Owen Meany1

"Watch out for people who call themselves religious; make sure you know what they mean-make sure they know what they mean!" (572). In the novel written by John Irving, A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY, the protagonist, Owen Meany, developed an unusual religious significance. Owen experienced visions of future events, he had a unique type of faith in God that most do not attain, and Owen spoke endlessly to inform people about God. Throughout Owen's life he demonstrated the same characteristics as a prophet through his actions and his words. Thus one could conclude that Owen Meany is a prophet.

Similar to a prophet, Owen was given precognitive powers that allowed him to see into the future. Owen's first prophecy came to him on New Years Eve 1953 during the community production of 'A Christmas Carol'. The most obvious inference concerning the play was that Owen played the part of the ghost of Christmas yet to come. In reaction to Owen's portrayal of this character, the audience's faces which were "so amused, so curious, so various-were rendered shockingly similar; each face became the model of each other's fear" (42). Owen had dehumanized this character to the point that children were leaving the theater crying and some were

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It was a wonder to John that "the changing of the year had so little effect on Owen Meany - when [John] considered that he thought he knew…exactly how many years he had left. I KNOW I SAVED THEM-I DON'T KNOW HOW. Not only did his faith surpass that of the community; it also surpassed even that of Pastor Merill. Owen had become an instructor in the community and in the church. Owen stated in his diary, "THE WAY THEY LOOK AT ME, I KNOW TWO THINGS. Robbed from an ordinary life, "Owen felt that God had assigned him a role that he was powerless to change…" (420). Owen was God's messenger and God's worker.

Owen Meany demonstrated many characteristics of a prophet, and could be linked to a prophetic figure. Owen believed he had seen his name on a gravestone along with the date of his death. Owen believed the task of John's mother's death had been passed to him for he had interrupted the angel of death at her holy work.

As Owen grew up, he began delivering his messages on life and faith.

A prophet uses prophecies to not only prove they have powers, but also to benefit others. Although he suffered the loss of John's mother, he trusted that God was doing this for a reason. A prophet uses their prophecies to not only prove that they have powers, but also to somehow benefit the world or allow people to learn from their visions.

Approximate Word count = 1455
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

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