam’s the train was in fact a familiar Gravesend resident, so the revelation
apple, or larynx. When a normal person like John swallows, of another secret isn’t a total shock. The anatomical explanation of
yawns, or screams, his Adam’s apple moves up and down. Owen’s unusual voice doesn’t really mean anything to Owen, who
Owen’s Adam’s apple doesn’t move—he has a fixed larynx, stuck only cares for the divine justification.
in the position of “a permanent scream.” McSwiney advises him
to consider seeing a throat doctor for surgery.

Owen refuses, saying, “IF GOD GAVE ME THIS VOICE, HE Owen refuses to pursue the possibility of changing his voice. If he’ll
HAD A REASON.” John asks McSwiney why Owen’s voice hasn’t never have a deepened adult voice, he’ll never sound perfectly
changed with puberty, and McSwiney says he can’t explain normal, anyway. One would think that speaking in a perpetual
why—he can only say that it likely won’t change in the future. scream might be painful, but Owen doesn’t say anything about this.
Owen introduces John as Tabitha’s son, and shows McSwiney He trusted God’s will to provide for him, just as Tabitha seemed to
her picture. He explains that he got her the gig when the believe that she would be discovered if it was meant to be. She
supper club asked him for good singers to perform. It wasn’t a didn’t actively pursue a singing career, but hoped nonetheless that
serious gig, but she still thought she could be “discovered” her talent would be noticed.
singing there, despite McSwiney’s advice that nobody got
discovered in Boston, especially in such a little joint. She
wouldn’t sing under her real name out of shyness or
provincialism.

McSwiney thought Tabitha was charming, but careless and McSwiney usually trains serious artists, but Tabitha was mostly a
unambitious—she preferred simple, popular songs and didn’t hobbyist with a dream she wasn’t really committed to. Her modest
practice. Her voice was pretty, but she wouldn’t train it to be life in the small town of Gravesend truly suited her, even if she
strong. She wanted to be “wholly out of character—but only longed for a little adventure every now and then. McSwiney found
once a week.” The club was named The Orange Grove, and her her attractive, but wasn’t her lover. He says that nobody would have
accompanist was a gay black man named Buster taken advantage of her at her gig. The world of potential fathers
Freebody—another made-up name. McSwiney says he isn’t seems larger than ever, but Owen doesn’t lose faith that John will
John’s father—he once tried to make a pass at Tabitha, but she find him.
turned him down. Owen says once again that God will tell John
who his father is. McSwiney reassures them that nothing bad
would have happened to Tabitha at The Orange Club.

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Back in the present, John scoffs at a headline about Reagan in New Year’s Eve is supposed to be a turning point, an opportunity to
The New York Times. He remembers New Year’s Eve in change course and look to the future with hope. But year after year,
December 1961, when just over three thousand U.S. military the world seems trapped in the same terrible cycle—more and more
personnel were stationed in Vietnam. That night, Hester threw men are being sent to their deaths, with no signs of stopping. Hester
up in the rose garden outside from too much rum and Coke. By can’t stop from drinking until she makes herself sick. America is
the next New Year’s Eve, there are over eleven thousand poisoning itself, and people are powerless to stop. John looks
military personnel in Vietnam, and Hester was once again stuck forward to the simple pleasures of the upcoming summer, perhaps
throwing up in the rose garden. In Toronto, the school year will hoping for a reprieve from his dark memories.
soon be over. John looks forward to going with Rev. Keeling’s
family to their private island in Georgian Bay. He also looks
forward to visiting Dan in Gravesend, and seeing one of his
summer school productions. He doesn’t watch The Gravesend
Players anymore.

In 1961, John and Owen still scanned the audiences at Dan’s Even after learning about Tabitha’s secret singing gig in Boston,
shows to find John’s father. Now they imagine that his father John and Owen still believe that her lover lived in Gravesend. They
must have been to see his mother sing at The Orange Grove. think the performances at the club are related to the affair, however.
Owen wants to pull off a Hamlet
Hamlet-like scheme of staging a play Owen wants another opportunity to stage a show, even after the
set at a club called The Orange Grove, and seeing how the disaster that was the Christmas pageant. But John rejects the idea,
audience members react. But they don’t want to tell Dan about saying that he doesn’t want to hurt Dan. John is likely also scared by
Tabitha’s secret life in case he doesn’t already know, and John the chance to finally discover the truth about his father, unwilling to
doesn’t want him to be hurt by his curiosity about his biological risk disappointment or rejection.
father. John and Owen have this discussion on New Year’s Eve,
at Hester’s apartment in Durham. It’s only two o’clock in the
afternoon and Hester is already passed out from drinking.

Owen wants to go to the gym and practice their basketball Another New Year’s Eve means another bout of binge-drinking for
shot, but John doesn’t want to. He asks Owen why Hester Hester. Her rage at being denied so many opportunities in life for
drinks so much, and Owen says Hester is “AHEAD OF HER reasons outside of her control anticipates the rage of a generation
TIME”—he believes, without knowing why, that the next drafted into war.
generation or two will be angry and callous.

Back in the present, it’s June in Toronto. John bought a copy of John thinks that Americans have disturbingly short attention spans.
The New York Times after talking to a car full of ignorant They don’t care to dwell for too long on difficult problems, preferring
American tourists. He thinks that Americans became bored to turn away from crises that don’t have a simple answer. Matters of
with hearing about Vietnam before America left Vietnam; they sexual indecency, like the senator’s sex scandal, are black-and-white
became bored with hearing about Watergate before the issues for most Americans, for better or for worse. In the case of
investigation was even finished; and they’ll be soon bored with sexual misconduct, it’s usually easy to denounce the wrongdoing
Iran, Nicaragua, and the Persian Gulf, too, if they’re not already. and call for the guilty party to step down. This isn’t always the case
The phenomenon is as familiar to John as Hester’s inevitable for complicated problems like war.
bouts of puking on New Year’s Eve. She puked in 1963, when
there were 16,300 U.S. military personnel in Vietnam; she
puked in 1964, when 23,300 Americans were there; and in
1965, when there were 184,300 Americans in Vietnam.

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In 1966, there were 385,300 Americans in Vietnam, and John John flashes forward to later memories of New Year’s Eve, showing
was by himself at Harriet’s house. In 1967, there were 485,600 glimpses of an ominous future when he is alone rather than joined
Americans in Vietnam, and John himself threw up in the rose by Owen and Hester, and where his memories are too painful to
garden. He doesn’t remember New Year’s Eve 1968, but there recall.
were 536,100 Americans in Vietnam, and he was surely
throwing up somewhere.

On January 1, 1962, Owen wrote in his diary, “I know I am As another year dawns, Owen recommits himself to following God’s
God’s instrument.” John still didn’t understand the extent to will. This new year promises to be the most transformative of any he
which Owen believed God was guiding his life, which would has faced before, as he and John prepare to leave Gravesend and
later explain why Owen reacted as passively he did to the crises their intertwined lives behind for an uncertain future. Owen trusts
of that year. One day John and Owen were hanging around the that God will lead him down the right path. As bright as he is, he
editorial offices of the school newspaper, of which Owen was doesn’t express many concrete ambitions for the future, waiting to
now the editor-in-chief, when a fellow senior named Larry Lish see where God will take him (or assuming that he already knows his
told them that JFK was sleeping with Marilyn Monroe. Larry own future).
was the son of the movie producer Herb Lish, and he was
“Gravesend’s most cynical and decadent student.” He would get
a girl pregnant every now and then, and his mother would fly
her to Sweden for an abortion.

Larry was undeniably witty, but students and teachers secretly Larry is a foil to Owen—a boy who is equally clever with his words,
hated him—never outright, though, because his parents were but who comes from a drastically different background. Unlike
too powerful. His father threw him parties in Beverly Hills, and Owen, who is from working-class origins and seems painfully
his mother threw him parties on Fifth Avenue. The Lishes were unworldly at times, Larry has traveled all over the world. And unlike
divorced, and they competed for Larry’s attention with Owen’s parents, who rarely show him affection, Larry’s parents
“excessive partying and expensive sex.” Larry’s mother told him lavish their son with attention.
about JFK and Marilyn Monroe, which Owen calls “A TRULY
TASTELESS LIE.” Larry says that Owen can ask his mother
himself when she visits next weekend.

Owen is very disturbed all week by this rumor—he idolizes JFK, Owen is horrified to think that the president might really be
and John says he wasn’t “sophisticated enough to separate cheating on his wife with Marilyn Monroe. Owen took so much
public and private morality.” Today, John says, an affair between inspiration from Kennedy’s inaugural speech—in which he called for
JFK and Marilyn Monroe would seem only moderately immoral Americans to place the good of their country over their personal
compared to “the willful secrecy and deception, and the interests—that he would feel greatly betrayed if Kennedy valued his
unlawful policies” of the Reagan administration. Owen, personal lusts over the greater virtues of staying faithful to his wife
however, was very upset back then. “IF KENNEDY CAN and providing the country with an exemplary role model. John is
RATIONALIZE ADULTERY, WHAT ELSE CAN HE more cynical, thinking that infidelity is hardly as outrageous a
RATIONALIZE?” he wonders. He blames Kennedy’s loose transgression as other presidential dishonesties. But Owen sees an
morals on his Catholicism—“IF CATHOLICS CAN CONFESS affair as the start of a greater moral collapse.
ANYTHING, THEY CAN FORGIVE THEMSELVES
ANYTHING, TOO!”

Owen doesn’t believe the president is above the law—the Owen thinks that Kennedy’s position gives him a greater
president is supposed to set the example for upholding the law. responsibility to lead an upstanding life. He doesn’t believe that
He also objects to Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara’s leaders should lie or conceal their intentions. The people should be
draft program that would draft an outsize proportion of able to have faith in their government not to deceive them,
minorities, high-school dropouts, and men from low-income especially about the sacrifices they may be asked to make.
families. McNamara pitched the draft as “an opportunity” for
“the poor of America,” but Owen sees through the unjust policy.

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In the present, it’s a hot July in Toronto, and John is back in the The summer has not brought John any relief from his gloomy
bad habit of buying The New York Times. The paper’s poll says thoughts. Without teaching to occupy him, he becomes even more
that most Americans believe Reagan is lying, but John wonders preoccupied with following America’s evils.
if they care. He wants Katherine to invite him to her isolated
island.

Larry’s mother, Mitzy Lish, was an attractive older Mitzy comes from the rarified world of New York society, alien to the
woman—sexier than Hester, even, whose “early-blooming boys who rarely even venture into Boston. She is a caricature of the
eroticism” was diluted by her carelessness and heavy drinking. shallow society type who has nothing to do but gossip and tear
Mitzy spent her days drinking coffee, smoking, doing her down others for her amusement. Own and John never fail to rate
makeup or her hair, shopping, lunching with a friend or a lover, the relative attractiveness of every woman they meet, judging the
going to the movies, and gathering gossip. She never worked, or women against each other.
even cooked. Larry told everyone all about his mother—he
thought she was a joke. But John and Owen are very
intimidated by her, and feel very provincial in her presence.

As promised, Larry brings Mitzy to confirm the rumor about Mitzy is a bully in the vein of Barb. A snob from a rich and worldly
JFK and Marilyn Monroe. She seems to enjoy Owen’s distress lifestyle who looks down on others, she is the type of person whom
at the news; like Barb, she bullied young men. To her and her Owen was most reluctant to encounter at an exclusive school like
son, Owen seems laughably naïve and unworldly to be so upset Gravesend. However, Mitzy is also the product of her society, which
by an affair. Mitzy asks Owen, “If Marilyn Monroe wanted to teaches that women have little value outside of their attractiveness.
sleep with you, would you let her?” Owen says he wouldn’t do it She spends a large part of every day on her beauty, conforming to
if he were the president—especially not if he were married. In this ideal. Owen and John themselves judge her looks.
disbelief, Mitzy says, “This is the future?” For Owen is the
school’s valedictorian as well as the paper’s editor-in-chief.

But Owen won’t stand to be bullied or taken lightly—he says to Owen never stands down—he gave Barb Wiggin a look that could
Mitzy, “IF YOU WANTED TO SLEEP WITH ME…WHAT THE kill when she tried to humiliate him at the pageant, and now he uses
HELL…I SUPPOSE I’D TRY IT.” Then he walks away. Larry his words to cut down Mitzy Lish. He insults her by implying that
makes no effort to defend his mother, but Mitzy reports Owen she would be promiscuous enough to sleep with him, but he
to Randy White. Owen tries to defend himself to White, but it’s wouldn’t really want to sleep with her. He calls her easy and ugly at
hard for him and John to put into words exactly what kind of once, two grave insults to a woman in Mitzy’s society.
sexual bullying Mitzy had taunted him with. Owen refuses to
tell White about the JFK rumor that made him so upset, in case
the rumor spreads. He wants to protect the president.

Mitzy apparently told White that Owen said something anti- Mitzy has such a large ego and feels so deeply insulted by Owen’s
Semitic to her, but Owen hadn’t even known she was Jewish. In snub that she wants to punish Owen beyond the bounds of his
a faculty meeting, White says that such disrespect to school indirect insult. Since propositioning a woman is not technically
parents cannot be tolerated, but Mr. Early and Dan argue that against school rules, she lies and tells the headmaster that Owen
Owen broke no rules by propositioning Mitzy. White wants used anti-Semitic language. White also wants the opportunity to
Owen expelled, but Dan says he should be put on probation, at take Owen down, but lacks proof. Ironically, the real bias of many
most. White wants Owen punished for being anti-Semitic, but faculty members helps Owen’s overall case, and Mitzy’s plan
Mitzy never explained what he could have said to her that was backfires.
related to her religion. White himself—as well as a good
number of the WASPy Gravesend faculty—is known to be anti-
Semitic himself, and Owenias not indicted for his supposed
“discrimination.”

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Owen is put on probation for the rest of the winter term, as Owen still thinks his insult was justified in response to what Mitzy
Dan suggested. But he isn’t grateful to have been saved by the herself said, and feels that he’s being unfairly persecuted.
faculty, and he stops speaking in class or writing as The Voice. Disillusioned or disappointed by the corruption he sees in the adults
He says he’s focusing on writing his valedictorian speech, when around him, he stops speaking up.
it’ll be too late for them to expel him for what he says. The
school makes him go to Dr. Dolder.

Back in Toronto in July, John is still waiting to be invited to John feels anger against the timeless failure to hold people in power
Georgian Bay, and still raging at The New York Times. Congress accountable for their actions. The most powerful always face the
is more concerned with lecturing the president’s lackey against least consequences.
blind devotion to the president’s agenda than with
reprimanding the president himself. Whenever Owen got wind
of such a bunch of bullshit, he would echo Harriet and declare:
“THAT’S MADE FOR TELEVISION.”

Owen would say that about his bi-weekly sessions with Dr. Owen thinks his mandated psychiatric appointments are absurd.
Dolder—“MADE FOR TELEVISION.” He wouldn’t tell John He gives honest answers to the school psychiatrist, but doesn’t seem
what really happened in the sessions, however. He only says to take what the doctor says seriously. Dolder refers him to speak to
that he answers all of Dolder’s questions truthfully, without Merrill, which is surprising. Evidently Owen’s religious beliefs seem
humor. Dolder told him to talk to Rev. Merrill, so he has two disturbing to Dolder.
more sessions every week. Owen is already doing an
independent course of study with Merrill, pursuing his interest
in miracles and life after death.

