Religious faith is a major theme in John Irving's, A Prayer For Owen Meany. Owen Meany is an unlikely Christ figure, he is a dwarf with a small high-pitched voice. However, his best friend, John says that "he is the reason I believe in God; I am a Christian because of Owen Meany" (1). Using textual evidence, show how Owen Meany is or is not a Christ figure.
Religious faith is a major theme in the novel “A Prayer for Owen Meany” by John Irving, mostly due to the large religious presence of Owen himself in the novel and how he believes he is an instrument of God. However when analyzing the novel, it can even be seen how Owen is a Christ figure himself rather than just an instrument of God. One of the most prominent linkages between Owen and Christ would be the crucifixions they both experience. Most everyone is familiar with the story of Jesus being crucified on the day of his death, being both physically and emotionally assaulted. However, Owen’s crucifixion is more of a societal judgment towards Owen for being “so small that not only did his feet not touch the floor when he sat in his chair- his knees did not extend to the edge of his seat; therefore, his legs stuck out straight, like the legs of a doll” and how his voice sounded as if he “shout[ed] through his nose” (2-3). This resembles the crucifixion of Christ because all throughout his life, he is judged and tormented due his features. No one, besides Johnny and his family even look at Owen as a human being. In fact, many are even scared and creped out by the presence of Owen. By Owen constantly being shunned from members of society, he is in a constant crucifixion resembling that of Jesus. The sacrifice of Owen’s own life he makes to save the Vietnamese children also add to the resemblance between Owen and Jesus and thus highlighting the fact that Owen is a Christ figure in the novel. Owen graciously sacrificed his own life by throwing the grenade that Dick through in the bathroom with the orphans out the window with his much practiced shot with Johnny to save the lives of the innocent children. Owen is giving his own life away just as Jesus did, revealing the strong Christ figure of Owen Meany in the novel. Also, Owen states, “WHOSOEVER LIVETH AND BELIEVETH IN ME SHALL NEVER DIE” during this scene referencing to how Owen is giving the orphans life just as Jesus stated this to promise believers eternal life (615). Even though Owen little size and peculiarity completely opposite to an image of Christ, his size actually adds to his Christ figure by constantly being judged or crucified by society, and the Christ figure image is only enhanced even more after Owen graciously gives his life to protect the lives of the Vietnamese orphans, the nuns, and Johnny.
ReplyDeleteOwen Meany is clearly a Christ figure, as evident by a number of reasons. Most importantly, Owen's death is not for himself, but to bring salvation to others. Shortly before his death, he even quotes Jesus' final words, saying "Forgive them father, for they know not what they do."Another instance where he displays messiah-like qualities is his participation in the Christmas pageant at his church. He plays the role of Jesus, and gives a long speech to the crowd of onlookers. This speech is almost like a sermon, another distinctive trait of Jesus Christ.
ReplyDeleteOwen is a unique and inspiring character in the world of fiction, and it is through his self-sacrifice that he achieves eternal glory, making him a clear Christ figure in "A Prayer For Owen Meany".
John Irving portrays Owen Meany as a Christ figure throughout the novel. Owen seems to be the unlikeliest of characters to be compared to Jesus, by having “unrealistic joints”, or being a dwarf, or even his voice that came through his nose make him the furthest from any perfect character. (2) Perhaps that is why he is this Christ figure; in order to show that God’s child although not perfect, is in other ways. Owen accepts his fait early in the story, but when we find out what he is to do with his life for the lives of others, he is then a Christ figure. He may not “WANT TO BE A HERO”, but he accepts the fact that God has a bigger plan for him, he accepts that he is “A HERO”, and that is what he is “SUPPOSED TO BE”. (471). Then Owen becomes “borne” again “from the church” to the “verse” of the “hymn”, “that had meant the most to Owen Meany”. (568). Christ rose from the dead, as Owen Meany rose again into the hearts of everyone. Owen Meany was certainly a Christ figure, and many actions can be related back to Jesus.
ReplyDelete“it was the verse that meant the most to Owen Meany.
CROWN HIM THE LORD OF LIFE, WHO TRI-UMPHED O’ER THE GRAVE,
AND ROSE VIC-TOR-RIOUS IN THE STRIFE FOR THOSE HE CAME TO SAVE;
HIS GLO-RIES NOW WE SING WHO DIED AND ROSE ON HIGH,
WHO DIED, E-TER-NAL LIFE TO BRING, AND LIVES THAT DEATH MAY DIE.” (568).
