Death as a Sacrifice in John Irving’s a Prayer for Owen Meany

Introduction

Death is a dark event that can influence anyone forever, as shown in John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany. Although these influences typically have a negative connotation, death in this book has more of a positive impact on the narrator’s life. Owen’s death results in John’s spiritual reconciliation of turning to a Christian faith. The sacrificial aspect of his death develops the message that the frailty of life reveals one’s deepest beliefs.

Death as a Sacrifice in John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany

Owen’s death was a premeditated sacrifice made to save the lives of Vietnamese children and John. Dick Jarvis, a mentally disturbed teenager, walks into a bathroom filled with Vietnamese children, as well as John and Owen, and throws a grenade at John. John then passes it to Owen and lifts him, allowing Owen to throw the grenade out the window, sacrificing himself for everyone in the bathroom. Owen had foreseen his death due to “the dream,” a vision he frequently had about his death; he wrote in his diary, “I know when I am going to die – and now a dream has shown me how I’m going to die. I’m going to be a hero” (Irving, 1989). John read this entry and thought the “certainty of his convictions was always a little scary” because John did not believe in God previously, so he was confused about how Owen could be so sure about his beliefs. Owen was a man of faith; everything he did was because he knew God would help him through it. Owen’s certainty influences John to spiritually reconsider his beliefs, as he realizes that God was the one delivering the message of his death to him. John starts to believe in God because he knows something as fragile as life could not be in anyone else’s hands besides a higher power.

The Role of Faith and Practice

Another prediction Owen communicates due to God was the maneuver he and John had to use to dispose of the grenade, called “The Shot.” Owen creates a move where John would dribble a basketball, pass it to Owen, and then lift Owen up to dunk the basketball. John and Owen consistently practice this shot until they can do it in under three seconds, since according to Owen, “Faith takes practice” in order to make the shot in time. Their practice becomes the perfect amount of time to save everyone in the bathroom. Owen’s ability to predict fate and the future illustrates his connection with God, as Owen considers himself “God’s instrument” by saving others in the place of God. John realizes this connection since Owen sacrifices his own life willingly because of his faith in God, so John begins to understand how a higher power must exist for Owen to complete this miracle. This realization adds depth to the theme of faith and predestination, highlighting the idea that true faith requires both belief and preparation.

John’s Spiritual Transformation

John witnesses Owen’s sacrifice with his own eyes, contributing to his reconsideration of beliefs. John is a very logical and doubtful character who needs proof to believe anything, which explains why he was always doubtful about his belief in God. He “became rather vague in his religion” as a teenager, but this changes quickly. John needs a hands-on experience with the fragility of life in order to truly understand how you don’t always need an explanation for miracles, but that God is the one who creates them. Owen has said before, “You can’t prove a miracle,” and it took an actual life-or-death experience for John to understand this. The only proof of miracles according to Owen is God, which John believes after Owen’s sacrifice. This realization by John contributes to his character development in the book, as he used to believe only in what he could see instead of having faith. He develops into someone who can believe based on faith rather than facts, illustrating the transformative power of personal experience in spiritual belief.

Conclusion

The ending of A Prayer for Owen Meany exhibits John’s spiritual reassessment of becoming a Christian due to Owen’s sacrifice. John’s experience on the brink of death contributes to his realization of how delicate life is, and how God is the only one that could truly manipulate it. Through Owen’s sacrifice, John learns that faith is not just about belief, but also about understanding and accepting the mysteries of life and death.

References

Irving, J. (1989). A Prayer for Owen Meany. New York: William Morrow.