Back to July in Toronto—John is getting his hair cut, and he tells John is somewhat absurdly disappointed when the Canadian
the barber he wants it as short as Colonel Oliver North’s hair. hairdresser doesn’t know who the American Colonel Oliver North is.
The barber has no clue what he’s talking about, and John His standards for humanity’s memory are rather unreasonable.
despairs at humanity’s short memory. Owen remembered
everything, he says.

In February 1962, the winter term was nearly over. Owen was Owen has always had his share of grievances, despite his noble
tired of getting up early in the dark, freezing mornings to go principles. He faced more obstacles in his life than most of his peers,
fulfill his scholarship job as a faculty waiter. It is so cold one having to work harder to make up for his small size and poor
morning that his pickup truck is dead, and he has to jump-start background, so his frustration at his circumstances is
the granite truck and roll it down the hill before it will start. understandable. The fortune of having Harriet as a benefactor and
When he finally gets to school in the big truck, another car is a bright, determined mind makes his struggles easy to forget, but
blocking him from parking in the school’s circular driveway and they’re real.
he can’t park out on the street because of snow-plow rules.

The car in the driveway is Dr. Dolder’s Volkswagen Beetle, Ironically, the school psychiatrist regularly acts irrationally by taking
which he leaves parked outside the Main Academy Building his car to go a short distance instead of simply walking, then
overnight whenever he’s been drinking at the Whites’ house. inevitably leaving the car when he drinks excessively. He seems like
He could have just walked across campus to begin with instead even more of a hypocrite when he interrogates the students about
of driving, but he loves to drive everywhere. He never drinks so their own issues. Owen hates hypocrisy as well as adults who abuse
much that he couldn’t get back behind the wheel, but he loves their power. When he sees an opportunity to undercut the power of
his car too much to risk it. Owen is sitting in his truck fuming men like Dolder and White, he takes it.
when he sees the basketball team walking towards the dining
hall. He calls them over, since he knows them from practicing
his shot.

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Owen bets the players that they can’t pick up the Beetle in the Owen smoothly orchestrates the prank by using other students’
driveway, but they claim they’re strong enough to carry it strength for his own ends. He might be too small to ever participate
anywhere. Owen tells them to carry it into the Main Academy in such a feat, but his strength lies in convincing others to do what
Building and put it on the stage of the Great Hall, where White he cannot. He may no longer be addressing the school as The Voice,
has moved all the daily meetings to serve his but he has always commanded the silent message as well as the
“GRANDSTANDING.” While the team moves the car, Owen spoken one. He tells the adults that they do not have the power they
parks at Dan’s dorm to avoid suspicion, then goes to work. A think they do—they will still have to answer to the student body one
janitor finds the car onstage when he is raising the blinds in the day.
Great Hall, and calls White. White then calls the faculty to
come and move the car offstage before the assembly, to avoid
giving the students “the last laugh.”

When Dan gets White’s call and sees Owen’s car outside his White is determined to avoid what Owen has set him up for, what
dorm, he realizes who is probably behind the prank. White he fears most—public humiliation and appearing powerless in front
suspects Owen, too, without proof. Moving the car goes of his students. Yet his stubbornness makes the problem
disastrously, since the faculty are not as strong as the exponentially worse. He’s not smart enough to think of the solution
basketball players, and moving a car downstairs is harder than Dan does.
moving it upstairs. Teachers start dropping from injury left and
right. Dan thinks that they should have just ordered the more
capable students to move it back instead of moving it
themselves—then the students would also be liable for
damaging the car.

White refuses to cancel morning meetings or enlist the White is more humiliated than Owen could have dreamed of. He
students’ help; he climbs behind the wheel of the car and insists refused to listen to the other teachers, and ignored all reason. Like
the teachers push the car down the stairs while he steers. many bad leaders, he is unable to admit that he has made a
Instead of driving smoothly down the staircase, the car flips mistake, and ends up making a massive fool of himself.
and lands on its roof. White is trapped in the car while his back
spasms painfully from lifting the car single-handedly earlier. He
eventually has to be rescued by professionals with a blow
torch.

Back in Toronto in July, Katherine has invited John to her John is happy to get away from his obsession with current events.
island. He needs to get away from the newspapers—he hasn’t He reminds himself that the wrongdoers in the newspaper will one
been to church in a month, too preoccupied with the news. He day meet their due: woe unto them, God says. John can only find
remembers what Owen and Rev. Merrill used to say: “WOE satisfaction in the possibility of divine justice, since earthly justice is
UNTO THEM THAT CALL EVIL GOOD AND GOOD EVIL.” clearly lacking.

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Merrill was the first person after John to ask Owen if he had Merrill also knows Owen well enough to suspect that he was behind
been involved with moving the car onstage. Once Owen the prank. Owen trusts Merrill to tell him the truth, and Merrill
confirms that their conversation is confidential, he confesses. promises to help. However, no one can save Owen from all his past
Merrill promises to steer White away from suspecting him. Dan misdemeanors. The rich and privileged Larry Lish seizes the
tells Owen he doesn’t want to know anything about what opportunity to reassert his power over Owen, and White eagerly
happened. The headmaster has no hard evidence against joins him. The order-obsessed Chief Pike makes a special exception
Owen, but he soon receives evidence of a different for Gravesend Academy, as even he is not immune to the school’s
transgression—Owen’s old fake ID business. Larry is busted long tradition and influence.
buying beer, and he rats Owen out for selling fake IDs to the
whole school. White and Chief Pike strike a deal where no
criminal charges will be brought against anyone at the academy
if all the fake draft cards are turned over. White makes all the
students hand over their wallets to the faculty, who remove
their fake draft cards.

Dan protests that confiscating wallets is illegal, but White The school violated the students’ right to privacy by seizing their
insists he’s saving the school from the disgrace of having draft cards. Everyone in possession of one is then punished with
charges brought against its students for possessing illegal fake probation—a rather lenient sentence for carrying an illegal fake ID.
IDs. The student who produced and sold the IDs—Owen—will The majority rich, white male students of Gravesend students are
be brought before the Executive Committee, while everyone rarely subject to the full consequences of the law. The only student
possessing a draft card will be on probation for the whole not to receive such lenient treatment is Owen Meany. White’s
spring term. The Executive Committee “crucified” Owen, totalitarian seizure of the students’ wallets, combined with his
according to John. He is expelled. Old Archibald Thorndike blatantly unequal treatment of Owen, turns the school against him.
publicly condemns the decision, as well as “the Gestapo
methods” of confiscating the students’ wallets. Dan tells White
that he’s “the worst thing that ever happened to this school,”
and vows to resign, with other teachers, if White doesn’t leave.

Owen refuses to talk to anybody afterwards, until he calls Owen goes silent again, only wanting to apologize to Harriet for
Harriet to apologize for letting her down. She says that he spoiling her investment in his Gravesend education, but Harriet
didn’t let her down, and that she’s still proud of him, but he says loyally takes his side over the school’s. John and Dan fear what
that he’ll make her even more proud. He asks her to tell John Owen could be capable of doing without the former inhibition of
and Dan to be sure to come to the next morning assembly. school rules. Owen didn’t plan to wreck Dolder’s car last time, but
Worried about what he could be up to, John and Dan look for now he has intentionally destroyed the statue of Mary Magdalene.
him all night, but can’t find him. Finally they drive past St. For such a small person, Owen operates in grandiose gestures.
Michael’s School and realize that the statue of Mary
Magdalene is missing. They go to The Great Hall and find the
statue onstage. Owen has removed both her arms and her
head, welded her to the podium, and bolted her to the floor.
The janitor says that he isn’t telling Headmaster White, this
time.

John tells his friends to tell everyone to come to the meeting John and Dan want Owen’s message to be witnessed by as many
early, and Dan tells his friends on the faculty to come to the people at the school as possible. Owen is jeopardizing his future to
meeting, “If you only go to one more meeting for the rest of make this statement, so it clearly means a lot to him. St. Michael’s
your life.” Dan and John worry about what this latest vandalism Church would be right to be mad at Owen for his willful destruction
will mean for Owen’s college acceptances, and how the head of of their statue, but nevertheless Owen’s friends hope they’ll be
St. Michael’s will react. They go to see Rev. Merrill to ask him to merciful to him. Owen seems to know something about Merrill that
talk to the head of St. Michael’s on Owen’s behalf. They find makes him scorn the man.
Owen sitting behind Merrill’s desk, fiddling with the desk
drawers. When Merrill arrives, Owen retreats to his normal
chair and seems to sneer at Merrill.

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Merrill tells Dan that the head of St. Michael’s Church and Dan gets the information they were looking for and leaves Owen
School is Father Findley. He doesn’t know what Owen has and Merrill to their talk. Dan wants to do whatever he can on
done, but Owen asks him to say a prayer for him at that Owen’s behalf, but Dan also trusts Owen to know who he needs
morning’s meeting. Dan steers John out of the office so Owen most. Dan tries to be a good father to Owen as well as to John.
and Merrill can talk. As they leave, John hears Merrill ask Owen Owen hasn’t trusted anyone but Merrill with his disturbing “dream”
if he’s had “that dream” again. Owen says he has, and he begins yet. He seems to think Merrill would be the one most likely to
to sob. Merrill tells him that it’s only a dream, but Owen refuses believe him, suggesting that the dream is spiritual, but Merrill
to believe him. John doesn’t know what dream they’re talking already showed with Owen’s first “vision” that he doubted the divine
about. Eventually Owen will tell him, and he will also tell Owen nature of Owen’s premonitions.
that it’s only a dream.

Walking back to the Main Academy Building, Dan and John see Owen succeeds in exposing White as a terrible headmaster, more
Randy kissing his wife, Sam, goodbye. Randy expects to lead a concerned with grandstanding and abusing his power than running
triumphant morning assembly, believing that he’s finally gotten an enlightened educational institution. If The Voice couldn’t speak
the better of Owen. Little does he know that Owen will at graduation, nobody would. The school did not forget Owen and
eventually defeat him, and that what awaits him in The Great his message.
Hall is the least of his embarrassments to come. The faculty will
soon hand him a vote of “no confidence,” and the Board of
Trustees will choose not to renew his appointment as
headmaster. At commencement, the replacement valedictorian
will refuse to deliver his speech as the crowd raises banners for
Owen and chants his name, cheered by many of the faculty,
members of the Board of Trustees, and parents who objected
to the seizure of their sons’ wallets.

White is such a terrible man that he flouts the tradition among The gentlemen’s code among top private schools discourages
“good” schools like Gravesend Academy that headmasters headmasters from further damaging an expelled student’s chances
shouldn’t further jeopardize the college admissions of seniors at college admission—getting kicked out of school already hurts
they’ve expelled. White goes to the schools that had accepted their chances enough. But White maliciously leaks the reasons for
Owen and tells them about Owen’s record of selling fake draft Owen’s expulsion to the schools he was accepted to. Even Findley,
cards, as well as his “virulently antireligious” behavior. The who was the most wronged by Owen’s stunt, felt compelled to help
University of New Hampshire withdraws Owen’s scholarship, Owen rather than punish him. Owen’s gesture seemed to express so
while Yale asks him to defer for a year and find meaningful much anguish that he appears as much victim as villain to Findley.
employment while his employer reports to Yale on Owen’s
“character and commitment.” Harvard also wants Owen to
defer, but they specify that he will work for the Catholic
Church during that time. Father Findley kindly does not press
charges against Owen, and agrees to help his case with schools.

Findley apparently knew Owen’s family, and was very Findley seems familiar with the situation that turned the Meanys
sympathetic when he recognized who Owen’s parents were, away from Catholicism. He doesn’t hold it against Owen—rather, he
without saying why. Owen considers taking Harvard’s offer, seems to take pity on him because of it. His kindness evidently
even talking with Findley about it. But even though he seems to makes Owen reconsider his Catholic prejudice, but his parents
like Findley more than he expected to, he says he can’t accept would still never let him work for them, so Harvard is out of the
the deal because his parents would never understand it. He question. He decides to follow John once more.
says he wants to go to the University of New Hampshire with
John, anyway. He doesn’t have his scholarship anymore, but he
finds another one: he enlists in the Reserve Officers Training
Corps (ROTC).

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In ROTC, the U.S. Army will pay for Owen to go to college while Owen decides he would rather go to state school on an ROTC
he takes some military courses and attends Basic Training while scholarship, giving up six years of his life after college, than wait a
he’s in school. After graduating, he will become a second year to go to Yale. His choice doesn’t really make sense, even if there
lieutenant and serve for four years of active duty, followed by wasn’t a war raging yet. He seems unable to break away from John
two years on Reserve. In 1962, there are only 11,300 and his family, including Tabitha, Harriet, Dan, and Hester.
American military personnel in Vietnam, and none of them are
in combat yet. Owen said he preferred this path because he
wouldn’t have to wait a year to start college and he could be
with John, but he doesn’t say anything about the six years he
would be gone afterwards.

Dan and John wonder how Owen passed the height and weight Ironically, Owen had the perfect grounds for exemption from
requirement. Owen proudly informs them that he only had to military service that other young men could only dream of, but he
be five feet tall and weigh one hundred pounds—which he sought desperately to pass the physical while they tried to fail. John
apparently reached by standing on his toes and eating lots of later connects Owen’s dream to his surprising desire to join the
bananas and ice cream. John says he didn’t know the details of military.
Owen’s recurring dream at this point—he would have been
more worried for Owen if he had.

When Rev. Merrill enters The Great Hall, he is struck with Merrill is much more observant and thoughtful than White. In
horror at the sight of the decapitated and amputated statue. Owen’s absence, the rest of the students speak up instead. Even
When White arrives, he is perfectly oblivious to the unusual Merrill finds the courage to speak up, even if he cannot find the
crowd or the figure onstage, mistaking it for Merrill leading a words to pray for Owen. The quiet auditorium recalls the original
prayer. Finally he realizes what he’s looking at, and he tries and Sunday school class, when Mrs. Walker would leave the children to
fails to pick the statue up. He tries to lecture the students on silently reflect on the Bible. Perhaps the boys from that class
the seriousness of crime, but they interrupt him to ask what the remember how they treated Owen then, and in the silence, they can
opening hymn is. Merrill climbs onstage and gives the all imagine Owen’s voice.
hymn—one of Owen’s favorites. After the hymn, Merrill says,
“Let us pray for Owen Meany.” He doesn’t say anything himself,
but lets the students pray silently, for as long as they wish.

