Mixed Feelings

Hey, guys!

This time around, I'm writing another review for a book I had to read for school, specifically for my freshman English class. It's a long book, and one of the main themes is faith, religion, and control (or lack thereof) over one's destiny.

We're getting deep here, folks. This book that I had to read is called A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving.

The main character is Johnny, a twelve-year-old boy who was conceived out of wedlock. Although his mother loves him dearly and his step-father is a great guy, Johnny does not know who his father is. He does, however, have a best friend in Owen Meany.

Owen Meany is a small boy . . . abnormally small for his age. Not to mention pale. He also has a very high-pitched voice. And, ironically, his father owns a granite quarry. But Owen believes that his small size and unusual voice are to be the instruments of his destiny.

That's what he calls himself: "an instrument of God." And that's not just because he was partly responsible for the death of Johnny's mother, Tabby. He thinks that he (specifically, his death) is meant for a greater purpose: to save lives.

How does Owen Meany know this? Dreams and signs, mostly. But also this scary but important feeling that that is his destiny.

I said that this book is religious. It's not about religion per se, but it asks some pretty important questions about faith.

For example, Owen Meany has such uncontested faith, even though carrying out God's will means his death. Johnny doesn't have faith in God so much as he has faith in Owen Meany, even though Owen Meany hit the foul ball that killed his mother.

This book is filled with paradoxes. Because despite the fact that Owen killed Johnny's mother, they are best friends right through college.

I say "killed" like it was on purpose. I should probably make it clear that Owen did not mean for that to happen. He felt incredibly guilty because he loved Tabby just as much as Johnny did. And Tabby adored Owen Meany in turn.

Anyway, this book pretty much chronicles the lives of the two young boys through school and college and right up to Owen's act of heroism and beyond. The reader also gets glimpses of Johnny as an older man looking back on his experiences. After all, he did say that Owen Meany is the reason that Johnny believes in God.

And for you literature nuts out there, this book is chock full of symbolism. Not only is Owen Meany depicted as a Jesus figure, but Johnny is also depicted as a Joseph figure. Joseph as in the Virgin Mary's husband in the Bible. Armlessness (the lack of arms) is also a theme as it relates to a lack of control over one's situation. We discussed this in length during class.

This blog post is starting to sound like the paper I had to write about this book.

Sorry about that, but once you read a book from an academic point of view, it's hard to really see it any other way unless you reread it.

Anyway, this book was pretty good, but you have to be patient enough to read it. My boyfriend, for example, didn't really have the stomach for this book. It does get a little preachy at times, and that could be a turn-off for people who aren't very religious (like myself). But FYI, I did power through the book.

I will warn you guys, though: it's a long book, and I'm talking six hundred pages. It's actually a pretty good book, but like I said, you have to have the patience to read it.

But if you want to find out what Owen's act of heroism was, who Johnny's father was, and why Owen was the reason Johnny believed in God, then give the book a try. It's not like you're being quizzed about it like I was.

Anyway, that's it for this post. Hope you enjoyed reading about this lovely bit of literature that you might like to add to your library. Check back in for more posts.

Happy reading!!