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
"But don't you see how your...opinions can be disturbing? It's very American - to have opinions as...strong as your opinions. 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. 224) portrays John's obsession with what he consciously despises, but subconsciously still loves. Despite what John would like to believe, America is an integral part of him, and has shaped his character permanently. 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. He loves Owen for what Owen gave to him - his religion, his freedom from Vietnam, his friendship, and the overall richness of life he provided - but he hates Owen because he died; John, once again, was left behind. 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 al
Some common words found in the essay are:
, Owen Owen, John Canada, Canon Mackie's, America Owen, Globe Mail, Owen America, Times John, John Americans, It's Canadian, else's version, john believe, version unwilling, loves america, apparent john, loves owen, owen owen, hates loves,
Approximate Word count = 751
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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