John's American Abhorrence in A Prayer for Owen Meany

John’s deep-seated resentment towards the United States and its citizens is strongly reflected in this passage; his character and point of view are powerfully illustrated by his tone and choice of words. Moreover, the reader is able to probe deeper into John’s character and learn a little more about him through his words.

John is deeply split on his feelings for his native country; he treats America with contempt, stating its “arrogance” and ignorance repeatedly, but also is unwillingly drawn to it. His tone is critical, and vehement, showing the reader that John must care somewhat about what he so violently opposes. His word choice of “ridiculous” also helps to further exemplify John’s strong feelings on America.

Through this discrepancy of John’s feelings and actions, we are able to see that John is both extremely unhappy and extremely confused. He voices his dissatisfaction with United States, stating, “Americans should be forced to see how ridiculous they appear to the rest of the world!” Yet, ironically, it is to The New York Times that John runs when he feels nostalgia for the United States – except

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He is unwilling to admit his fallacies, and also unwilling to face the issues that incessantly plague him. The author’s tone noticeably changes when John switches from his Gravesend home to his Canadian one; whereas, the young John is almost happy, despite his rather tumultuous upbringing, the older John is reserved and fastidious, somehow lacking the exuberance and tentative happiness that he possessed when he was younger.

John is pulled in two separate directions, and it is this very discrepancy that causes the novel to radiate with sadness and dissatisfaction whenever John is in Canada. It’s very Canadian to distrust strong opinions…You’re a Canadian citizen, but what are you always talking about? You talk about American more than any American I know! And you’re more anti-American than any Canadian I know…” (p. he voices this nostalgia in the form of violent criticism. arms to Iran and the diversion of profits to Nicaraguan rebels…” (p. John desperately wants to be Canadian, and to be viewed as Canadian by other Canadians however, as Canon Mackie astutely states,

“But don’t you see how your…opinions can be disturbing? It’s very American – to have opinions as…strong as your opinions. Despite what John would like to believe, America is an integral part of him, and has shaped his character permanently. The passage in which John says,

“I read The Globe and Mail again, but I was good; I didn’t bring it to school with me, and I resolved that I would not discuss the sale of U. Owen, like America, shaped John in a way that changed his life forever; John, I believe, both hates and loves Owen just like he both hates and loves America. With Owen gone, he manifests his hatred for America even more passionately, and also hates himself because he knows that he is holding neither the memory of Owen nor his allegiance to the United States true. John has subsequently acquiesced his longing by obsessively consuming American newspapers and articles about America, and complied with his hatred by fervently voicing his disillusionment with it.

Approximate Word count = 751
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

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