While Owen does not appear like much of a Christ figure, he absolutely is one, and this is clear through Irving’s portrayal of him throughout the novel. The primary event that exemplifies Owen’s existence as a Christ figure is at the end of the novel, when Owen sacrifices himself to save the children in Vietnam. Owen tells John about his dream: “‘THE WAY THEY LOOK AT ME, I KNOW TWO THINGS. I KNOW THAT I SAVED THEM-I DON’T KNOW HOW. AND I KNOW THAT THEY’RE AFRAID FOR ME. BUT I DON’T SEE ME-I CAN’T TELL WHAT’S WRONG WITH ME. THE CHILDREN’S FACES TELL ME SOMETHING IS WRONG’” (419). Just as Christ sacrificed himself to save mankind, Owen sacrifices his own life in Vietnam. While this is the most glaring example of Owen’s similarities to Christ, Irving also provides various instances in the novel. These include when Owen is cast as the Little Lord Jesus in the Christmas pageant and as the Ghost of the Future in A Christmas Carol. Furthermore, Owen believes himself to be a Christ figure when he tells John, “‘GOD HAS TAKEN YOUR MOTHER. MY HANDS WERE THE INSTRUMENT. GOD HAS TAKEN MY HANDS. I AM GOD’S INSTRUMENT’” (86).
ReplyDeleteIt's quite obvious that Owen Meany's a Christ-figure, as he knows he has to die for others and accepts this task and makes sure that it happens. By ensuring that he dies to save the Vietnamese children and John, he sacrifices his own life, symbolizing Jesus' dying on the cross. Throughout the novel, why Owen does something or a reason for Owen being the way he is doesn't always make sense until the end. This theme of some things not making sense until the end is common throught religion, especially Christianity. Without his voice, size, and practicing the "shot" with John, he wouldn't be able to save John and the children. After telling the children to lie down an to not be afraid, in Vietnamese, he says, "'NOW I KNOW WHY MY VOICE NEVER CHANGES...'" (612), and since his voice is like theirs, it compels the children to listen to him. Since he is so small and he and John practice the shot, John is able to lift him up to the window to keep the grenade out of the room and protect everyone else. Also, Owen tries to help the boy who kills him and not give him up as a lost case, and by doing this, is Christ-like by giving people second chances and humbling himself enough to say, "'IT'S NOT UP TO US: WHO'S BEYOND SAVING'" (601). Though this situation doesn't fully present him as a Christ-figure, since Owen is not the one who will be juding souls, it still makes him more Christ-like than most, as he is humbling himself and trying to save people. Lastly, as John says at the end of the novel, "O God - please give him back! I shall keep asking You" (617), it can be seen as symbolizing Christians awaiting and preparing for Christ's second coming. It would be the ultimate joy for everyone who knew Owen for him to be given back to them, and according to Christianity, it will be likewise for the righteous during Christ's second coming.
ReplyDeleteDespite the inherent tendency to reject the proposal that Owen Meany truly represents a Christ-figure in John Irving's 1989 novel, the evidence supports the literary theory that he indeed represents that of the infamous religious figure. Taken as a whole, the development of Owen Meany’s life during the novel closely mirrors that of the biblical story of Jesus Christ, from his “virgin birth…like the Christ Child” (536), to his death in Vietnam which he himself predicts, just as Christ foresaw his death. Throughout the novel, Owen seems to have a divine comprehension of his ultimate role in the world, despite his antics. He visions his death and demonstrates his understanding of his purpose up until the end, “NOW I KNOW WHY MY VOICE NEVER CHANGES” (612). His steadfast approach to life suggests that his belief that he is “GOD’S INSTRUMENT” (87) is not a ridiculous, absurd self-perception, but rather an intangible, all-knowing characteristic that ultimately pre-destines him to the life he leads. This holistic approach to the characterization of Owen Meany leads us to belief that he indeed is somehow divinely inspired, and that Irving formulates his character around the conclusion of the story. Owen becomes the character that lives out Irving’s plot vision, and in doing so, he becomes a Christ-figure.
ReplyDeleteOwen Meany is extremely dedicated to God, his faith unparallelled and his understanding seems to be true, but I don't think he's a Christ figure. He has a vision of his death he moves through life so that he can fulfill it, you could almost say its his goal, his reason for living. He was never normal and I think he found solace in having something he could have unshakeable faith in, he was always too observant for his own good. Owen builds his life centering around his faith in God and at times and in certain instances he could qualify as a christ figure, but overall I don't think he is.
ReplyDeleteOwen says, "SOMETIMES I WISH I WAS A STAR... I DON'T WANT TO 'WISH UPON A STAR' I WISH I WAS A STAR." 601 after that he goes on a rant about how messed up this country is. Owen tries to emulate Christ and in a lot of senses he succeeds, but he never really overcomes his desires, he wants to be something, have a purpose.
