How Owen Contradicts His Extreme Beliefs

Owen believes that God has chosen him to be a hero. He believes that his entire life is leading up to this one climatic moment, but Owen's fatalistic doctrine goes even further that that. Owen, merely a passive party to the event, feels that he was "used" by God, just as Jesus was "used" by God. He believes that each and every event happens for a purpose and because God willed it. Despite the disbelief and mocking of others, Owen stubbornly applies this principle to his interpretation of all events in life, leading the reader to conclude that he believes himself to be unable to control or even influence the course of his life. For the first time in the novel, Owen introduces the concept of his being "used" by God. During a little league baseball game, Owen hits a ball that strikes John's mother in the temple. She is immediately killed and Owen, though devasted, declares that this was God's will. However, Owen's actions as a young man, ironically contradict his extreme beliefs as he plays an active role in shaping his and John's destiny. He claims that God took his hands and "used" them to accomplish His purposes.