White eventually says, “That’s enough,” but Merrill quietly Merrill holds the students in silent prayer until White relents and
replies, “I’ll say when it’s ‘enough.’” The students pray in silence leaves, once again powerless in his own auditorium. John feels that
until White has left the building—then Merrill says, “Amen.” his prayers back then lacked the force and the purpose he would
John regrets that he didn’t know how to pray better back then. have prayed with today. If he had known that Owen always believed
He wishes he could have prayed for Owen knowing what he he would die in the army, he could have prayed to change his fate.
knows now, such as what Owen wrote in his diary. He later saw
how Owen had written his name the way he saw it on Scrooge’s
grave: 1LT PAUL O. MEANY, JR. He wrote his name with an
army rank, and the date of his death, over and over in the diary,
even before he knew he would join the army. Owen later had an
even more specific vision of his death, which came to him in a
dream.

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CHAPTER 8: THE FINGER

John says that up until the summer of 1962, he had always John suddenly realizes that growing up is not all that it was cracked
wanted to grow up and enjoy the freedoms of adulthood. He up to be. Ironically, with adulthood finally comes the maturity to
was tired of a long, humiliating adolescence when he couldn’t realize that the privileges of adulthood don’t matter as much as the
buy beer, couldn’t live by himself, couldn’t afford a car, and personal ties that adulthood and its responsibilities threaten.
couldn’t get a girl to sleep with him. Owen, who knew when he
would die, wasn’t in any rush to grow up. They spent the
summer apart for the first time in 1962, and it made John
afraid for the future—he found himself longing to stay a kid
with Owen forever. He worked for Alfred in Sawyer Depot over
the summer, not wanting to return to his summer job of giving
tours of the academy after what the school did to Owen. Owen
and Hester lived together in her apartment.

In the present day, Noah and Simon are married with their own Noah and Simon turned out just like Alfred, just as Alfred and
families, and they take care of their parents. Alfred has had two Martha always dreamed. Yet by denying their daughter the same
heart bypass operations, but he’s all right. Martha still wants to space to safely explore the world and reach her full potential, they
know who John’s father is, but all John confides, teasing her, is, created a child who saw home as a cage to escape instead of a
“Dan Needham is the best father a boy could have.” He and peaceful haven. Her fierce anger at her parents’ unjust treatment of
Noah and Simon still talk about Hester, and Alfred and Martha her created a hole that she could only fill with more anger.
still believe she will come home for Christmas someday. But
they never treated her the same way they treated the boys, and
that made her furious. She never stopped using other things
and people to fuel her fury.

Owen shared Hester’s sense of unfairness and injustice. He Owen and Hester are a good match, each full of disillusionment and
believed that God had designated him for a special role, and the bitterness. John doesn’t share their sense of grievance, but he isn’t
knowledge that he had a mission to fulfill stripped him of his particularly optimistic about the future, either. None of them know
fun. When the rumor of JFK and Marilyn Monroe destroyed his about the war to come at this point, but they have all witnessed the
idealism, he stopped doing anything for the fun of it. Hester ways in which power in the hands of the arrogant and oblivious can
was angry and indifferent to the world. While they spend the be utterly ruinous.
summer together, John can’t manage to have one successful
date, despite all his cousins’ efforts—he’s too timid and
awkward.

Back in July in Canada, John discovers that it is possible to buy John can never escape the outrageous news that obsesses him. He
newspapers on the coast a short distance from Katherine’s knows the news isn’t good for him, only raising his temper and
island, making it harder to resist following the news. making him cynical instead of open to God’s benevolence. His faith
Katherine’s large, friendly family help to take his mind off of in the goodness of others is frequently in doubt, which could be one
current events. Once John overhears Katherine’s husband tell reason why he has never had a serious relationship. But it’s also
her that John is a “nonpracticing homosexual,” which he says is possible that he has always felt afraid or ashamed of his own
not the same thing as being gay—“a nonpracticing homosexual sexuality, whether because of his father’s lust for women or because
doesn’t always know what he is.” John seems to agree, thinking he’s not entirely straight. Maybe he’s simply confused, or asexual.
to himself, “it means I don’t know what I am!”

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Being on the island makes John think of what the land of John pictures Gravesend as it might have looked when it belonged
Gravesend must have been like before Watahantowet sold it to to Watahantowet, before the Americans took it. Thinking of
Rev. John Wheelwright—before America’s “murderous Watahantowet and America’s evils always makes John think of
deceptions” and “unthinking carelessness” nearly ruined the Owen.
land. He thinks back to the summer of 1962, when he and
Owen sent each other letters talking about their jobs and their
plans to perfect the shot.

One day in August, Simon had a minor injury while logging and Owen thinks of Marilyn as the embodiment of America
the boys had to take him to the ER. A man who was drinking a itself—extremely bright but extremely troubled, and vulnerable to
bottle of beer when he crashed his car is also in the ER with his being led astray. Her tragically premature end foretells a dark future
mouth all cut up from the glass. He tells them that Marilyn for the country. Owen himself fears being “USED UP.”
Monroe died of an overdose. John calls Owen that night, and
Owen says that Marilyn “WAS JUST LIKE OUR WHOLE
COUNTRY…VERY BEAUTIFUL, MAYBE A LITTLE STUPID,
MAYBE A LOT SMARTER THAN SHE SEEMED…I THINK SHE
WANTED TO BE GOOD…SHE WAS TRICKED, SHE GOT
USED, SHE WAS USED UP.”

Back in July in Canada, John is still reading the newspapers. John attributes the lack of public outcry over Reagan’s wrongs to
Owen believed that the most discouraging thing about the anti- Americans’ indifference to everything that does not threaten their
war protests was that most of the protesters were only own livelihoods. If there had been no mandatory draft forcing all
involved for selfish reasons—because the draft placed their young men to fight in Vietnam, the country wouldn’t have paid as
lives at stake. He thought that if young Americans weren’t much attention to the casualties and atrocities amassed in the war.
being unwillingly drafted to fight, they wouldn’t care what their Self-absorbed and self-interested, Americans are blind to the
country did. John thinks of the lack of uproar over Reagan’s suffering of others (or so John believes). They rarely live up to their
illegal and immoral actions in Nicaragua. Owen claimed, “THE national ideals, only deploying empty talk about moral principles
ONLY WAY YOU CAN GET AMERICANS TO NOTICE when it’s convenient.
ANYTHING IS TO TAX THEM OR DRAFT THEM OR KILL
THEM.” John sees a mink and thinks of Mitzy Lish. Larry Lish
has become a well-known reporter who writes with a self-
righteous, moralistic tone.

In the fall of 1962, John and Owen became freshmen at the On the surface, not much changes when John and Owen start
University of New Hampshire. They still lived at home. college. They haven’t moved out or gone their separate ways—but
Compared to the rigorous Gravesend Academy, they both the university is very different from the academy. Owen was used to
found the university to be easy. John took pride in finally getting special treatment for being the cleverest and most original
getting good grades, while Owen became lazy and only student. At college, professors have larger classes to teach, and they
maintained the grades he needed to stay in ROTC. John even don’t care for Owen’s unconventional voice. Owen seems lost, his
gets better grades on papers than Owen, whose professors ambition gone.
don’t indulge his eccentric style like the teachers at Gravesend
used to. College professors only care about their own subjects,
not about “the whole boy.”

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Owen doesn’t stand out in the large student body at the Owen’s unusual body doesn’t make him special anymore, either.
university like he always did in the small town of Gravesend. He Ironically, his lower-class origins are more glaring at the public state
only stands out for having a conspicuously old truck among his school than at the private academy. People aren’t wearing
classmates’ identical new Volkswagen Beetles. He and John standardized uniforms anymore, and Harriet can’t subsidize a nice
become friends with all of Hester’s friends, which leaves them car for Owen like she could a nice wardrobe. John and Owen end up
friendless when Hester graduates. In October, the Cuban with only each other for friends once again.
Missile Crisis unfolds, but Owen isn’t scared—he knows he isn’t
going to die yet, so nuclear war isn’t about to break out.

A guy who wants to date Hester asks Owen how he knows Owen alludes to his mysterious knowledge of the future, which
there isn’t going to be a war, and Owen says there will be a war, seems arrogant to others. Other guys, jealous of Owen’s relationship
just not now. The guy calls Owen little, and Hester claims that with Hester, try to belittle him, but Hester defends his manhood,
Owen has “the biggest penis ever.” John thinks that she’s satisfying the curiosity of anyone who wondered if Owen’s “doink”
right—from what he glimpsed in the gym locker room, Owen’s was as tiny as the rest of him. After freshman year, they return to
“doink” is at least disproportionately large to his body. John and practicing the shot. John thinks of it as a token from their past, while
Owen spend the summer of 1963 practicing the shot again Owen thinks of it in terms of the future.
after they got rusty. They both work for Owen’s father that
summer—John in the monument shop, Owen in the quarries.

John is jealous of Owen’s tan and muscles, and suspects Owen John wants Owen’s tanned and toned physique, but he doesn’t
of interfering with his plan to grow his own muscles. Owen just seem to understand that Owen pays a high price in difficult and
says that if John wants to work in the quarries out of vanity, dangerous labor for his enviable build. Owen seems to be adept at
he’ll end up crushed beneath the granite. Whenever a customer every aspect of the granite trade, from the crude mining of the
comes to order a gravestone, Owen comes to take the order, heavy raw material to the sensitive emotional conversations and
because he is extremely considerate of the grieving family’s careful craftwork for gravestones. John rationalizes Owen’s vision of
wishes. Owen also handles difficult pieces of stonecutting on his own grave by attributing it to too much time spent carving
the diamond wheel, a large saw with an extremely sharp blade headstones.
studded with pieces of diamond. It’s more a scalpel than a saw.
John thinks that given how much time Owen spends working
on graves in the monument shop, it makes sense for him to
have a vision of his own gravestone.

John has another disappointing summer in terms of dates. He John implies that he has never lost his virginity or become special in
recalls, “I was twenty-one and I was still a Joseph; I was a any way—he is a “Joseph,” the man who didn’t father Mary’s child,
Joseph then, and I’m just a Joseph now.” the redundant and impotent bystander.

Back in Canada in July, John still can’t quit reading newspapers. John is captivated by the idea of a hole that could swallow the
He is fascinated by a story about black holes, which have the world, putting humanity out of its misery. It’s hard to believe that
potential to engulf entire galaxies. The black holes are two scientists could know about phenomena so far away from Earth, as
million light-years away from Earth. John thinks, “That is about utterly unreachable as the dead are from the living. John thinks that
as far away from Earth as Owen Meany is; that is about as far he would like to be far away from Earth. He’s not explicitly wishing
away from Earth as I would like to be.” JFK is probably about to be dead, but he hates being bound to what he sees as an awful
that far away now; he was assassinated one day in November, planet.
1963.

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John thinks that “television is at its most solemnly self-serving John connects television’s glorification of spectacle to the public
and at its mesmerizing best when it is depicting the untimely assassinations that characterized the 1960s. President Kennedy,
deaths of the chosen and the golden.” Bobby Kennedy’s his brother Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, Jr. were all
assassination follows five years later. Hester says, “Television assassinated in that decade, as one sensationalized murder seemed
gives good disaster.” Owen goes to see Rev. Merrill more after to inspire another. Owen appears to wrestle with his faith after the
Kennedy’s death. He still won’t tell John about his dream, and President’s death.
Hester won’t say what it is, either. John also sees Owen at St.
Michael’s.

Owen says he’s been talking to Father Findley and working on Owen seems to repent for destroying the Catholic statue. He’s even
replacing the statue of Mary Magdalene that he vandalized. He willing to help make another one himself, despite his former dislike
wants Findley to get rid of the archway around the statue to for manmade objects that represent works of God. John feels hurt
make it a less tempting target for kids like him to aim at. John by Owen’s hesitation to confide in him, when he has shared his
imagines that Owen is talking about his dream to everyone but every fear and shame to Owen. Owen uses his military education to
him. In 1964, Owen tells John about the military’s activity in interpret the ambiguous news of the situation in Vietnam being
Vietnam: there’s a lot of turnover among the leading Generals, reported to the public. Signs point to a dangerously convoluted,
and President Johnson orders the withdrawal of American escalating conflict.
dependents from part of the country. The Tonkin Gulf
Resolution passes, allowing the president to declare war
without declaring it.

That summer, a new statue of Mary Magdalene is finally Two years after destroying the sacred statue, Owen replaces it with
installed at St. Michaels. Owen successfully got rid of the his own version. As always, he still gets his way. The new statue is
archway, leaving the statue alone on a pedestal. The statue is humbler than the previous one, not posed in an incongruous
no longer whitewashed, but a granite-gray color that Owen decorative archway and carved of gleaming white marble. This
says is more “NATURAL.” Its pedestal is shaped to look as if the statue is a testament to God’s power over death.
statue is rising from the grave. Owen says Father Findley is
pleased by it, while Hester thinks it’s disturbing—she’s fed up
with Owen’s preoccupation with death. John prefers the new
statue to the old.

Hester is having a tough year, as a college grad still living in her John doesn’t try to understand why Hester is staying in the same
college apartment in her college town, still working her college apartment and waitressing instead of pursuing a career. Like her
job as a waitress at a lobster restaurant. She doesn’t like driving parents, he doesn’t seem to have very high expectations for her, but
to work, especially since all she has is a car that was used even one would think that she would want to prove them all wrong
before her two brothers drove it, so Owen picks her up after instead of languishing in a dead-end job. She is heavily dependent
her shifts, which usually end late at night. The late nights on Owen, which also seems out of character for her.
contribute to Owen’s declining academics. He doesn’t take any
interest in his studies.

In the summer of 1964, John agrees to keep practicing the shot John uses Owen’s dedication to the shot to secure the right to work
if Owen will finally let him work in the quarries for the last in the quarry. Owen is dependent on John to pull off the shot, so he
month of the summer. For the first time they successfully make doesn’t have much choice, but it’s fair that if Owen can demand so
the shot in under three seconds, and then the goal becomes to much of John’s time for the shot, John can get the chance to work
always make it under three seconds. They practice at the on his muscles. Things have changed over the years since they first
outdoor court at St. Michael’s when the Gravesend Academy began practicing the shot—Owen is now friendly with the nuns he
gym is occupied. Sometimes Owen and the nuns wave to each used to recoil from, and he cleans the statue he used to vandalize.
other, to John’s shock, although Owen says the nuns still give
him the shivers. The statue of Mary Magdalene watches over
them. When they practice in the fall, Owen brushes snow off of
her.

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In the fall, the darker gray color of the statue disappears in the The more “NATURAL” color of Mary Magdalene’s statue makes her
shadows. John once asked Owen if the statue resembled the less visibly divine. She even vanishes from sight like the unseen
angel Owen once thought he saw. Owen says no, because the miracle that tests people’s faith. However, it was seeing the
angel he saw was in motion, reaching out with her supposedly unmistakable angel that first convinced Owen that he
hands—that’s why he knew it wasn’t the dummy. The boys was part of a divine plan, so he has some visual proof behind his
practice the shot until it grows so dark outside that they can’t belief.
see the basket anymore, or the statue. Owen asks John if he
believes the statue is still there, even though he can’t see it.
John insists that yes, the statue is there, whether he can see it
or not. Owen says that’s how he thinks of God.

