A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY: THE PIECES OF THE PUZZLE
WHAT DOES THIS NOVEL TEACH US IF NOT THAT EVERYTHING YOU EXPERIENCE OVER THE COURSE OF YOUR LIFETIME IS IMPORTANT, RELEVANT, AND INSTRUMENTAL IN UNDERSTANDING THE TRUE VALUE OF THE ENDING THAT YOU WILL SOMEDAY REACH? A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY IS A LITERARY MASTERPIECE, ONLY ONE OF THE REASONS FOR WHICH BEING THAT THERE IS NOT A SINGLE WASTED WORD WRITTEN IN THOSE PAGES; EVERY INTERLUDE HAS VALUE AND CONNECTS AND CONTRIBUTES TO THE MESSAGE SPELLED OUT AT THE END OF THE BOOK IN OBVIOUS, RELEVANT WAYS. AND THAT IN AND OF ITSELF IS A "MESSAGE" THAT JOHNNY WHEELWRIGHT PRACTICALLY PREACHES TO US BY THE END OF THE BOOK: THAT EVERY PART OF OWEN'S EXPERIENCE IN LIFE MATTERED, AND THAT IF HE HAD MISSED ANY ONE THING, THE ENTIRE ENDING WOULD NEVER HAVE OCCURRED THE WAY THAT IT DID, AND THE PROFOUNDNESS OF THE CONCLUSION WOULD HAVE BEEN LOST ON ALL OF US.
FOR THE BEST EXAMPLE OF THIS, LOOK AT THE ENDING. EVERYTHING COMES BACK TO BE OF VITAL IMPORTANCE IN THAT SCENE: OWEN'S WRECKED VOICE, COMPLETING THE SHOT IN UNDER FOUR SECONDS, JOHNNY'S PRESENCE IN HIS DREAM, WATAHANTOWET'S ARMLESS TOTEM. OWEN EXPLAINS THIS BY SAYING THINGS SUCH AS, "NOW I KNOW WHY YOU HAD TO BE HERE...DO YOU SEE WHY?" (615) AND, "NOW I KNOW WHY MY VOICE NEVER CHANGES...DO YOU SEE WHY?" (612). JOHNNY HAD TO BE THERE, HIS VOICE HAD TO BE LIKE THAT, ETC. EVERY SINGLE PART OF OWEN'S LIFE HAD TO BE THE WAY THAT IT WAS, OR HE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SAVE THOSE CHILDREN AND FULFILL HIS LIFE'S "PURPOSE"; AND HE HAD TO "REMEMBER" ALL OF IT, OR THE COLOSSAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ENDING TO HIS STORY WOULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY LOST AND HIS LIFE WOULD HAVE MEANT NOTHING, OR AT LEAST NO WHERE NEAR WHAT IT DID WITH ALL OF THE PIECES PUT TOGETHER. FOR EXAMPLE, THE LOSS OF HIS ARMS WOULD HAVE MEANT ABSOLUTELY NOTHING AT ALL IF IT WEREN'T FOR HIS REMEMBRANCE OF WATAHANTOWET, BUT INSTEAD IT BECOMES A SYMBOL OF HIS HEROISM; IF HIS VOICE HAD BEEN NORMAL OR THE SHOT TOO SLOW, HE WOULD HAVE FAILED.
AND IT GOES EVEN FARTHER BACK THAN THAT. EVERYTHING THAT HE LEARNED AND EXPERIENCED OVER THE COURSE OF THE BOOK WAS NECESSARY TO UNDERSTANDING AND COMPLETING THE ENDING—ALL OF IT. HE HAD TO BE EXPELLED FROM GRAVESEND ACADEMY SO THAT HE WOULD HAVE TO ACCEPT THE MILITARY SCHOLARSHIP FOR COLLEGE AND JOIN THE ARMY; HE HAD TO BE SO TINY THAT HE COULD BE PICKED UP AND THROWN FOR THE SHOT. HIS ROLE IN THE DEATH OF TABITHA GAVE HIM PROOF OF HIS STATUS AS GOD'S INSTRUMENT, AND HIS ROLE IN THE GRAVESEND ACADEMY PLAYERS' PRODUCTION OF A CHRISTMAS CAROL IS WHAT PREPARED HIM FOR AND LET HIM GLIMPSE HIS FUTURE. EVEN THE ARMADILLO WAS HOW HE REPRESENTED AND EXPRESSED HIS ROLE TO JOHNNY, AND FURTHER FORESHADOWED NOT ONLY THAT GOD HAD LAID OUT A DESTINY FOR HIM, BUT THE LOSS OF HIS HANDS. THE ENTIRE BOOK WAS A RECOUNTING OF THE JOURNEY THAT LED UP TO OWEN MEANY'S PURPOSE, AND EACH EVENT AND SYMBOL WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN REACHING THAT POINT.
