Gotta Have Faith: An Essay on the relationship between Owen Meany and John Irving
...Owen. Before her death, both John and Owen look to John’s mother for advice and comfort, receiving the necessary love and care from her. However, after Tabitha’s death, John and Owen turn to each other for support, deepening their friendship. Dan Needham, John’s step-father, acts as a father figure for John, but despite Dan’s kindness, John never turns to him for help without consulting Owen first. Young John, at the start of the novel, does not appear to have much faith in religion because of the lack of evidence for God’s existence. Owen Meany, in stark contrast, believes that everything occurs for a reason, and holds a great deal of faith in God. John Irving follows the journey from childhood friendship into adulthood between the two, showing the true meaning of friendship and the impact that Owen has on John. John does not feel a connection with God while growing up and has difficulty understanding ideas that are not factual. He is characterized as a person lacking also in self-knowledge, but through Owen, John gains an improved perspective on himself and life. One finds Irving’s use of symbolism in the novel very effective in supporting the theme of religious faith. One of the most obvious and important symbols is Owen himself. Portrayed in the novel as a Jesus figure, Owen exclaims, “I AM GOD’S INSTRUMENT.” Owen even acts as the baby Jesus in a school Christmas play. Owen seems to be a prophet, with his unusually small physical stature and high-pitched voice, his visions and dreams told him when and how he was going to die. The Meany’s go so far as to claim Owen was a virgin birth, just like Jesus. To save a group of Vietnamese children, Owen and John use “The Shot” to throw a grenade out a window. However, the explosion causes Owen to lose his arms and bleed to death. Just as Jesus gave his life on the cross to save humanity, Owen ultimately sacrifices his own life for ...