Back in Canada in July, Katherine tells John to stop reading the Katherine can see that reading the newspapers is bad for John’s
newspapers. She points out that it’s been a long time since they faith, filling him with anger and despair. John once expected Canada
talked together about their respective beliefs, which they used to be filled with people like the residents of Gravesend—people
to spend hours discussing. John is ashamed to tell her how accustomed to a degree of isolation, with a tendency to be small-
many Sunday services he’s missed this summer. When he first minded and suspicious of outsiders—but the people he met in
moved to Canada, he thought it would be easy to be a Toronto were surprisingly kind and better informed about the war
Canadian—it would be just like living in a northern state like than many Americans.
Maine or Minnesota. But he discovers that Toronto is not as
snowy, or as provincial, as the small American towns he’s
familiar with. Canadians were polite and sympathetic to
Americans fleeing the draft or renouncing their country. They
also thought the Vietnam War was stupid and wrong.

In 1968, the Union of American Exiles was formed in Canada. The American exiles in Canada usually left America out of self-
They were not very radical compared to protesters in America, interest rather than as a principled statement. On the other hand,
including Hester, who rioted, getting herself arrested and her most people like Hester could afford to stay and riot because their
nose broken. Most of the American deserters in Canada were lives and freedoms were not at immediate risk like the people who
not radical, either, only guys who had been drafted or had could be arrested for desertion. Still, leaving America and its
enlisted and hated the service. Some claimed they deserted problems behind was not the only way to escape to the draft.
because the war was “insupportable,” but John suspects them Choosing exile had some public impact, testifying to people’s
of saying this as a politically acceptable excuse. He says that willingness to give up their families and homes, but other people
moving to Canada was not the best way to beat the made greater sacrifices to escape the war. John was one of them,
draft—there were other ways. Becoming Canadian did make a but he doesn’t pretend to have suffered too badly, either.
“very forceful political statement,” though; it was “resistance as
exile.” But John admits that he never suffered; he avoided death
in the war, and befriended many Canadians.

As John says, “we Wheelwrights have rarely suffered.” Schools John’s privilege continues to smooth his way, even in a new country.
in Canada were impressed by his degrees and his junior He recognizes that he is more fortunate than most, to have settled
teaching experience at Gravesend Academy, so he had no in so easily. He wanted to leave his old life behind and become a
trouble getting hired. He met Canon Campbell, who welcomed true Canadian, not continue to obsess over the war and the
him into the Anglican Church. He picked up helpful Western powers—including Canada—who supported it.
connections, as Wheelwrights are wont to do, and tried to
assimilate, thinking it would be easy. He refrained from
complaining about Canadian hypocrisy, unlike other American
expats who criticized Canada for profiting off the war by selling
hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of ammunition and other
war supplies to the U.S. They said that Canada was making
more money, per capita, from exporting arms than any other
nation in the world.

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Dissatisfied Americans in Canada also pointed out that black Canada is not a utopia immune from the faults of its southern
Americans didn’t come to Canada in the same number as their neighbor. Just like Americans, Canadians, too, are racist, and
white counterparts, and the ones who came didn’t stay, due to Canada’s material support of the Vietnam War makes them
how poorly Canadians treated them on account of their race. complicit in its terrible toll. John didn’t hold these failings against his
John stayed silent on the subject of Canada’s flaws, not wanting adopted country, but tried to make peace with an imperfect place.
to be an angry American hung up on American issues. John He wanted to forget history, but as readers have seen, ultimately he
says, “I must have believed that my anger and my loneliness could not help but remember.
would simply go away—if I simply let them go.” He skipped the
rallies and marches, the folk songs and protest songs, the
beards and long hair, the free love. Knowing that Owen
sacrificed and suffered so much more than these hippies, he
was not sympathetic to their imagined distress.

John says his experience followed the truism that no one is Eventually John realized that his idealized view of Canada was
more zealous than the convert, nobody more patriotic than the unsustainable. He had been learning from Mrs. Hoyt that America
immigrant. He wanted to believe the best of his new church and was not above criticism, and neither is any other country. Rationally,
new country, and not admit that they shared many of the same he shared protestors’ anti-war views, but he felt emotionally
flaws of his old ones. He looks down on protestors for having it alienated from activists who couldn’t understand Owen’s courage
so much easier than Owen and the soldiers who actually fought and sacrifice. Hester sang protest songs, but John thinks even she
and died. Hester was big on protests and hippie culture—she couldn’t understand what she was writing about, though they loved
had the grungy folk singer look and a pretty voice like her and lost the same person. John seems dead set against the idea that
mother (although not as pretty as Tabitha’s). Unlike Tabitha, a woman could understand Owen as well as he does. Hester can’t
Hester didn’t believe in learning to sing, but simply voiced what even take credit for her music; Owen wrote her lyrics for her.
was inside her. Owen helped her to write songs. Owen thought
that it was sad to go to Canada, causing Hester to scream at
him that going to Vietnam was a lot sadder. Owen said that he
didn’t want to die where it was cold; John later knew he
planned to die where it was warm.

In 1965, most Americans began to realize that the conflict in Even if the government and the military aren’t being upfront about
Vietnam was becoming problematic. The military began the situation, it’s becoming clear to those Americans paying
“BOMBING THE SHIT” out of North Vietnam, in Owen’s attention that the conflict is deteriorating. Their goals are vague and
translation of military-ese, then began to “SEARCH AND unfeasible in practice. The largely young, uneducated American
DESTROY, SEARCH AND DESTROY.” Owen observed that soldiers in Vietnam, like Harry Hoyt, will struggle to implement the
with no end to the relentless guerilla conflict in sight, it was impossible aims the military sets. Owen says he wants to protect
more like “DESTROY AND DESTROY.” John can’t imagine such clueless soldiers from dying in vain.
Harry Hoyt effectively searching and destroying “anything”;
Owen remarks, “HAS IT OCCURRED TO YOU THAT
VIETNAM IS FULL OF HARRY HOYTS?” Owen wants to go to
Vietnam “TO KEEP THE HARRY HOYTS FROM GETTING
THEIR HEADS BLOWN OFF.”

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Owen’s Military Science professor thinks that Owen is too Owen actually wants to go into combat, to John and Hester’s
small for a combat branch, and Owen tries to impress him by disbelief. They are horrified to think of losing Owen to such a
excelling in his classes. Owen believes that if he can become the pointless war, and bewildered by his determination to be sent to the
number-one graduate from his ROTC unit, he will surely be front. John thinks that Owen is desperate to be a hero. John is
assigned to a combat branch. John scoffs at Owen’s desire to equally desperate to keep Owen from throwing his life away in
be a hero in such a stupid war—he tells him that if he’s really Vietnam, enough to go behind Owen’s back and undermine his
smarter than Harry, he’d be smart enough to pick desk work quest to receive a combat designation. He believes that Owen’s
over combat. John even goes to Owen’s Military Science history of grandiose thinking and dramatic actions suggests poor
professor and tells him that he’s right to think that Owen isn’t decision-making.
suitable for combat—not only due to his diminutive size, but
also due to his emotional instability.

Owen responds to the professor’s doubts in him by giving up Owen may technically have been tall enough to get into the military,
smoking and taking up running. He’s in good shape by the time but he simply isn’t tall enough to clear the wall all recruits must face
he leaves for Basic Training the summer before senior year. in the Basic Training obstacle course. He cannot will away all of his
Nonetheless, he fails the obstacle course—he can’t get over the physical limitations. He is devastated to have his combat
wall. He still has the highest marks in academics and leadership, worthiness in doubt, but his friends are relieved.
but he won’t be ranked number one, and won’t have his choice
of a combat branch guaranteed. Owen is so upset by his failure
that John feels guilty for trying to undermine him—but he still
doesn’t want Owen to be assigned to a combat branch.

In the fall of 1965, the start of their senior year, protests As protests break out, Hester joins the cause, but John holds back,
against U.S. policy in Vietnam were getting underway. Hester reluctant to ally himself with the type of people who are most active
must have attended about half the protests across the country, in the movement. He thinks opposing the war is the smart thing to
John says. He’s typically undecided—he thinks the protestors do, and wonders why Owen is suddenly content to go along with
have a lot more sense than the supporters of U.S. policy, but he such a misguided institution as the military. After all, Owen is the
thinks that Hester’s crowd are “losers and jerks.” He doesn’t one so fond of quoting, “WOE UNTO THEM WHO CALL EVIL
understand why Owen, always quick to call bullshit, wants to go GOOD.”
to Vietnam so desperately. “Did he want to be a hero so badly
that he would have gone anywhere?” John wonders.

Owen is told in the fall that he is destined for the Adjunct Owen is officially spared from the fighting, but he is anything but
General’s Corps—not a combat branch. He tries to appeal the grateful. Mrs. Hoyt, having lost her son to a war she never believed
orders. Meanwhile, Harry Hoyt dies of a snake bite, and Mrs. in, is determined to make sure that other young men eligible to fight
Hoyt starts advertising free draft-counseling advice to young are fully informed about the conflict they’re facing. If they would
men in Gravesend and Durham, the university town. The rather not give their lives in such a short-sighted war, they should
university students are more receptive, nearing the end of their have a choice. Owen is well-informed and he has the choice to stay
college draft exemptions upon graduation. Although John is out of the war, but still he chooses to fight.
going to grad school, student deferments will end during his
first year for any students less than two years along, making
him eligible for the draft.

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Mrs. Hoyt tells John about his options for avoiding the draft: Unfortunately, most young men don’t have Owen’s opportunity to
convincingly faking a history of mental illness like tragic Buzzy avoid combat. Their alternatives to Vietnam are limited to extreme
Thurston, or applying for the Peace Corps and going someplace self-sabotage or foreign exile. Everyone in John’s life wants him to
like Tanzania. John is paralyzed by the awful choices: “Imagine avoid Vietnam, but they are powerless to give him a way out. John
this: you’re a university student, you’re a virgin—do you believe doesn’t want to go to war, but he doesn’t want to leave his home,
it when someone tells you that you have to make up your mind either. Yet he can find no other choice.
between Vietnam and Tanzania?” Harriet and Dan urge him to
find a way to get out of going to Vietnam—to do the opposite of
Owen, for once. “This time Owen is making a mistake,” Dan
says.

Everyone thinks Owen is crazy for chasing a combat-branch Owen struggles to explain himself properly to John. He says that he
assignment. John asks him why he wants to be a hero and go to knows he is meant to be a hero. All signs from the universe seem to
Vietnam, and Owen says that he doesn’t particularly want to point to the opposite conclusion—that he is not meant to go to
go—he just knows he will. He claims, “I DON’T WANT TO BE A Vietnam—but he refuses to relinquish this belief.
HERO…IT’S THAT I AM A HERO. I KNOW THAT’S WHAT I’M
SUPPOSED TO BE.”

While Owen and John argue, Hester is cooking dinner, which John is extremely critical of Hester’s cooking abilities for someone
John says is always carelessly prepared and unappetizing. who never helps in the kitchen himself. If he is sick of poor cooking,
Before Owen can explain how he “knows” what he knows, he could easily try to make something himself, but he is content to
Hester runs out of the room and shuts herself in the bathroom, sit back and criticize while a woman makes him dinner. Upset with
where they can hear her being sick even over the sound of the Owen, Hester runs out of the room and throws up—she is going
bath she runs to drown it out. She yells that she isn’t listening to crazy over Owen’s determination to die in the war. Owen doesn’t
Owen’s shit again. John says that if Owen is talking about his react to her hysterics, only continues talking to John.
“dream,” surely it’s only a dream. Owen says that Rev. Merrill
and Father Findley have told him the same thing. He tells John
again that John has no faith. He says he wouldn’t request a
combat assignment if he wasn’t serious.

John prompts Owen to explain the dream. Owen says he saves For the first time, Owen says he is meant to save children. He
Vietnamese children, not soldiers, in his dream—he wouldn’t go contradicts what he said earlier, when he told John he wanted to go
to such lengths just to save soldiers, he says. John says Owen is Vietnam in order to save the poor Harry Hoyts of the world.
being childish to believe he dreamed his destiny; Owen says his Apparently he wasn’t being wholly honest before—it has taken him
faith is more selective than John thinks it is. He gets his diary years to trust John with the content of his dream, and even now he
and reads from it an account of his vision—an edited version, withholds certain major facts. Perhaps John’s skepticism and lack of
John later realizes. Owen describes hearing the aftermath of faith have discouraged Owen from confiding in him—or it could be
an explosion, seeing pieces of debris in the air, and smelling the fact that John is in the dream as well.
smoke. Around him, children sit up and hold their ears. They
don’t speak English. When they look at Owen, it’s clear to him
that he saved them and that they’re scared for him.

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Owen continues describing his vision, saying that nuns appear Owen’s dream is incredibly, realistically detailed. At the same time,
and one of them takes him into her arms. Blood spurts onto her it seems to follow a dream logic, where certain preoccupations that
wimple and her face, but she isn’t afraid. The blood is Owen’s. haunt one’s waking life reappear in one’s dreams. It is natural,
She makes the sign of the cross over Owen—when he tries to perhaps, that Owen would dream of saving children when his own
grab her hand and stop her, it’s as if he doesn’t have any arms. childhood was so unhappy, for nuns to appear when he has always
Then he leaves, and finds himself looking down at the scene been fixated with them, and for him to lose his arms when he has
from above. He says his body looks like it did when he was been obsessed with armlessness for years.
swaddled up as the Baby Jesus. He keeps rising higher, higher
than the palm trees. The sky is beautiful, but the air is hotter
than anywhere he’s ever been—he’s not in New Hampshire.

John says again that it’s just a dream. He points out that John also thinks that Owen’s dream is just a natural, random dream
Owen’s touchy feelings about Catholicism are probably the rather than a special premonition. But Owen stubbornly ignores all
reason he imagines a nun as his personal Angel of Death. the sound reasons people try to use against him. Hester resorts to
Similarly, he dreams about saving Vietnamese children using violence to finally make Owen see reason. She would rather
someplace with palm trees because of the war. But Owen hurt him herself than see him die from a delusion. She always lost to
doesn’t budge an inch. When Hester comes out of the her brothers in fights, and she loses to Owen and John. She thinks
bathroom, she tries to beat sense into Owen, putting him in a that Owen doesn’t love her enough to stay alive for her sake.
headlock and punching him until John has to drag her off and
she attacks him too. They have to sit on her until she subsides.
She screams at Owen that he wouldn’t go to Vietnam if he
loved her, and kicks him out.

John and Owen go to the breakwater and Rye Harbor, then to Hester has pummeled Owen so badly that he needs to go to the
the ER so Owen can get stitches for his lip. At the hospital, John hospital, just as John feared she might do all those years ago when
realizes that Owen doesn’t have any insurance. He tells the Owen first met the Eastmans. Owen still protects Hester from
hospital to bill Harriet. When they get to Harriet’s house, she Harriet’s outrage. Conservative Harriet would have been
doesn’t believe that Owen could have fallen down the stairs or scandalized to learn that her granddaughter, not her grandson, was
gotten assaulted by delinquents at the beach, so Owen says throwing punches.
that John accidentally hurt him while roughhousing, unwilling
to tell Harriet that Hester attacked him.