'"HE WOULD NEVER HURT ANYONE" Owen said admiringly.' 262 Owen admires that quality, that particular word admire shows Owen's respect that he could be able to never hurt anyone. Owen is aware of his own shortcomings, but he works hard to overcome them. He sometimes says the wrong things, acts the wrong way, does the wrong thing, he never purposely tries to hurt anyone, but he won't take things lying down. When Mrs. Lish starts to pick on him and his response is to throw what she says back in her face 373-378 he is most certainly not turning the other cheek, but following that with the headmaster he sees how he messed up and this time keeps quiet.
Owen may have been a good person, better than most, but he wasn't perfect. Even though he is the reason John 'believes in God' John also goes on to say 'I make no claims to have a life in Christ, or with Christ--and certainly not for Christ' Owen was just an instrument of God not an incarnation of Christ in this story.
Owen Meany’s true faith is what makes him a Christ-figure. Unlike his peers, at a young age Owen, understand his faith. He dislikes the catholic church, because he feels like it is moving him away from god. Also, He becomes annoyed sermons are bothersome because “ a person’s faith goes at its own pace”(23). Most children do not grasp, nor do the want to, this deep concept of God. Yet, Owen does. His need to constantly be with god resembles Christ’s need to be constantly with God. In Luke 2:39-52, Mary was searching for Jesus. After three days, She discovered him. When asked where he was Jesus responded “Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?” Jesus unconsciously felt close to God; Owen Meany unconsciously is drawn toward God. Without wavering faith, Owen believes that God knows all. When John is questioning who his father is, Owen insures him that “[his] dad can hide from [him]... but he can’t hide from God.” Owen knows that his life had a purpose. His previously mentioned death and blind faith show that he is a Christ-figure. A mirror image to Jesus, the son of God.
ReplyDeleteWith my somewhat cynical and hard to convince mind, i could explain away most of Owen Meany's more Christ- like actions. He never says, "I am sacred/ holy". The closest he gets is calling himself, "AN INSTRUMENT OF GOD". Owen affected every life he touched, which is amazing and impacting, but the real question is whether he is or is not a Christ figure. So what evidence do we have to the positive? Owen was certainly an imposing figure in his childhood, and everyone had a compulsion to touch him, just to know that he was real. At the quarry lake, Owen berates his peers, saying, "YOU LET ME DIE, REMEMBER THAT". This mirrors Christ's life purpose, in that he died because of the actions of everyone else. Perhaps the most long running and striking, at least to me, occurance was Owen Meany's conviction that God will tell Johnny who his father is. In the end, it is Owen's disembodied voice that connects all the clues for Johnny. On the other hand, I don't believe that Owen Meany is meant to be a Christ figure. He was just a special boy, whose presence did amazing things. Easily, the most impacted life was Johnny's, who near the end chastised Owen's parents for telling him that he was the product of a virgin birth. Owen's faith allowed him to believe this. If you believe in something hard enough, it might as well be true. For Owen, this was true. However, Johnny, who knew Owen the best (if that's even possible), knew that Owen was used by everyone around him, including Owen himself. They expected too much, and in the end, it was more than Owen could give. Owen was a man of enormous, life changing faith, but he was not a Christ figure.
ReplyDeleteCHANGE OF TOPIC
ReplyDeleteIs anyone else in the book a Christ figure?
Good comments as always everybody. I agree with Maura's idea to change the topic; and as some of you (Kevin) haven't commented yet, I think the Christ figure topic is a great place to pick up a new start on the prompt.
ReplyDeleteOwen Meany is a Christ figure because he is seen by all around him as having a higher presence about him. When John's grandmother calls Owen a devil, John's mother replies saying, "Owen is an angel". The reverend Mr. Wiggin announces that he has never found a "little lord Jesus who was so perfect for the part" (169) Owen plays Jesus in the Nativity scene and all recognize that he is the best fit for the part. Owen himself also says the " I am christ the lord, the actual son of God" 175) Owen throughout the novel is seen by all as a christ figure and their is evidence to prove that. Dan once said he would like to "humanize" Owen because his presence with un human in kind.
ReplyDelete@Jeff I agree that the best example of his godliness is when he dies for the children in Vietnam.
ReplyDelete@Shane (Owen for being “so small that not only did his feet not touch the floor when he sat in his chair- his knees did not extend to the edge of his seat) I like the comparison of crucifixions.
@Kelly I like that you take a different approach to it. You view him not as a true Christ figure.
Great Job everyone! I love the different opinions about Owen Meany being a Christ figure.
ReplyDeleteJeff- Great quote! It describes that Owen knows he's different from the other kids reflecting that he is a Christ figure.
Rachel- I like that you believed he wasn't a Christ figure and supported it by saying that death and fulfilling his life is his goal and only reason for living
Trisha- I agree with you that he understands his faith more than his peers
Kelly- I like that you used the quote "AN INSTRUMENT OF GOD" but explained your opinion about Owen not being a Christ figure