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What makes a story unforgettable? A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving remains the most unforgettable story for me. I read it over fourteen years ago~I remember the number of years because my daughter was less than two-years-old when I sat in a comfy chair next to the picture window bawling while finishing the last fifty pages as she napped in her nursery. I was determined to finish the novel before she woke up~I even planned on possibly ignoring her if she awoke as I was finishing it.
The narrator of A Prayer for Owen Meany is John Wheelwright, the descendant of an independent Congregationalist minister of the same name. Owen Meany is his best friend and the cause of John's mother's death. Owen is a Christ figure~he plays the role of baby Jesus in the church play, the other kids "hang" him on a coat rack in Sunday School, and is splayed in a crucified manner at his death. Owen believes that everything about his own life and death is ordained by God and foresees everything in his life including the way in which he dies. Own believes that he is God's messenger.
But what really makes this story unforgettable to me? John Irving writes about character~Owen Meany weaves a path through a life that seems laughable on one level and completely convincing on another. Owen knows that he brings God's message to nonbelievers~he believes that he is an instrument of God. His knowledge of his own death allows him the freedom to act out the necessary paradox on earth suitable to men altogether holy within.
But that alone is not enough to make this story unforgettable to me. The narrator feels no personal grudge against Owen Meany although he "accidentally" killed John's mother. In fact, John reveres Owen because Owen is so sure that the death was foreseen~just like Owen's own death is foreseen and in God's hands. This mystery of life theme is carried throughout the story forcing the reader to wonder if we must accept this mystery in order to believe in an afterlife.
John Irving has a penchant for freakish characters who became endearing to me~John Wheelwright and Owen Meany remain the "good" characters even until Owen's death. John comes to believe that Owen is a miracle~his life is a miracle. John Irving includes various symbolic themes or notes in this story: Owen sees the date of his exact death on the tombstone while acting in the church production of "A Christmas Carol". The corpse of a pet armadillo has his claws removed to show that the world is full of senseless weapons. John's finger is removed with a saw for cutting granite in order to get him out of the Vietnam War.
Does the symbolism of this novel speak to me on a level that makes it unforgettable? Do I find myself holding the same simple values of the narrator or even the author? Do I want to believe that there is Savior that can position himself between good and evil? I don't know the answer to these questions~I only know that this story carried me away on a summer afternoon while my daughter slept. To this day when asked what is my favorite book I still reply A Prayer for Owen Meany. I don't hesitate.
Whether it's a spell-binding mystery, a heartwarming true story, or a tale from your grandmother's past, an unforgettable story has a certain "something" that sets it apart from other tales. I'll leave you to think about what makes a story unforgettable to you?
Melissa
The narrator of A Prayer for Owen Meany is John Wheelwright, the descendant of an independent Congregationalist minister of the same name. Owen Meany is his best friend and the cause of John's mother's death. Owen is a Christ figure~he plays the role of baby Jesus in the church play, the other kids "hang" him on a coat rack in Sunday School, and is splayed in a crucified manner at his death. Owen believes that everything about his own life and death is ordained by God and foresees everything in his life including the way in which he dies. Own believes that he is God's messenger.
But what really makes this story unforgettable to me? John Irving writes about character~Owen Meany weaves a path through a life that seems laughable on one level and completely convincing on another. Owen knows that he brings God's message to nonbelievers~he believes that he is an instrument of God. His knowledge of his own death allows him the freedom to act out the necessary paradox on earth suitable to men altogether holy within.
But that alone is not enough to make this story unforgettable to me. The narrator feels no personal grudge against Owen Meany although he "accidentally" killed John's mother. In fact, John reveres Owen because Owen is so sure that the death was foreseen~just like Owen's own death is foreseen and in God's hands. This mystery of life theme is carried throughout the story forcing the reader to wonder if we must accept this mystery in order to believe in an afterlife.
John Irving has a penchant for freakish characters who became endearing to me~John Wheelwright and Owen Meany remain the "good" characters even until Owen's death. John comes to believe that Owen is a miracle~his life is a miracle. John Irving includes various symbolic themes or notes in this story: Owen sees the date of his exact death on the tombstone while acting in the church production of "A Christmas Carol". The corpse of a pet armadillo has his claws removed to show that the world is full of senseless weapons. John's finger is removed with a saw for cutting granite in order to get him out of the Vietnam War.
Does the symbolism of this novel speak to me on a level that makes it unforgettable? Do I find myself holding the same simple values of the narrator or even the author? Do I want to believe that there is Savior that can position himself between good and evil? I don't know the answer to these questions~I only know that this story carried me away on a summer afternoon while my daughter slept. To this day when asked what is my favorite book I still reply A Prayer for Owen Meany. I don't hesitate.
Whether it's a spell-binding mystery, a heartwarming true story, or a tale from your grandmother's past, an unforgettable story has a certain "something" that sets it apart from other tales. I'll leave you to think about what makes a story unforgettable to you?
Melissa
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