Owen and John stay up watching a movie that reminds John of Owen, the prolific author of so many persuasive editorials, struggles
the Orange Grove. John asks Owen if he remembers the play to come up with a good story. He still made more of an effort to
they were going to write about the Lady in Red. Owen says he uncover John’s father than John himself did, and he warns John
started writing it a few times even after John didn’t want to do that he needs to pursue his own goals instead of waiting for
it, but he found that making up a story was harder than he everything to fall into place. Owen wanted to fulfill his vision of
thought. He urges John to learn to follow things through until saving Vietnamese children, so he tried to put himself in the best
the end, instead of giving up. John never even looked for Buster position to do so instead of just waiting for the opportunity to arise.
Freebody in the phone book, while Owen called up all the He also thinks God will show John his father, but John can still look
Freebodys to see if they knew him, and even called up all the for himself.
places offering live music to see if they’d heard of him. He spent
so much time making secret calls on the phone that Hester
thought he must be cheating on her.

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Owen and John try to plan a trip for the summer—John isn’t Owen wants to go someplace with palm trees because he dreamed
working before he starts to teach classes part-time in the fall of them, and his dream is never far from his mind. Hester apologizes
and Owen is taking some time off before the Army. Owen for his injuries and the couple seems to make peace with Owen’s
wants to go someplace with palm trees, but can’t afford to go fate. After all, he is not set to go to Vietnam anytime soon. She can
anywhere so far. They walk to visit Tabitha’s grave. When they forget his dream for a while, even if he cannot. Owen can still try to
get back, Hester is asleep on the couch. She kisses Owen softly win an overseas assignment, but he is a single soldier in a force of
and apologizes for giving him stitches. Soon they hundreds of thousands—as John says, it’s not the same thing as
graduate—John earns a B.A. in English, cum laude, and Owen getting his way in a town Christmas pageant. Owen’s voice might go
earns a B.S. in Geology and the rank of second lieutenant. unheard.
Owen is given a post in communications command in Arizona.
He continues to appeal his assignment, but John is relieved to
think that the military “was not as easy to manipulate as a
children’s Christmas pageant.”

The night before Gravesend Academy’s graduation, Owen Four years later, Owen finally delivers the speech he was meant to
recites his old valedictorian speech to the empty chairs lined up give, but no one hears it. He is crossing off the experiences he has
on the lawn. He won’t tell John what it says. They head up to always wanted to have as if he is preparing to die, even though he’s
Sawyer Depot for their vacation instead of someplace tropical. only going to Arizona for now. Owen’s supposed interest seeing the
Martha and Alfred are polite to Owen, but not warm. Noah is in war for himself is another reason for going to Vietnam that sounds
the Peace Corps, teaching Forest Management to Nigerians noble, like saving Harry Hoyt, but it seems more likely that he is still
instead of risking the draft. Simon has a draft deferment from trying to understand his own purpose in God’s plan.
all the skiing accidents that took their toll on his knees. Martha
and Alfred respect Owen’s decision to go to Vietnam, although
Martha questions the war’s morality. Owen impresses them by
giving a breakdown of the conflict and saying he would like to
see the situation for himself.

After spending a night with the Eastmans, John and Owen stay John and Owen camp out, making the most of their last summer
in the boathouse at Loveless Lake, then camp at Lake Francis. together. They stop in sight of Canada, giving John a glimpse of his
Before returning to Gravesend they drive up to the Canadian future. Owen is as far-sighted as ever. He reassures them with his
border and look at the other side of the border. Harriet hosts a singular authority that they have nothing to fear. Presumably he
small going-away party before Owen reports to his training for means they have nothing to fear for themselves, since he still
the administrative branch. Owen makes John and Hester stand believes he will die in the war. His belief is tested by the mundanity
in a circle with him, holding hands, and tells them, “DON’T BE of his army duties.
AFRAID.” In his letters later that summer, he sounds bored—he
says his work is mostly writing, like he used to do at Gravesend
Academy, not anything he learned in ROTC or Basic Training.

John starts grad school, and moves into Hester’s apartment John, who once had to repeat the ninth grade, is now happily getting
when her last roommate moves out. She seems to know a lot of a graduate degree. Hester’s faithfulness to Owen is surprising to
guys, but she never brings them back to the apartment or John, as is her tidiness. She can take good care of her living space,
spend the night at their places. John discovers that Hester is and even make the effort to clean up after John, but she won’t make
not actually a slob; she keeps the apartment very neat, and “it the same effort for herself. She seems to struggle with self-hatred, a
was only herself she treated carelessly.” Owen seems to really consequence of being forever treated as her brothers’ inferior. Owen
like his fort in Arizona, although he’s still gunning for a transfer finds himself doing the same work he did in his family’s business,
overseas. By December, he’s working as a casualty assistance dealing in death and grief.
officer, meeting with grieving families with his usual tact. When
bodies of Arizona servicemen came back to America from
Vietnam, Owen flies to California to collect the bodies and
escort them home.

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Owen comes home for Christmas and he tells John and Hester The Christmases at Sawyer Depot are forever lost to the past. John
about his work. He and John practice the basketball shot. and Owen cannot forget that they are stuck in the present, in the
Owen, John, and Hester discuss how the war could end, but middle of a never-ending war. Despite sleeping in the bed of his
they “talked like the war itself, going nowhere.” John sleeps over youth once again, John cannot retreat back into childhood, but
at Harriet’s and Dan’s to give Owen and Hester some privacy. must face the difficult choices of being an adult in wartime.
Everyone plans to take the train up to Sawyer Depot for
Christmas, until they realize that train service from Gravesend
to Sawyer Depot isn’t running anymore, so they spend the
holiday apart, after all. Owen talks to John about what John’s
going to do after he loses his student deferment. He says that if
John wants to do things his own way, he’s going to have to make
a decision, and show some courage.

John says he wants to keep being a student, and become a John voices his ambition to become a teacher, like Dan. Owen tells
teacher. Owen says he had better find the courage to do him he has to decide what to do before it’s too late, but John is still
something now, because courage won’t help him after his unwilling to take the drastic step of going into exile. He blames his
physical. John picks Thomas Hardy for his master’s thesis, but poor faith for his passivity—why take a risk when it could easily be
he doesn’t pick an alternative to Vietnam. He writes to Owen for nothing? When the world can take his mother away from him in
that he doesn’t understand what he means by showing an instant, all of his hopes could be undone just as swiftly. Yet Owen
courage—none of the options besides going to war require refuses to believe that everything must unfold in the same tragic
bravery. He says his lack of faith makes him feel that nothing he way.
decides to do will make any difference in the random chaos of
life. “What good does courage do—when what happens next is
up for grabs?” Owen tells him not to so be cynical.

John gets told to report to his pre-induction physical. He calls John calls Owen for answers, as he has always done, and Owen
Owen, who tells him not to report for anything until he gets takes charge, as he always does. He invites John to the shop that
there. Owen comes back as soon as he gets a leave, and he calls trades in death, where they will try to figure out how to save John’s
John when he’s at the monument shop, asking him to come life. Owen is a figure of both life and death, the newborn and the
over. At the shop, they each have a beer. John notices that the ghost. Like Hester, Owen would rather spill John’s blood than see
diamond wheel saw has a new blade. Owen says that he boiled him die in the war. John will have to sacrifice his finger to ensure his
the blade and wiped it with alcohol. He did the same thing to safety. This also means losing part of an arm, like Watahantowet’s
the wooden block below the saw. John finally realizes what totem.
Owen plans to do. He sees sterile bandages and a tourniquet
waiting. Owen explains that according to Army regulations, you
can’t be physically qualified to serve if you’re missing one joint
from your thumb or more than one joint from your index,
middle, or ring finger.

Owen says that the safest thing to do is to remove John’s Cutting off the finger John would use to shoot and kill is a powerful
trigger finger, and John agrees. John is terrified, however, as anti-war statement as well as an effective way to become ineligible
Owen shows him how to hold his hand on the cutting board. to fight. He also symbolically loses the ability to figuratively pull the
Owen tells John that this will take guts and faith, like looking trigger, in the sense of taking decisive action. John has never been
for his father. He reminds John of how his lust disturbs him, and good at that. Owen can see this in him, and he tells John to be more
how he thinks it comes from his father. Owen says that John’s like Tabitha, who fearlessly followed her own path.
father is probably cowardly, as well, another thing that John
dislikes in himself. He tells John that his mother was never
afraid.

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Owen tells John to scrub his hand and rub it with alcohol, and Owen has carefully planned a sterile, surgical amputation of John’s
they’ll be at the hospital in less than 10 minutes. John doesn’t finger. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for John—repeat a year of
know his blood type, but Owen does—it’s the same as his. He school for him, teach him to read, give him blood, and now save him
says John can have some of his blood if he needs it. He reveals from Owen’s own sad destiny. He can accept every other demand of
that John appears in his dream about his death, and he wants to fate except for putting his friend in danger.
keep John out of it by keeping him out of Vietnam. He tells John
it’s his choice to go along or not.

John puts his finger on the chopping block, and Owen puts on Owen tells John that he can do anything if he believes he can; what
his safety goggles. He tells John to look him in the eyes so he he means here is that John must believe in Owen, and his
won’t get dizzy. The only thing John has to do is stay perfectly reassurance that John will come to no harm. John does trust Owen,
still. John says he can’t do it, but Owen tells him not to be and it is perhaps his first real leap of faith in life.
afraid; he can do anything he wants, if he believes he can. “I
LOVE YOU…NOTHING BAD IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO
YOU—TRUST ME,” Owen says before he slices.

CHAPTER 9: THE SHOT

John feels sick whenever anyone today reminisces positively John hates to hear people recall the sixties with nostalgia. The
about the sixties. He thinks that there was practically no irony sixties were a time of stubborn, frequently misguided convictions at
in those days—everyone was so self-righteous, even in their odds with one another. Hester eventually learned to harness
muddled thinking. Hester failed as a folksinger and songwriter everyone’s anger and express it in music, and her career took off.
because no one appreciated her irony. When she was just
Hester Eastman, an earnest nobody, she flopped. But when she
transformed herself into a hard-rock star, a queen of the
grittiest and coarsest style of rock ’n’ roll, she became a
household name: Hester the Molester.

John’s students are impressed that he’s related to Hester, and Hester is famous even in Canada. She is eternally blunt about sex,
they always ask him for tickets to her Toronto shows. He goes and never lets John forget that she knows he’s a virgin. In Freudian
with them and brings them backstage to meet Hester, where imagery, having his finger cut off was like losing his “doink,” and he
she tells the girls to sleep with him if they want safe sex, says outright that he feels himself to be “neutered” by his past. The
because he’s a virgin. The girls giggle at her joke, never lust that once haunted him seems to have been extinguished by the
imagining that it’s the truth. John is a virgin, and Hester knows accumulated trauma of so much loss—his mother, his best friend,
it. He no longer has any interest in losing his virginity; what has his home.
happened to him has “simply neutered” him, he thinks.
Katherine’s husband is partially correct in that John just
doesn’t feel like “practicing” anything.

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Hester has stayed virginal to the memory of Owen Meany—he Hester herself has been partially neutered by Owen’s loss—she will
was the love of her life, and she never became as seriously never share her life with anyone else the way she once did with him.
involved with anyone else. She only sleeps with younger guys She won’t be perfectly celibate, like John, but she will never have
who don’t expect anything from her. John thinks that Hester’s another long-term relationship. As famous as she is, such a life must
music videos are quite ugly, with electric bass distorting her be as lonely as John’s. Hester doesn’t even have her family to return
voice and shots of her liaisons with young men intermixed with home to—she has nobody. John looks down on her for
shots of Vietnam War footage. John’s students’ generation find misappropriating the pain of the war for sensational songs and
Hester and her commentary “profound and humane,” which music videos, but his female students don’t see it that way.
makes John sick. He believes that they were both damaged by
what happened by Owen, but Hester has channeled her
damage into incredible fame and fortune. She has created “a
mindless muddle of sex and protest” out of her and Owen’s
suffering. What an irony, John thinks.

John thinks Owen would have scoffed at Hester’s music videos. John thinks he knows what Owen would say of Hester’s career, but
Hester wears lots of crucifixes—she likes them or she likes to even Owen had a weakness for popular music once. John doesn’t
mock them. John appreciates her song titles, at least, and he consider that Hester could be writing the music she does in full
believes that she has an equal right to interpret the silence that awareness of Owen’s distaste—she has no obligation to honor the
Owen left behind. Owen hasn’t left perfect silence behind him, preferences of a man who couldn’t put her first. She could also very
however. John heard from him one night at Harriet’s old house, well have chosen her career to spite him, as she chose to spite her
where John was staying with Dan. They were drinking and parents.
talking about Harriet’s last years in the house. They kept her at
home as long as they could, even convincing the grocery store
to make special deliveries for her. But she was going senile, and
she wouldn’t recognize the delivery boys.

Harriet also lost her hair and had to resort to wigs, which she Harriet ended up going into the nursing home that she swore she
would hide from her maids. Eventually she had to go into the would never move into, just like she bought the TV that she swore
seniors’ home. Dan says that her preserved jellies are still in the she would never get. In further irony, her unintentional legacy was to
secret passageway, and John goes to see them for himself. He leave a scare waiting for someone in the secret passageway, where
can’t find the light switch, and then Dan shuts the door on him. she always hated to hear Owen screaming.
He gropes for the light, and feels something awful to the
touch—one of Harriet’s old wigs. He steps backward, yelling,
and begins to lose his balance on top of the stairs.

John is saved from falling to his death by “a small, strong hand” Owen comes to rescue John from the place where John used to
that guides his hand to the light switch and pulls him forward. scare him (and where both of them would frighten the maids). Once
He hears Owen’s voice saying, “DON’T BE AFRAID. again, Owen assures him that he has nothing to fear. John’s drunken
NOTHING BAD IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO YOU.” When Dan state is a rational explanation for why he could have imagined
opens the door, he sees that the roots of John’s hair have Owen’s presence, but he has faith in what he witnessed.
turned white. The next morning, Dan is somewhat skeptical of
John’s claim to have felt and heard Owen. John points out that
Owen’s voice is unmistakable, but Dan only says that they were
very drunk.

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The summer of 1967, John’s finger was healing. Owen was After John’s amputation, he was free from worries about the war
promoted to first lieutenant. He helped John start his Master’s and could focus on finishing his Master’s degree. Owen helps him
thesis on Thomas Hardy, explaining his view that Hardy was with his studies one last time, giving him a topic to write about.
almost religious—he came so close to believing that his Hardy represents one possibility for John’s future: a man who just
eventual rejection of religion made him very bitter. He tells can’t believe because of how meaningless life’s promises seem to be.
John about a line from Hardy’s diary that Hardy wrote to
explain his disinterest in theories like religion: “Nothing bears
out in practice what it promises incipiently.”

Back in the present, it’s August and John is visiting Dan in A new school year looms, and John is happy to have his teaching to
Gravesend. Harriet left her house to Dan and John when she occupy him again. Dan wants John to finally let his decades-old
died, and Dan wants John to move back. John thinks of August wound heal and return home to America, to Gravesend. But on this
as their month to talk about teaching together, and he doesn’t question, John has refused to take Dan’s advice for once. He can’t
want to talk about moving back to America. He complains to forget what happened to Owen in this country.
Dan that his students fail to recognize wit in the works they
read; he believes they would see more of it if they could see the
work performed, like Dan does. Meanwhile, Dan tries to
convince him to forgive and forget, and come home already.
Even Owen wouldn’t blame the whole country for what
happened to him.

