Discussion Topic
Revelations about Owen in A Prayer for Owen Meany
Summary:
In A Prayer for Owen Meany, Owen is revealed to possess a strong sense of destiny and faith, believing he is an instrument of God. His small stature and unique voice make him stand out, while his visions and prophetic dreams indicate a deep connection to the divine and foreshadow significant events in the narrative.
What revelations does Owen's voice provide in the book A Prayer for Owen Meany?
The big revelation around Owen Meany's voice is that you don't need a stereotypical deep man's voice to be heard. This is the story of John Wheelwright's childhood friendship with Owen Meany. Owen is a midget with a high squeaky voice, but he is certainly not about to let those characteristics hold him back.
In spite of his voice, Owen plays an extremely significant role in John's life and in the life of John's family. Owen's voice, which can be described as screechy, high-pitched, and squeaky, is nonetheless a voice that commands respect and authority. This is showcased by the fact that Owen directs the Christmas pageant and wows audiences with his portrayal of the Ghost of Christmas Future in a production of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.
Over and above this, Owen's "screechy" voice becomes the voice that stands up for students rights at Gravesend Academy. The fact that he has this high-pitched voice does not in any way mitigate the enormously positive influece that he has on John in various stages of John's life, such as when he encourages John to major in English or helps him escape having to go and fight in Vietnam.
In a nutshell, the revelation regarding Owen Meany is that you can have a huge influence on somebody's life regardless of your voice or your stature.
What revelation about Owen's size is made in A Prayer for Owen Meany?
The revelation regarding size here is that the old adage "it isn't about size" is absolutely true. Despite his small stature, Owen Meany has a larger-than-life presence and influence on the life of our protagonist John Wheelwright.
One night during a hailstorm, John's mother, Tabitha, stopped to offer Owen a ride and got hit on the head by a hailstone. This is an incident that Owen would later consider to be foreshadowing, as Tabitha winds up getting killed by a foul ball hit by Owen. It could therefore be argued that Owen's influence in John's life grew in magnitude when he inadvertently killed his mother.
Despite his small stature and screechy voice, Owen has a charisma that's hard to overlook. He amazes the audience with a stellar performance as the Ghost of Christmas Future in a production of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. He becomes a well-known face at Gravesend Academy when he becomes a leading advocate for students' rights.
Despite characteristics which one would expect to make him a social pariah, Own is known for his brilliance. He has a certain knack with the ladies and has no problem beating off bullies. Despite his small stature, he plays a huge role in John's life.
He teaches John how to read and inspires him to major in English, conducts "surgery" to get John out of going to fight in the Vietnam war, and is John's trusted advisor in a number of matters.
In summary, the revelation of Owen's size is that size doesn't matter.
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