Throughout the history of mankind, philosophers and enlightened despots found themselves asking themselves numerous questions about their existence. Theories that were found to be the very foundation of life and sub-conscious can be narrowed down to faith, fate, and predestination. These topics are found to be the supporting thesis to every civilization known to man. Faith of one sort or another is undoubtedly the most powerful in driving the spirits of man and in the establishment of society. The very thought of questioning faith is questioning the existence of life itself. The term fatalism refers to the view that all events in the history of the world, and, in particular, the actions and incidents which make up the story of each individual life are determined by fate. In the ancient world fate was conceived as an iron necessity in the nature of things, overruling and controlling the will and power of the gods themselves. Sometimes it was explained as the inexorable decree of the gods directing the course of the universe; sometimes it was personified as a particular divinity, the goddess or goddesses of destiny. Their function was to secure that each man's lot "share" or part should infallibly come to him no matter the attempts to change it. This states that each person has a predetermined role in life and will eventually fulfill it. Such concepts are discussed in John Irving's novel, A Prayer for Owen Meany, in which these topics are the theme. This novel discusses the thoughts of predestination and how it relates to faith in God. Proven at the conclusion of this novel is that not even the supposed chosen one can escape their fate.
             "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."(Page 1) This passage a...