“There is too much forgetting,” John thinks. He tried to forget John feels like he is the only person who truly remembers what
who his father could be, only once calling Mr. McSwiney, who happened to Owen. If he forgets, what Owen did will lose most of its
also told him to forget about it. McSwiney told him again that meaning. John doesn’t take many stands, but he takes a stand on
Owen should go see a doctor—there wasn’t any good reason the miracle of Owen Meany. Even Merrill can’t bring himself to
not to fix his voice. In Owen’s case, there really was a reason. believe everything John describes.
John tried to tell Dan and Rev. Merrill about that reason, but
they didn’t fully believe him. “I believe you,” Dan said neutrally.
Merrill says that to believe the whole story “calls upon more
faith than I have.”

Merrill insists that it’s harder for him to believe in a supposed Merrill has always preached that faith should not depend on
miracle as someone who has been both filled with faith and miracles—it should be independent of earthly proof. Faith that
filled with doubt, as compared to John who hasn’t lost his needs miracles is not true faith. But John and Owen might say in
newfound faith yet. He also says that miracles shouldn’t cause return that believing in God’s influence on earth makes it natural to
faith; one has to already have faith to believe in true miracles. believe in the possibility of witnessing or experiencing a miracle.
He agrees that Owen was very gifted, and very emotional. He
believes that Owen experienced some disturbing visions, but
doesn’t believe that every instance of precognition can be
ascribed to God.

One day in the present August vacation, John lies down on the Owen is never gone from John’s life—he continues to appear in the
couch where Hester once laid down while John, Noah and most unexpected of places. He has been there all along, just waiting
Simon searched the house for Owen. He finds a baseball card for the moment to reveal himself.
under the couch cushions and realizes that Owen had been
lying under the couch cushions—under Hester—the whole time
they looked for him.

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Harriet’s decline at the seniors’ home was quick and painless; Thankfully, Harriet did not endure the drawn-out death she feared.
she died in her sleep two weeks before she would have turned The TV that was her primary companion in the last years of her life
one hundred. Her birthday was on Halloween, which she hated. saw her out of the world. Ironically, she did not die while listening to
She also would have hated a big celebration that called someone read, like Lydia, even though she always claimed that
attention to her age. She died in front of the TV, the remote reading was superior to TV.
clutched in her hand, stuck on the button to change the
channel.

In the present, it’s September—time to go back to school. At a John refuses to consider the female teacher’s point of view on the
staff meeting, John again requested to teach Günter Grass’s book he wants to teach. To him, she is just an Amanda Dowling
book Cat and Mouse to his Grade 13 girls, but another English type, opposed to any book with a whiff of sexism, regardless of
teacher called the book “nasty,” saying, “The masturbation cultural value or artistic merit. Literary censorship is a slippery
scene alone is offensive to women.” He finds this female slope, but John could at least give greater consideration to a
teacher very disagreeable, and is looking forward to catching woman’s perspective on the harms of misogynistic literature on his
her off guard with his missing index finger. It’s not grotesque- young female students. Instead he waits to upset her with his finger,
looking, since Owen made the cleanest cut possible. The only just as he and Owen have always enjoyed upsetting girls.
thing wrong with the hand, and the only thing wrong with John,
is what’s missing: “Owen Meany is missing.”

At the end of the summer of 1967, Hester tells Owen she won’t Hester will do whatever it takes when it comes to making a life with
go to his funeral. She says she’ll do anything—get married, move Owen Meany, but she wants nothing to do with his death. If he
to Arizona, have his children—except go to his funeral. And she doesn’t love her enough to stay alive with her, she won’t eulogize
sticks to her word; she doesn’t go to his funeral. Owen never him. But Owen won’t give up on his mission for her sake, and he
asked her to marry him or move for him, saying it wouldn’t be won’t give her false hope. They don’t marry, and he continues
fair to her. Owen strikes a deal with a Major General at Fort arranging to go overseas.
Huachuca who is impressed with his body escort service: if he
stays as a body escort for eighteen more months, the Major
General will get him “a good job in Vietnam.” Hester questions
how Owen could possibly believe in such a thing as “a good job
in Vietnam.”

Hester and John attend an anti-war march in Washington fifty- John is critical of the protestors’ attitudes, but it’s not clear how else
thousand people strong. She questions why Owen didn’t also they were supposed to voice their opposition to a war they hated.
cut off his own finger and save himself, if he’s so smart. John Most young draftees and their peers weren’t even old enough to
leaves the march, and Hester stays and gets arrested. John vote. Powerless to change the government through the ballot, there
thinks that the protestors’ righteousness simply hardened the weren’t many other ways to get the attention of their leaders
attitudes of those who supported the war. Rather than “giving without being loud and impassioned.
aid and comfort to the enemy,” as Reagan later claimed the
protestors did, they gave fuel to the pro-war Americans.

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Perhaps the protests worked against the protestors, helping to If the pro-war people in power decided to double down on their
extend rather than end the war. Either way, it did not end soon support of the war in light of the highly vocal opposition of the
enough to save Owen. He was placed in a closed casket, draped youths being sent to die, that’s a separate problem in itself. Owen
with a U.S. flag with his medal pinned to it. He was given a full went to war willingly, and he would die willingly, but the war
military funeral with honors, and Mr. Meany and Mrs. Meany consumed so many willing and unwilling lives alike, needlessly. John
asked that he be buried in Gravesend rather than Arlington. ensures that a pro-war preacher does not preside over Owen’s
Rev. Wiggin, a supporter of the war, wanted to hold the funeral funeral.
in his church, but John convinced the Meanys to hold the
service in Hurd’s Church, with Rev. Merrill. Mr. Meany was still
mad at Gravesend Academy for kicking Owen out, but John
said Owen would be more upset if Wiggin performed his
service rather than Merrill.

Owen’s funeral was held in the summer of 1968, not long after It’s unclear what John wants from his country—he can’t stand the
Martin Luther King, Jr. had been assassinated and Hair had protestors, but can’t specify what opposition he would rather see.
opened on Broadway within the same month. John is sick of He’s certainly not an example of principled advocacy himself.
people who pretend to be radical but stand by as tragedy and Perhaps he belittles the protestors to ease his own guilt and self-
violence run riot. At the Meanys’ house, Mrs. Meany stares into loathing for not getting more involved in stopping the war before it
the dead ashes of the fireplace while Mr. Meany talks with was too late. Harriet has anonymously given the Meanys money to
John. He believes that the government has given them make up for the loss of Owen as a provider. In Owen’s room, John
$50,000, while John knows that the money came from Harriet. reviews the symbols of Owen’s life. The missing arms of the statue
John goes into Owen’s bedroom and sees that Owen attached have been fitted onto the dummy—perhaps even Owen found the
the severed arms from the statue of Mary Magdalene to armless torso too bleak, relentlessly reminding him of his fate.
Tabitha’s armless dummy. He sees that Owen never unpacked
his baseball cards after John gave them back to him. He sees
how withered the armadillo’s claws became. He doesn’t see the
fatal baseball.

Mr. Meany says the baseball was never there—he looked for it Shockingly, Owen never had the baseball, all along. The ball itself
in Owen’s room for years, and never found it. John unpacks was never symbolic to him—neither was the bat he hit it with. His
Owen’s duffel bag for his family. Inside is Owen’s diary, his copy own hands, guided by God, were always all that he held responsible
of St. Thomas Aquinas’s writings, and his Bible. Mr. Meany sits for Tabitha’s death. At this very moment, John discovers just why
down with John and tells him that Owen wasn’t born naturally. Owen so firmly believed himself bound to God’s will.
Mrs. Meany shouts at him to stop talking. Mr. Meany explains
that Owen had been a virgin birth, since he and Mrs. Meany
never had sex. Nobody ever believed them.

Mrs. Meany continues to order Mr. Meany to stop talking, and Mrs. Meany can’t stand to hear Mr. Meany telling their story to
John thinks that she’s perfectly crazy—possibly even mentally anybody else, after how badly it was always received in the past.
disabled. She might not have known what sex was, or might John doesn’t react outwardly, but inwardly he fiercely scorns the
have been lying all these years, or might have repressed or Meanys. He certainly doesn’t believe them. He thinks that Mrs.
forgotten the experience due to trauma or mental disability. Mr. Meany must be mentally handicapped, a plausible explanation for
Meany believed his wife had conceived Owen as a virgin, like her highly abnormal behavior. But John only sees her after “THE
Jesus’s mother Mary, but none of the Catholic priests believed UNSPEAKABLE OFFENSE,” which could have triggered this state.
him. Wherever he went, they accused him of blasphemy. His He can believe that her husband never slept with her if he says so,
parents told Owen when he was ten or eleven, around when he but he can’t believe she never had intercourse to conceive Owen. A
hit the fatal baseball. woman’s word is always doubted.

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John thinks that he could kill Mr. Meany and Mrs. Meany for No matter how the Meanys came to believe what they did, John
their ignorance. He thinks of them as “monsters of thinks that they did great harm to their son by telling him that he
superstition,” and “dupes.” He feels that Owen has been used was born of immaculate conception. His outrage on Owen’s behalf
cruelly both by ignorance and by design, and that Mrs. Meany is great; he even thinks viciously that Mrs. Meany should have been
should have been sterilized. Mr. Meany tells John to come to forcibly sterilized. On the last Christmas Owen and John have
the monument shop; Mrs. Meany again tells him to “Stop!” John together, they practice the shot, minus one finger.
hadn’t been to the workshop since his amputation. Owen spent
a lot of time in the shop over the Christmas holidays in 1967,
and also spent a lot of time practicing the shot with John, as
usual. Losing his finger didn’t stop John from doing the shot,
although it gave him difficulty with writing, eating, and typing.

Owen didn’t see much of Hester that Christmas. Her refusal to Hester finally seems to have sent a message to Owen that he
attend his funeral seemed to have hurt him. She became more couldn’t simply ignore or shake off. Her great pain at his choice to
and more radically opposed to the war in 1968, and Owen die is valid, and at last he appears to understand the limits of what
didn’t try very hard to reconcile with her. John believes Owen she is willing to suffer for him. Perhaps Hester could never
wanted Hester to fall out of love with him before he died. In the understand that his love for God would always come before his love
monument shop, Mr. Meany shows John Owen’s gravestone, for her; perhaps she did, but needed to protect her heart. Owen
with his full name, dates of birth and death, and Latin wouldn’t have wanted her to go through worse pain, but he does
inscription for “forever.” John is surprised to see how well- seem unrealistically disappointed that her devotion isn’t absolute.
carved the headstone is, given Mr. Meany’s lack of carving skill. Owen’s headstone is proof that he always knew when he would die.
Mr. Meany says it’s all Owen’s work—he even inscribed the
exact date of death, six months before he died.

Rev. Merrill agrees with John that Mr. Meany is a “monster of Before Owen’s funeral, John talks with Merrill about everything he
superstition” and Mrs. Meany is likely mentally disabled, and he learned from the Meanys. Merrill already knew most of the story
shares John’s horror that they told Owen their belief when he from Owen, who could never bring himself to tell John about his
was still so young and impressionable. He says that Owen parents’ belief, perhaps out of fear of John’s scorn. Those who knew
talked to him and Father Findley about his parents’ ideas, pitied Owen and the burden his parents had unreasonably placed
causing them both to pity him. Owen didn’t believe he was upon him. Owen doesn’t necessarily agree with his parents, but he
Jesus, but he did challenge Merrill by asking him why he does believe in miracles, and doesn’t think another virgin birth is
couldn’t believe in another virgin birth. impossible.

Owen did believe that everything that happened to him had a Merrill, a man of faith by trade, has very little faith outside of the set
purpose, that he was picked by God. Merrill only believes that teachings of the Bible. He doesn’t have the strength of belief to
Owen was gifted with some “precognitive powers.” John is accept a new miracle that the Gospel hasn’t already blessed. A lot of
angry that Merrill would treat Owen like an intellectual Owen’s story can be intellectually rationalized, but the most
problem rather than acknowledging that his life was miraculous incredible parts seem like they could only be what Owen always
or extraordinary. Merrill warns him not to confuse his grief for believed them to be: God’s work. Merrill’s stubborn refusal to admit
Owen with real religious belief. John says that Merrill’s doubt any potential of divine intervention is startling given his profession.
has overwhelmed him, as Owen suspected. They sit without
speaking until John asks what Merrill will say about Owen at
his funeral. Merrill doesn’t reply, and John remembers his
silence in The Great Hall.

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John thinks that Merrill treats religion like a career, preaching Merrill has never been able to pray for Owen Meany. How could he
without believing or opening his heart to a new manifestation believe, as a man of God, that God would answer the prayers of
of God’s will. In Merrill’s vestry office, John suddenly feels humankind if he can’t believe that God could actually intervene in
Owen near. Merrill turns on the lamp and opens his mouth human lives like Owen’s? Finally Merrill experiences his own likely
without speaking, choking on his words. Finally he speaks in miracle: channeling the spirit of Owen Meany. Owen, who looked
Owen’s voice: “LOOK IN THE THIRD DRAWER, RIGHT- inside Merrill’s desk drawers after mutilating the statue of Mary
HAND SIDE.” Merrill opens the desk drawer and out falls a Magdalene, has known since that day who John’s father was, for
baseball, undoubtedly the fatal ball that killed Tabitha. “Forgive only his father would have kept the ball that killed his mother.
me, my s-s-s-son!” Merrill stutters.

This was the first time Owen spoke to John from the beyond, John’s faith in Owen is secure enough that he does not need Owen
the second being when he saved John in the secret passageway to speak to him to know that he is there. Owen never told John who
this August. John thinks that Owen should understand by now his father was when he was alive, for his faith was so strong that he
that John knows he is there—even without seeing or hearing knew John would find out at exactly the right moment. Still Merrill
him. Owen promised John that God would tell him who his rejects the idea that God has anything to do with the miracle they
father was, and John isn’t surprised that God spoke to him in just experienced.
Owen’s voice. Merrill denies that God was working through
him; he suggests that he had finally found the courage to reveal
himself to John by using a voice not his own. He would rather
blame his subconscious than believe in divine intervention.
John asks if he’s a pastor or a psychologist.

Merrill then confesses that he has no faith at all—he lost it John was right all along—his father was at the baseball game, and
when Tabitha died. He had been at the game, Tabitha had his mother had been waving to him when she died. Like Owen,
waved to him, and he had prayed for her to drop dead. Seeing Merrill believes that he is the reason why Tabitha is dead. But while
her always filled him with guilt and self-disgust after their affair. Owen humbly believes that God fulfilled His unknowable, divine will
He believes that God listened to him when he asked for Tabitha through his hands, Merrill believes that God fulfilled his mortal
to die, and has not listened to him since. John thinks that wish.
Merrill is no different from Mr. Meany and Mrs. Meany—they
all used self-centered religion for their own ends.

