Owen
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
John Irving could not have found a better quote to describe the basis of the theme to this novel then by quoting Frederick Buechner: "Not the least of my problems is that I can hardly even imagine what kind of an experience a genuine, self-authenticating religious experience would be. Without somehow destroying me in the process, how could God reveal himself in a way that would leave no room for doubt? If there were no room for doubt, there would be no room for me." This statement given to the reader even before the novel begins is very evident in the reading. Johnny is in himself the very symbol of doubt in this novel. He struggles to find his place in life, his father, and the truth on the existence of God. Throughout the novel it has been Owen who has been there in his times of need, of when he needs guidance in life. One example of this is found on page 451 when Owen describes his belief in God as to the statue of Lady Magdalene at night: "YOU ABSOLUTELY KNOW SHE'S THERE, EVEN THOUGH YOU CAN'T SEE HER?" Owen asked John. "Yes!" John screamed. "WELL NOW YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT GOD," he said. "I CAN'T SEE HIM - BUT I ABSOLUTELY KNOW HE IS THERE!" 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'
Some common words found in the essay are:
Owen Meany, , Owen Ghost, Owen Meany's, Frederick Buechner, God Proven, God Throughout, Ghost Christmas, John Irving, Owen MeanyPage, owen meany, theme novel, existence god, johnny learns, interrupted angel, owen's belief,
Approximate Word count = 1177
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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