Owen Meany Motif Notes

Owen Meany Motif Notes 3 AP

MOTIFS

1. BASEBALL

“owen loved his baseball cards, and for some reason, he clearly loved the game of baseball itself, although the game was cruel to him” (p.4).

“he gave me his baseball cards to show me how sorry he was about the accident and how much he was hurting...but naturally he wanted them all back” (p.81)

“the crack of the bat was so unusually sharp and loud for a little league game that the noise captured even my mother’s attention” (p. 36) squeezing a hailstone the size of a marble in my hand, feeling it melt in my palm, i was also surprised by its hardness; it was as hard as a baseball” (p.126).

...and the baseball rolled across the cool, stone floor of the vestry office...i had no doubt about which baseball it was” (p. 542)

2. God’s Instrument

Armlessness: “That’s when he realized that his arms were gone. He didn’t seem surprised by the discovery.”(615)

Connection with God: “Father forgive them for they know not what they do”(151).

Effect on others: “It makes me ashamed to remember that I was angry with him for taking my armadillo’s claws. God knows owen gave more than he ever took from me- even when you consider that he took my mother”(93).

Christlike Figure: “Now I know they were forces that contributed to our illusions of owen’s weightlessness; they were the forces that we didn’t have the faith to feel, they were the forces we failed to believe in- and they were lifting up owen meany, taking him out of our hands”(617).

Predestined: “I know that my voice doesn’t change- but I still don’t know why. I know when I’m going to die. I know that I am God’s instrument- and I know a dream has shown me...”(416). 3. Theme: Ghosts and Angels

“I saw my name on the grave.” pg. 245

“WHat was clear was that he was a ghost.” pg. 242

“His head began to sway- he couldn’t look at her- and he covered his eyes with both hands...” pg. 555

“In Owen’s opinion, he had interrupted an angel, he had disturbed an angel at work, he had upset the scheme of things.” pg. 102

“I think they like me better than an angel.” pg. 184

“From the ray in the dark came the cracked falsetto... former announcing Angel?” pg.216

A descending angel- a tiny fiery god.” pg. 69

4. Fate and Predestination

•Pg. 221: Owen sees his death on the gravestone as the ghost of the future. “‘I saw my name on the grave,’ said Owen.”

•Pgs. 101-102: Angel of Death “I realized now that he never thought he saw a guardian angel...”

•Pg. 539/612 (depending on book): Purpose of “the shot” “‘We’ll have just four seconds,’ Owen told me calmly...” “He jumped so lightly into my hands...”

•Pg. 179: Death of Sagamore: “But on this day he was impressed by the unusual power of Owen Meany’s kick...”

•Pg. 40/33 (depending on book): Death of Tabby “But this day, Mr. Chickering said, ‘Hit away kid!’” “It was the hardest I’d ever seen him hit a ball...”

5. Motif: VOICE

“We tortured him, I think, in order to hear his voice; I used to think his voice came from another planet. Now I’m convinced it was a voice not entirely of this world” (6-7).

--shows how intrigued people are by his voice at the beginning; foreshadows ending as well “Even when her memory was shot, Grandmother remembered Owen’s voice; if she remembered him as the instrument of her daughter’s death, she didn’t say” (21).

--demonstrates how profound an impact just the sound of his voice had on a person’s memory

“It was his voice, of course; he could have said, “HERE COMES THE END OF THE WORLD!” People still would have fallen down, laughing. It was torture to Owen that he was without much humor-he was only serious-while at the same time he had a chiefly comic effect on the multitude” (154).

--in the beginning, people don’t take Owen as seriously as he takes himself

“‘YOU CAN’T TAKE A MIRACLE AND JUST SHOW IT!...YOU CAN’T PROVE A MIRACLE-YOU JUST HAVE TO BELIEVE IT!’” (277)

--Owen uses “the Voice” to put his voice on paper and get across his ideas and beliefs

“‘I’M ALWAYS GOING TO BE PUBLISHED IN CAPITALS...BECAUSE IT WILL INSTANTLY GRAB THE READER’S ATTENTION, ESPECIALLY AFTER ‘THE VOICE’ GETS TO BE A KIND OF INSTITUTION” (293-294).

--just as capital letters grab a reader’s attention, Owen’s voice grabs a listener’s attention

“‘DON’T BE AFRAID...’ It was not only because he spoke their language; it was his voice that compelled the children to listen to him-it was a voice like their voices. That was why they trusted him, why they listened” (622).

--ultimate purpose of Owen’s voice

THEMATIC STATEMENTS/MOTIFS CONNECTIONS

GROUP 1: Thematic Statement: In Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany, he shows us that belief in something greater is an important part of life.

Baseball: It was America’s pass time for Owen and John but it was ruined like the country at the time.

Voice: Throughout the story, Owens voice changes over time, he was judged at first but then people started listening to what he was saying.

Fate/Predestination: This motif plays the roll of showing us that Owen is God’s instrument and through him many great and amazing things are foreseen and become reality.

Angels and Ghosts: Owen plays the Ghost of the future, then he sees his death, he also disturbs the balance of life when he interrupts the angel at wok, he lives a life touched by God.

Gods Instrument: Owen has many unexplainable things that happen in his life, he has been given tasks from God, Owen makes others believe in something greater.

“Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die...Into paradise may the Angels lead you.”

GROUP 2: Ultimate Purpose/Thematic Statement: In a Prayer for Owen Meany, Irving presents the idea that every person and event, no matter how small, has an ultimate purpose.

Voice: Owen accomplished his ultimate purpose in saving the children through using his voice to comfort them.

Ghosts and Angels: By walking in on the Angel of Death, Owen adopts the ultimate purpose of killing Tabby.

Baseball: Owen fulfills his purpose of killing Tabby, which he adopted when he interrupted the Angel of Death, in the freak baseball accident. This pushes him toward his ultimate purpose.

Fate & Predestination: Through knowledge of his fate because of “the dream,” Owen learns of his ultimate purpose.

God’s Instrument: Owen’s belief that he is God’s instrument and the symbols associated with this idea define what it means to have an ultimate purpose.

Group 3: Predestination

In a prayer for Owen Meany, the idea of predestination is used to illustrate that belief does not need concrete proof but rather pure faith.

Baseball: “The crack of the bat was so unusually sharp and loud for a little league game that the noise captured even my mother’s wandering attention” (36).Owen was predestined to kill Johnny’s mother. The loud crack of the baseball was to capture everyones attention. Everyone was supposed to watch Owen Meany kill Tabby.

Voice: “YOU CAN’T TAKE A MIRACLE...... ” (277).

Owen has his voice for a reason. When people hear him talk they automatically turn and listen to what he is saying. Irving puts Owen’s dialogue in caps to grap the reader’s attention—just as Owen’s voice grab’s people’s attention. Everything in Owen’s life has meaning down to his voice—he is predestined to have his voice because God wills him to—it is necessary for him for the climatic scene with the children. His voice turns out to be something far greater. Even his role as “The Voice” in the school newspaper shows Owen’s command of those around him—he speaks with an authority and wisdom that is beyond his years.