Tabitha and Merrill had an affair after she asked him to come to Tabitha did lie about how she met John’s father, and it was just a
The Orange Grove and confirm that she was not doing sad story all along, a vulnerable young woman led off the moral path
anything dishonorable by singing at the supper club. John says by the man she had trusted to keep her on it. But she didn’t allow
it was a sincere affair—Merrill sincerely believed he was in love herself to be ruined by their affair, refusing to become a tragic
with Tabitha, who was sincerely innocent. But Merrill never Hester Prynne or Tess D’Urberville. Merrill would have preferred a
intended to leave his wife and children, and quickly felt heartbroken, pining young woman to match his own misery.
ashamed. Tabitha soon got over him, and didn’t trouble herself
with guilt or anguish over their affair. But Merrill wallowed in
guilt and remorse after being forced to accept that he would
never find the courage to abandon his miserable family for
Tabitha.

John finds his father to be an utter failure. He says sarcastically John is furiously disappointed in his father and angry for his
to Merrill, “How I wish I could help you restore your faith.” He mother’s sake that her lover was such a coward. Merrill’s faith is
feels “moved to do evil,” and he recalls how Owen warned him hollow, and he does not deserve to eulogize Owen.
that his father would disappoint him.

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Back in Toronto in September, John thinks about how John recognizes that his resentment is a flaw. The Bible instructs
Katherine says the most un-Christian thing about him is his against the evils of wrath, and he sees how it poisons his life with
unwillingness to forgive. He is sitting in Grace Church, needless pain. He becomes easily vexed with his students and thinks
reflecting again on the Thirty-seventh psalm: “Leave off from the worst of everyone, instead of having faith in God’s ability to
wrath…else shalt thou be moved to do evil.” He is again upset at make things right.
his students, resenting their disengagement from literature
and their infatuation with rock music.

After John learns about Merrill, he doesn’t know what to tell The mystery of why Tabitha and John switched churches is finally
Dan. He asks Dan why he insisted that Tabitha change solved: it was to get away from Merrill. Perhaps Tabitha couldn’t
churches before getting married. Dan says he thought that leave Merrill’s church earlier without raising suspicions, or maybe
John had insisted on changing churches to be with Owen. Dan’s she didn’t mind still seeing him until meeting Dan made her ready
actually a Presbyterian. Tabitha lied to them. John asks Dan for a clean break. Maybe Merrill’s interference in her engagement
why he and Tabitha waited so long to get married. Dan says was the last straw that made her leave his church for good.
John’s father made Tabitha wait; he wanted her to be sure
about marrying Dan. Tabitha wanted John’s father never to
identify himself to John, and he wouldn’t promise her anything
if she didn’t wait to marry Dan. It took four years for him to
promise never to tell John the truth. Tabitha never wanted
John, or Dan, to know who John’s father was.

Dan says he doesn’t believe that John’s father was jealously It seems cruel of Merrill to have forced Tabitha to delay her
trying to derail their marriage—he truly wanted Tabitha to be marriage, but also unfair of Tabitha to prevent her son from ever
sure about her husband, and truly wanted his son to know who knowing his biological father. John has a right to know who his
he was one day. John asks him if he knew about The Orange father is, and Merrill has some paternal rights. Completely
Club, and “The Lady in Red,” and Buster Freebody. Dan says he disappointing dad or not, to decide that John should never know the
knew about all that, and went with Tabitha to Buster’s funeral. truth about Merrill doesn’t seem right.
John decides that Dan doesn’t need to know about Merrill
being John’s real father. He also thinks of a plan to restore
Merrill’s faith with a “miracle.”

John drives to Owen’s house and picks up his mother’s dummy, John goes back for the dummy, which the farsighted Owen may
still wearing her red dress. He places the dummy in the flower have kept exactly for a reason like this. He creates the illusion of
beds under the stained-glass windows of the church. In the Tabitha standing outside the church.
dusk, it looks like Tabitha is hovering above the flowers, her
missing head and feet consumed by shadows. He takes the
baseball and throws it through the stained-glass window, then
hides behind a tree.

Merrill comes outside, spots Tabitha’s dummy, and falls to his Merrill falls for the illusion completely, begging forgiveness for
knees, clutching the baseball to his heart. He drops the ball and breaking his promise to Tabitha and “telling” John that he is his
prays: “God—forgive me!...Tabby—forgive me, please!” He father. Merrill claims responsibility, refusing to attribute his outburst
covers his eyes with his hands and slumps to the ground, to Owen’s intervention, but perhaps he always believed
babbling to himself. John retrieves the dummy and the baseball unconsciously, for he certainly seemed primed to accept another
and drives to Rye Harbor, where he used to sit with Owen. He miraculous visitation. John finally puts the symbols of Tabitha’s
throws the baseball into the harbor, along with Mary death to rest.
Magdalene’s arms. He climbs out along the breakwater to
throw the dummy as far out into the ocean as he can, into the
deepest water. He hugs it for a moment, then throws it in the
sea.

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John watches the sun rise over the harbor, and then returns to Bobby Kennedy died almost exactly a month before Owen did. Both
Hester’s apartment to shower and dress for Owen’s funeral. men died during the summer, when the rising heat seemed to
He hasn’t seen Hester since they watched Bobby Kennedy’s enflame America’s worst passions. Owen always knew he would die
assassination together on Harriet’s television: “Television gives then—perhaps another reason he dreaded the warming weather
good disaster.” Owen didn’t have anything to say about it, for every year. He knew what he needed to say to the children he would
once; he was too concerned with his own impending death. save, preparing thoroughly to make sure they weren’t afraid.
John packs up his belongings and reads Owen’s diary. Owen
had written down Vietnamese vocabulary and expressions,
especially “COMMAND FORMS OF VERBS,” like “LIE DOWN”
and “DON’T BE AFRAID.”

In the margin of one page, Owen wrote, “THIRD DRAWER, Owen found where Merrill kept the ball in his desk, although it’s not
RIGHT-HAND SIDE.” He must have seen the baseball the day clear if he knew where it would be before he started opening
that he mounted the statue on the stage of The Great Hall, and drawers—a divine intuition—or if it’s something he wrote down to
sat behind Merrill’s desk. He knew then who John’s father was, remember after he happened to see it. He and John had already
but he knew that God would tell John himself—and he knew ruled Merrill out from being part of the ballgame’s audience, so it
that John would be let down. He wrote about John in the diary, seems more likely to be an “accidental” fated discovery than a
saying that cutting off his “BEST FRIEND’S FINGER” was “THE directed one. He tells John to go to Canada and break from the past,
HARDEST THING I EVER HAD TO DO.” He says that after he although John really only accomplishes one of these things.
dies, John should “MAKE A CLEAN BREAK FROM THE PAST”
and go to Canada.

John packs the diary with the rest of his things and heads to John prepares to follow Owen’s instructions immediately and head
Harriet’s house to pick up some photographs and clothes. He to Canada after the funeral. He wants to take Owen’s wedding gift
has breakfast in the rose garden with Harriet, and tells her with him, a connection to the memory of both his best friend and his
where he plans to go next. Then he goes to Dan’s apartment to mother. His words to Dan make it clear that he has no intention of
get the granite doorstep Owen carved as a wedding gift for him pursing a closer relationship with Merrill. The truth is finally out in
and Tabitha. He also tells Dan his plans, and says to him, “You’re the open, despite all that Tabitha did to hide it from him, but he still
the best father a boy ever had—and the only father I ever decides not to make Merrill a part of his life, agreeing with her
needed.” Then they go to Owen’s funeral. judgement.

Chief Pike stands at the door of the church as if he’s going to The residents of Gravesend assemble one last time to mourn the
frisk the mourners for the missing baseball. Coach Chickering loss of the singular Owen Meany. Everyone there has seen their lives
is there, and Buzzy Thurston’s parents, who recently buried transformed by the war, and many of their lives were also
their own son. Father Findley and Mrs. Hoyt are there; the transformed by Owen.
Wiggins are not. A unit of the New Hampshire National Guard
serves as Owen’s honor guard. Owen’s favorite professor of
Military Science from the University of New Hampshire is
there; he tells John that they were clearly wrong about Owen’s
suitability for combat.

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Sunlight shines through the new hole in the stained-glass Light hits Owen’s medal, the sign of his courage and sacrifice. The
windows made by John’s baseball, reflecting against the medal medal is only an earthly salute to his heroism, a trophy from a war
pinned to the flag on Owen’s casket. Mr. Meany and Mrs. that Owen didn’t really believe in, but Owen seemed to value it
Meany stare at the medal and the casket as if they expect highly, as he demonstrates later. Perhaps he wanted it for his
Owen to rise and condemn them for coming to his funeral. Mr. parents to take some pride and comfort from it, or perhaps it was
Fish and Harriet sit behind them, with Alfred, Martha, and just another of the symbols that he so loved to collect.
Simon. Noah is still abroad with the Peace Corps and Hester is
nowhere to be found. Harold Crosby is sitting across the aisle
from John. John recalls hearing that Harold was coached by
Mrs. Hoyt into securing a psychological deferment.

Mrs. Walker is there, and Arthur and Amanda Downing. Larry The town comes together to mourn one of their own. Even the
O’Day and his daughter Caroline, John’s former girlfriend, are Sunday school teacher who thought Owen was a disturbance to the
there, with Maureen Early. Mr. Morrison is there. Randy classroom by putting himself into the air, even the girls whom he
White’s replacement as headmaster is there. The Brinker- frightened to the point of fainting and wetting their pants, and even
Smiths returned to England in opposition to the war, not the mailman whom he upstaged so memorably are there.
wanting their twins to be Americans. Even the Gravesend
Academy janitor is there.

Rev. Merrill starts to speak with a newly firm and forceful voice; John’s trick worked; Merrill is now more confident in his faith than
now that he has regained his faith, he preaches with “absolute he ever was before. He speaks movingly in Owen’s eulogy, expressing
belief in every word he uttered.” He reads multiple moving his grief and his faith in such poignant words that John himself will
passages from the Bible, and says, “Compared to Owen Meany, later repeat them, despite his disdain for his father’s weakness.
I am an amateur—in my faith.” He admits that he wonders at
times if God’s existence makes any difference to the world, and
when he feels most faithful, he is also full of hard questions to
ask God: “For example, I would like to ask God to give us back
Owen Meany…O God—I shall keep asking You!” Harriet cries at
this.

When Merrill is done, the honor guard folds Owen’s flag and The story has come full circle, with Owen’s funeral mirroring
hands it to Mr. Meany and Mrs. Meany. The recessional hymn is Tabitha’s, the life that was taken by Owen’s own hands and that
the same one played at Tabitha’s funeral. It’s another summer always haunted him. Once again, the world does not stop to grieve.
funeral, and they can still hear the children nearby playing Children continue playing baseball, safe in their innocence for
baseball. Merrill prays over Owen’s grave, and John listens another game, which is surely what Owen would have wanted. John
with careful attention, knowing that he is listening to his father prepares to take leave of his father, disgusted with Merrill’s
for the last time. What will they need of each other after this, hypocrisy in denying a true miracle and embracing a fake one.
when Merrill has his faith once more and John has Dan? John
thinks that Merrill is a fraud for ignoring the real miracle of
Owen Meany and finding God in a dummy. Owen would say,
“GOD WORKS IN STRANGE WAYS!”

As John is leaving the cemetery, a woman with three children Mary Beth Baird, who loved Owen once, is the one who makes
approaches him. At first he doesn’t recognize her, until she asks Owen’s loss real to John. Owen cast her and John as his “mother”
him if he remembers how they used to lift Owen up. It’s Mary and “father” in the Christmas pageant, acting as the miraculous
Beth Baird, who got pregnant in high school and dropped out to child who chose his parents. Like Mary, Mary Beth’s life was
marry the father, a dairy farmer. She asks John, “How could he changed by an unexpected pregnancy, and John is still a meek,
have been so light?” John can’t speak—he doesn’t want to hear celibate “Joseph.”
his own voice, only Owen’s. When Mary Beth speaks to him, he
knows Owen is gone.

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John crosses the border to Canada, showing his missing finger John still doesn’t travel with purpose, simply ending up in Toronto
when he’s asked if he’s a draft dodger. He lands in Toronto after driving aimlessly. He seems to share this lack of foresight with
purely by chance. He thinks that Owen must have been so let his father, who found himself trapped in an unsuitable marriage and
down to learn that John’s mysterious father was merely “an then stuck with the consequences of a short-sighted affair. He must
insipid soup of a man.” Merrill was so forgettable that John and have been at the baseball game to watch John play, which John
Owen never remembered seeing him at their baseball game, himself never acknowledged as part of his suspicion that his father
even though they saw him in the audience of all of Dan’s plays. was at the game.
John was let down to learn that his father was “just another
Joseph…just another man like me.” He believes like his father
used to, swinging back and forth between faith and doubt.

John doesn’t hate Merrill, but he doesn’t care about him much. Merrill has shed all of his doubts in the wake of his “vision” of
He hasn’t seen him since Owen’s funeral. Dan says he’s a great Tabitha. Even though he always claimed that Owen’s visions
preacher now, without a trace of his former stutter. John couldn’t have possibly come from God, he readily believes that he
sometimes feels jealous of his father’s “absolute and could be sent such a divine message. John has seen such messages
unshakeable faith”; he wants to be tricked into forgetting his for himself, but he struggles with doubt over God’s role in people’s
doubt, too. John knows what real miracles are, but he despairs lives. How can God love humanity, but make his most loyal
at the many unanswerable questions his faith poses. How could supporter suffer so?
Owen have known what he did? If God was behind Owen’s
knowledge, that poses the terrible question: how could God
have let this happen to him?

Owen taught John to keep a diary, which is much less Without many new relationships or endeavors to fill his life, John’s
interesting than Owen’s own. One highlight is when a rock- diary revolves around the same people who influenced his early
music journalist stopped him for an interview about Hester’s years. He continues to talk about what happened after Owen died,
early years. John tells him to look up Owen Meany if he wants delaying the moment when he will finally have to recount the
to know who first influenced Hester. He also wrote about difficult story of Owen’s death. Owen’s parents have since lost
returning to Gravesend for Harriet’s funeral at the everything: Mrs. Meany is dead, and Mr. Meany’s company is
Congregational Church, performed by Merrill’s replacement. finished. Mrs. Meany’s death by immolation makes her another
At Harriet’s old house, he was shocked to see Mr. Meany in the symbolic victim of the Vietnam War, where people sacrificed
garden, reading the electric meter. His granite company was themselves in protest or died from bombs or napalm burns. It’s also
gone, and this was his new part-time job. Mrs. Meany had died an example of tragic irony, as people would burn the American flag
not long after her son; she died of complications from burns. to protest the war.
She had been sitting by the fireplace when a spark ignited the
American flag she wore like a shawl.

John sees Mr. Meany still wearing Owen’s medal, which Owen’s medal evidently means a great deal to Owen’s father, if he
survived when the flag burned. He thinks of Hardy’s quote can wear it even after everything the military took from his family.
about “living in a world where nothing bears out in practice The promised “American dream” fails to materialize for so many.
what it promises incipiently.” He thinks that he will never forget
how Owen died.