THE FACT IS THAT THIS BOOK VERY PLAINLY DEMONSTRATES THAT THE JOURNEY IS JUST AS IMPORTANT, IF NOT MORE, THAN THE FINISH, BECAUSE HOW CAN A PERSON TRULY UNDERSTAND AND BE FULLY IMPACTED BY THE END, HOW CAN THEY TRULY PUT TOGETHER THE LESSON THEY NEED TO LEARN, IF THEY IGNORED WHAT HAD BEEN TAUGHT TO THEM THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE EXPERIENCE? A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY SHOWS FOR CERTAIN THAT THE LESSON IS TAUGHT DURING THE JOURNEY, NOT AT THE FINALE—THAT IS SIMPLY WHEN THE LESSON BEGINS TO MAKE SENSE. THIS IS HOW IT WAS FOR JOHNNY'S FAITH; HE WAS GIVEN EVERYTHING HE NEEDED TO BELIEVE WHAT OWEN TOLD HIM ABOUT FAITH AND GOD, BUT HE SIMPLY DIDN'T BELIEVE IT UNTIL HE SAW ALL OF THE PIECES FIT TOGETHER INTO THE BIGGER PICTURE. AND THAT'S WHY THE JOURNEY IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART: WHERE ELSE WILL YOU FIND ALL THE PIECES?
FOR THE BEST EXAMPLE OF THIS, LOOK AT THE ENDING. EVERYTHING COMES BACK TO BE OF VITAL IMPORTANCE IN THAT SCENE: OWEN'S WRECKED VOICE, COMPLETING THE SHOT IN UNDER FOUR SECONDS, JOHNNY'S PRESENCE IN HIS DREAM, WATAHANTOWET'S ARMLESS TOTEM. OWEN EXPLAINS THIS BY SAYING THINGS SUCH AS, "NOW I KNOW WHY YOU HAD TO BE HERE...DO YOU SEE WHY?" (615) AND, "NOW I KNOW WHY MY VOICE NEVER CHANGES...DO YOU SEE WHY?" (612). JOHNNY HAD TO BE THERE, HIS VOICE HAD TO BE LIKE THAT, ETC. EVERY SINGLE PART OF OWEN'S LIFE HAD TO BE THE WAY THAT IT WAS, OR HE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SAVE THOSE CHILDREN AND FULFILL HIS LIFE'S "PURPOSE"; AND HE HAD TO "REMEMBER" ALL OF IT, OR THE COLOSSAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ENDING TO HIS STORY WOULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY LOST AND HIS LIFE WOULD HAVE MEANT NOTHING, OR AT LEAST NO WHERE NEAR WHAT IT DID WITH ALL OF THE PIECES PUT TOGETHER. FOR EXAMPLE, THE LOSS OF HIS ARMS WOULD HAVE MEANT ABSOLUTELY NOTHING AT ALL IF IT WEREN'T FOR HIS REMEMBRANCE OF WATAHANTOWET, BUT INSTEAD IT BECOMES A SYMBOL OF HIS HEROISM; IF HIS VOICE HAD BEEN NORMAL OR THE SHOT TOO SLOW, HE WOULD HAVE FAILED.
AND IT GOES EVEN FARTHER BACK THAN THAT. EVERYTHING THAT HE LEARNED AND EXPERIENCED OVER THE COURSE OF THE BOOK WAS NECESSARY TO UNDERSTANDING AND COMPLETING THE ENDING—ALL OF IT. HE HAD TO BE EXPELLED FROM GRAVESEND ACADEMY SO THAT HE WOULD HAVE TO ACCEPT THE MILITARY SCHOLARSHIP FOR COLLEGE AND JOIN THE ARMY; HE HAD TO BE SO TINY THAT HE COULD BE PICKED UP AND THROWN FOR THE SHOT. HIS ROLE IN THE DEATH OF TABITHA GAVE HIM PROOF OF HIS STATUS AS GOD'S INSTRUMENT, AND HIS ROLE IN THE GRAVESEND ACADEMY PLAYERS' PRODUCTION OF A CHRISTMAS CAROL IS WHAT PREPARED HIM FOR AND LET HIM GLIMPSE HIS FUTURE. EVEN THE ARMADILLO WAS HOW HE REPRESENTED AND EXPRESSED HIS ROLE TO JOHNNY, AND FURTHER FORESHADOWED NOT ONLY THAT GOD HAD LAID OUT A DESTINY FOR HIM, BUT THE LOSS OF HIS HANDS. THE ENTIRE BOOK WAS A RECOUNTING OF THE JOURNEY THAT LED UP TO OWEN MEANY'S PURPOSE, AND EACH EVENT AND SYMBOL WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN REACHING THAT POINT.
THE FACT IS THAT THIS BOOK VERY PLAINLY DEMONSTRATES THAT THE JOURNEY IS JUST AS IMPORTANT, IF NOT MORE, THAN THE FINISH, BECAUSE HOW CAN A PERSON TRULY UNDERSTAND AND BE FULLY IMPACTED BY THE END, HOW CAN THEY TRULY PUT TOGETHER THE LESSON THEY NEED TO LEARN, IF THEY IGNORED WHAT HAD BEEN TAUGHT TO THEM THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE EXPERIENCE? A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY SHOWS FOR CERTAIN THAT THE LESSON IS TAUGHT DURING THE JOURNEY, NOT AT THE FINALE—THAT IS SIMPLY WHEN THE LESSON BEGINS TO MAKE SENSE. THIS IS HOW IT WAS FOR JOHNNY'S FAITH; HE WAS GIVEN EVERYTHING HE NEEDED TO BELIEVE WHAT OWEN TOLD HIM ABOUT FAITH AND GOD, BUT HE SIMPLY DIDN'T BELIEVE IT UNTIL HE SAW ALL OF THE PIECES FIT TOGETHER INTO THE BIGGER PICTURE. AND THAT'S WHY THE JOURNEY IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART: WHERE ELSE WILL YOU FIND ALL THE PIECES?