Mackenzie

My name is Mackenzie and i live in New Castle, Pennsylvania. I love to read, run, and play sports but my family and friends are the most important things in my life. Although i enjoy English, my favorite classes include chemistry, anatomy, and sometimes accounting. My favorite type of books are classics; from Leo Tolstoy to Jane Austen to Charlotte Bronte, you name it and i probably love it. Historical fiction and romance novels are genres that i tend to gravitate toward. I like pretty much any kind of music and i love any movie with Leonardo DiCaprio or Meryl Streep in it, but i would much rather read a book. Title: A Prayer for Owen Meany Author: John Irving Genre: Fiction, Coming of Age story(bildungsroman) Publisher/Publication Date: Ballantine Books-The Random House Publishing Group. International Edition- November 1989 Mass Market Edition- May 1990 Number of Pages: 617 pages (paperback, standalone) //I am doomed to remember a boy with a wrecked voice--not because of his voice, or because he was the smallest person i ever knew, or even because he was the instrument of my mother's death, but because he is the reason i believe in God; I am a Christian because of Owen Meany. I make no claims to have a life in Christ, or with Christ--and certainly not for Christ, which I've heard some zealots claim. I'm not very sophisticated in my knowledge of the Old Testament, and i've not read the New Testament since my Sunday school days, except for those passages that i hear read aloud to me when i go to church. I'm somewhat more familiar with the passages from the Bible that appear in The Book of Common Prayer; I read my prayer book often, and my Bible only on holy days--the prayer book is so much more orderly.// **Why?** I heard about this book from my sister. I thought it sounded interesting and i liked the plot so i borrowed it from my English teacher.
 * __About Me!__**
 * __About My Book__**





__**Book Review**__ After reading this book, i can honestly say that it held my complete attention through all the twists, turns, and bends. John Irving's //A Prayer for Owen Meany// is heartwarming and spellbinding. I believe that the reason for this is simple: Owen Meany. His sarcasm and determined outlook on life make the book. You feel that Owen Meany's "purpose" is your purpose and as a reader myself, i can say that Owen Meany convinced me of his own conviction; that he is an instrument of God. Irving uses the other characters to bring out Owen's ingenuity and divinity; but these characters also add a spice of their own. Told through Owen's bestfriend's voice, the story is told from the point of view as a witness--a witness who was radically changed through his own experiences with the "Christ Child". I wouldn't hesitate to reccomend //A Prayer for Owen// Meany to anyone to who was looking for a good read. __**Notable Quotes/Parts from the Novel**__ Here is what Owen Meany (and the armadillo) said: "GOD HAS TAKEN YOUR MOTHER. MY HANDS WERE THE INSTRUMENT. GOD HAS TAKEN MY HANDS. I AM GOD'S INSTRUMENT." page 87

"Of couse, i know now that Owen didn't believe in coincidences. Owen Meany believed that "coincidence" was a stupid, shallow refuge sought by stupid, shallow people who were unable to accept the fact that their lives were shaped by a terrifying and awesome design--more powerful and unstoppable than //The Flying Yankee."// page 186

"It is a wonder to me that the changing of the year had so little effect on Owen Meany--when i consider that he thought he "knew" at the time, exactly how many years he had left. Yet he appeared content to watch //Ben-Hur//, and Hester throwing up; maybe that's what faith is--exactly that contentment, even facing the future." page 358

And at the end of morning meeting, the headmaster's wife, Sam, shouted at those students who attempted to descend the blocked staircase by climbing over the ruined Volkswagen--in which the headmaster was //still// imprisioned. "Where are your //manners//?" Mrs. White shouted. It was after morning meeting before i had a chance to speak to Owen Meany. "I don't suppose //you// had anything to do with all of that?" I asked him. "FAITH AND PRAYER," he said. "FAITH AND PRAYER--THEY //WORK//, THEY REALLY DO."

"You're saying that Owen was a virgin birth?" I asked Mr. Meany; he wouldn't look at me, but he nodded vigorously." page 536

//Symbolism-// There are many symbols that are used throughout the novel. One of these symbols is the armadillo. When Owen removes the claws from this beloved animal, he is creating this representation: his hands were the instrument of Johnny Wheelwright's mother's death and now, God has taken his hands. Therefore he is God's instrument. Another symbol is the dressmaker's dummy, which represents a "guardian angel" that watches over Tabitha, and then Owen.
 * __Literary Elements__**

//Allusion-// Irving alludes to many similarities between Owen Meany and Jesus in the novel. The nativity exemplifies this in that Owen is being "used" for purposes much higher than himself, just as Jesus was. The uniqueness of his voice set him apart and allowed him to convey his purpose to others.

//Foreshadowing-// From the beginning of the novel, John Wheelwright is fortelling Owen Meany's death.

//Themes-// Some major themes in the novel include the following: --Religion(Episcopalians, Congregationalists, Rev. Lewis Merrill, Rev. Dudley Wiggin, Mary Magdelene) --Injustice(Headmaster Randy White, Owen's expulsion) --The Past(Tabitha Wheelwright's "fling", point of view of novel)

Although John Irving could have many purposes for writing //A Prayer for Owen// Meany, i believe that his purpose was to tell a story(a heartwarming one at that); and by doing so, make the readers ask questions, the very questions that the narrator in the book is struggling with himself. Irving brings up many issues, many with the government and some with morality. I also believe that the author incorporates his own personal beliefs and values into his writing. In my opinion, he resembles Johnny Wheelwright in the novel. Not only did he grow up in the midst of World World II, but he also attended the University of New Hampshire and like John, never met his biological father. Reading this novel draws many striking similarities between John Irving's life and the life of a major character.
 * __Author's Purpose & Style__**

[] <shortcut to trailer. Although there is a movie version of this novel, many things have been changed. Even the title has been changed. This movie is called "Simon Birch" and it came out in 1998.

On a scale of 1 to 10, i give this book a 9 and a half. The story was well written and the plot was genius. Owen Meany was one of the most likable characters i've ever been introduced to in a book. The only thing that stopped me from giving it a 10 was the interjection of the narrator's political opinions and seemingly "addiction" to obsessing over political events in his former country, America. However, i would recommend this novel to anyone looking for a good book(:
 * __Rating__**


 * Reading Next...//Until I Find You//** by John Irving