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On the 4th of July in 1968, John sits on the porch of Harriet’s Although John won’t know it at the time, Owen’s death is set in
house, waiting for the parade. He will go to the University of motion on the 4th of July. John is still planning to get his Ph.D.,
Massachusetts for his Ph.D. in the fall. Without work to do or which he will soon abandon when he leaves the country after
teaching to plan—he’s not even teaching in the fall—he feels Owen’s funeral. He and Hester will both abandon major plans for
worthless. He watches the fireworks with Hester later, and she the future when Owen dies, as Hester stays true to her word and
says she won’t marry or start a family with anyone if she can’t never has a family without Owen. Owen surely wouldn’t have
do so with Owen. Late that night, Owen calls, saying there’s an wanted them to give up on certain dreams because of him, but they
emergency with a missing body they just recovered. He wants are too broken when he’s gone.
John to meet him in Phoenix, where he can get a few days free
to hang out after delivering the body.

John thinks it’s a long way to go for a few days, but he agrees to Owen’s invitation for John to join him on a body escort mission is a
join Owen, who sounds agitated. He thinks Owen needs the bit unusual, but John is feeling useless where he is, and he can tell
company, since they haven’t seen each other since Christmas. that it would mean a lot to Owen if he came, even if he doesn’t know
“YOU’RE MY BEST FRIEND,” Owen tells him, and his voice why. Later he’ll know that Owen was secretly asking him to come
breaks a bit. When John lands in Phoenix, he notices the tall join him on his heroic mission, even though he had wanted to keep
palm trees at the airport. The only bathroom he can find is a John out if it in the past. Owen realized he couldn’t do it without
temporary restroom set up while the other one is out of order. John, and changed his mind.
It’s a dark, high-ceilinged room, an old storage closet of some
kind, with a large industrial sink and a small, high window.

John waits for Owen’s plane with the family of the fallen At the airport, John observes the fallen soldier’s family, who
soldier. An Army officer is standing with them, a local ROTC eventually show themselves to be greatly dysfunctional. Although
professor. The family is angry—they have been waiting for their their son is dead along with so many other tragically young soldiers,
son’s body for three days. The dead soldier’s sister is pregnant, it is difficult to feel much sympathy for these people, who are so
and very young. Her other brother is even younger than angry and unpleasant.
her—not more than fourteen or fifteen, very thin but so tall that
he looks like he could morph into a monster if he gained weight.
His anger already seems monstrous.

Owen writes in his diary on the plane to Phoenix. He thought Owen knows that the date of his death is imminent, but he doesn’t
he would die in Vietnam, but there’s no time left to get there. understand what’s going to happen anymore since he isn’t in
He’s wrong either about where or when he dies. He says that Vietnam and isn’t seemingly facing any threat of violence. He is
he didn’t like knowing about his death at first, but now he troubled by the fact that John hasn’t disappeared from his dream
doesn’t like not knowing: “GOD IS TESTING ME.” He doesn’t like he wanted him to. Apparently, Owen doesn’t get to choose how
understand why John is still in his dream after Owen kept him he dies—John is going to be there when he dies whether Owen
out of the war. He wanted to save John’s life by cutting off his wants him there or not. Owen can only choose to go ahead with the
finger, so bringing him to Arizona before the date of his death mission or back out, and bringing John to Arizona represents his
seems hypocritical. Owen can only have faith in God, who has commitment.
promised him that nothing bad would happen to John.

Owen wonders if the date—and everything else—was just a Briefly, Owen doubts that the mission he’s spent years preparing for
figment of his imagination. He wonders how there could is ever really going to happen—but then he sees the palm trees that
possibly be Vietnamese children in Arizona. He even asks God haunt his dreams. He needs some visual proof, too.
how, if he doesn’t actually save any children, He could have put
him through everything. He finally sees the palm trees as his
plane descends.

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On the runway, Owen formally covers the casket with a flag. A Owen does his duties for the body, then prepares to do his duties for
hearse takes the coffin away. The family approaches Owen, and the family. The family is very on edge and short-tempered after
John sees that the teenage boy is dressed in jungle fatigues and spending three days waiting to lay the body to rest. The teenage boy
wearing a cartridge belt loaded with ammo and other Army acts violent and psychotic, but his step-father seems to be equally
equipment, including a machete and a bayonet. His sister, who abusive. On this solemn ceremonial occasion, they’re about to start
looks sixteen or seventeen, begins to cry. The boy spits trying to kill each other on the tarmac.
tobacco, and she asks him to stop. “Fuck you,” he replies. The
father punches him in the face and he falls to the tarmac. The
boy says the girl is not his sister but his half-sister, and the man
is not his father. He pulls the machete and the bayonet on the
man.

Owen interrupts, telling the boy he likes his bayonet sheath. Owen defuses the tension with his usual interpersonal expertise. He
The family is frozen by Owen’s voice. The boy calls Owen a twit knows just what to say to put the boy in his place and take
and asks him what’s wrong with his voice. Owen asks the boy command of the situation. His startling voice works in his favor in
what’s wrong with him—if he wants to dress up and play soldier, such circumstances.
he should know how to talk to an officer. The bully respects
being bullied.

In the major’s car, John and Owen can finally greet each other. Rawls, a dignified and capable veteran of the military who signed up
The major, whose name is Rawls, explains that the family of the to do his duty for his country as soon as he was old enough, is the
dead soldier is a mess. Rawls had earned a battlefield foil to this teenage boy who is bloodthirsty and unhinged. The boy
commission in Korea; he’d served the army for nineteen years, doesn’t want to serve for any particular values—he just wants to
after enlisting at eighteen. He is very cynical, and predicts that start fighting and killing people.
the soldier’s family is full of incest. The teen boy hangs around
the airport all day, watching the planes and talking to the
soldiers. He wants to fight like his brother, who was on his third
tour.

Rawls offers to find John and Owen dates or show them where Owen doesn’t seem to be as homophobic any more, or at least he
to buy porn while they’re in town, but Owen says they just want doesn’t immediately get defensive like so many men would. Owen
to hang out and relax. Rawls laughs and asks if they’re gay. hates to give anyone the satisfaction of playing into their jokes. At
“MAYBE WE ARE,” Owen says, and Rawls laughs more, calling the funeral home, Owen probably makes John look at the dead
him “the funniest little fucker in the Army.” At the funeral home, body to prepare him for the sight of Owen’s own dead body.
Owen introduces John as the Army’s “BODY EXPERT.” He
makes John look at the dead body after he identifies it. The
soldier died when he made a mistake refueling a helicopter.

Owen, John, and Rawls head to the family’s ongoing wake, Owen’s new esteem for Catholic funerals is shocking—perhaps he’s
which Rawls treats like a spectacle. Unexpectedly, Owen says coming to terms with the fact that he’s going to die surrounded by
that in his experience, the Catholics honor death best—they nuns, and he always taken comfort in rituals and symbols. Rawls’s
have “THE PROPER SOLEMNITY, THE PROPER SORT OF sexism is far from shocking.
RITUALS.” The family’s house is overflowing with people who
are sick of waiting three days for a funeral. Rawls says there’s
not a woman there he would sleep with, besides the pregnant
girl. Out of the whole family, she has made the most effort to be
nice to them. She looks liable to be beaten or assaulted by the
rest of her murderously crazy family.

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Inside the house, Owen asks the girl where her brother is and Owen tries to talk some sense into the disturbed young man, who
what his name is, so he can speak to him. She tells Owen his inspires terror in his stepsister and suspicion in the security at the
name is Dick. Rawls tells Owen that the police at the airport airport. He’s a real menace, not just a harmless kid playing at being
never take their eyes off this kid. Owen knocks on Dick’s door a soldier. He has deeply violent fantasies encouraged by his brother,
and gets him to let them in. His face is blackened for who supplied him with real weaponry.
camouflage, and his bare chest has black circles drawn around
his nipples. He clearly dreams of “butchering the Viet Cong”
like his brother, Frank Jarvits. Frank smuggled home bayonets,
machetes, an AK-47, and even two grenades as souvenirs for
Dick.

Rawls tells Dick he had better not bring the rifle or the Despite the fact that Dick is clearly very troubled, the airport police
grenades to the airport. He’s not even sure if the bayonets or give him back his weapons anyway. Perhaps it’s too much hassle to
machetes are legal. Dick says sometimes the police confiscate actually take Dick or his weapons into custody, and they would
them and give them back on the same day. Rawls tells Owen rather just walk away. Owen tries to intervene, but he has to walk
that Dick is beyond saving, but Owen says, “IT’S NOT UP TO away, too.
US: WHO’S BEYOND SAVING.” Rawls says Owen is too good
for this world.

The next day, Owen writes in his diary about his fear for the Owen wonders what the years of war have done to the
future of kids like Dick who never learned real morality, who development of kids like Dick, who have acquired a taste for
only know a simplistic, antagonistic mindset: “THEY’RE SO vengeance and violence. They see the world in terms of black and
SURE THEY’RE RIGHT! THAT’S PRETTY SCARY.” He doesn’t white, us vs. them. Owen feels ready to die—he finally thinks they’re
tell John that he thinks he’s going to die tomorrow. When John ready to pull off the shot, or else it’s all in God’s hands now, anyway.
asks what they should do all day, Owen says, “LET’S JUST He wants to just enjoy his last day with John.
HAVE A GOOD TIME.” They try to find a gym to practice the
shot in, but there’s none nearby, and Owen finally says, “I’M
PRETTY SURE WE’VE PRACTICED THAT DUMB SHOT
ENOUGH.” They pass the day drinking beer by the pool and
remembering their childhood days.

Rawls drives John and Owen to the airport in the morning. He John thinks they have plenty of time left together, but Owen knows
waits with them for their flights, since he has nothing else to do. they don’t. When John is about to leave, Owen feels doubt, since he
John tells Owen, “We have plenty of time.” When only half an knows John is meant to be part of his death. But his doubt is gone
hour is left until John’s flight takes off, Owen begins to think his as soon as he sees the nuns with the Vietnamese orphans—in
dream might not come true after all. Just then, passengers Arizona, of all places.
begin disembarking a plane—nuns escorting Vietnamese
children. Catholic Relief Services frequently helped relocate
war orphans.

One of the nuns asks Owen to help take the boys to the Owen’s size puts the frightened children at ease. They’ve come to a
bathroom. He says he’d be happy to help, and John shows them brand-new country with a brand-new language, and normally
to the temporary men’s room. The anxious children stop crying, soldiers are threatening, but Owen is so small that they think of him
captivated by the sight of a soldier nearly their size. They pass as one of them, not a threat. It takes John a long time to figure out
Dick Jarvits on the way to the restroom. The children use the why the situation seems so familiar, but Owen knows.
unfamiliar bathroom, chattering to themselves. John suddenly
remembers Owen describing the Vietnamese-speaking
children from his dream. Owen already knows what’s about to
happen.

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Dick kicks in the door, holding a grenade. A boy screams and Dick is the unforeseen threat in this improbable scenario, the
the others begin to cry. Owen speaks to them in Vietnamese: monster who would deliberately throw a grenade into a room full of
“DOONG SA…DON’T BE AFRAID.” Hearing their own children. Owen tells the children just what he always told Hester
language—in the voice of a child like them—makes the children and John: “DON’T BE AFRAID.” The time has finally come to use the
trust Owen. He tells them to lie down. He tells John they have shot they always practiced, with a live grenade in place of a
four seconds. Dick throws the grenade at John, who catches it basketball. Balls are symbolically deadly in the book.
and passes it to Owen. Owen jumps into his hands, and John
lifts him lightly.

A nun who was waiting outside the bathroom ran to get Rawls, All of Dick’s weapons can’t save him from a real soldier who actually
who caught Dick running away from the men’s room. Dick knows how to use them. Owen’s weightlessness propels him up high,
draws his bayonet, but Rawls grabs Dick’s machete and breaks away from the children huddling below. He crams the grenade onto
Dick’s neck with it. Meanwhile, Owen soars toward the high the window ledge instead of into a basket, and hangs onto it instead
window. He stuffs the grenade into the windowsill and holds it of releasing it and dropping down.
in place to make sure it won’t roll back down into the room. He
ducks his head beneath the windowsill before the explosion.

The cement window ledge protects John and the children from Thanks to Owen’s angel-like intervention, John and the other
the grenade fragments. Only their eardrums are hurt. Owen children are safe. The nuns rush in after hearing the explosion. John
lands in the big industrial sink. A nun lifts him out of the sink is so disoriented from the blast that he doesn’t even look for
while another kneels on the floor. Together they rest his body Owen—or he doesn’t want to look. The nuns cradle Owen, who is
in their laps. The children surround them, crying, but Owen rapidly bleeding out even as he comforts the children around him.
reminds them not to be afraid. His arms are amputated below His arms were blown off when he held the grenade down to save the
his elbows. He tries to reach out to John, then realizes he has others. He has become a living embodiment of the symbolic armless
no arms. “REMEMBER WATAHANTOWET?” he asks calmly. totems throughout the book.

Owen tells the nun, “WHOSOEVER LIVETH AND BELIEVETH Owen quotes the Bible to the nuns, showing that he is at peace with
IN ME SHALL NEVER DIE.” Then he seems troubled, saying, dying because of his faith in God. He seems for one moment to feel
“I’M AWFULLY COLD…CAN’T YOU DO SOMETHING?” Then the agony of death, then it passes as his soul begins to leave his
Owen smiles again, and looks only at John. “YOU’RE GETTING body, rising into the air as he dreamed it. He seems happy to have
SMALLER, BUT I CAN STILL SEE YOU!” Those are his last his best friend at his side, after all.
words.

“I am always saying prayers for Owen Meany,” John says. He To this day, John prays for Owen, gone from this world so much
thinks about how he would have answered Mary Beth in the sooner than he deserved. All along, Owen was being raised up by
cemetery, if he hadn’t been speechless with grief. When they God—but if God can raise him up, God can put him back on Earth,
held Owen so lightly above their heads as children, they didn’t John believes. He has faith in Owen’s resurrection, and prays for it
know that there were other forces at work, forces they didn’t to come quickly.
have the faith to sense, that were raising Owen up, out of their
reach. “O God—please give him back! I shall keep asking You.”

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To cite any of the quotes from A Prayer for Owen Meany covered in
HOW T
TO
O CITE the Quotes section of this LitChart:
To cite this LitChart: MLA
MLA Irving, John. A Prayer for Owen Meany. Harper Collins. 1989.
Kelly, Carolyn. "A Prayer for Owen Meany." LitCharts. LitCharts LLC, CHICA
CHICAGO
GO MANU
MANUAL
AL
2 Apr 2019. Web. 21 Apr 2020.
Irving, John. A Prayer for Owen Meany. New York: Harper Collins.
CHICA
CHICAGO
GO MANU
MANUAL
AL 1989.
Kelly, Carolyn. "A Prayer for Owen Meany." LitCharts LLC, April 2,
2019. Retrieved April 21, 2020. [Link]
prayer-for-owen-meany.

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