Barnes & NobleA Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

Though He Be But Little, He is Fierce

As a child, I was constantly befriending the down-and-out kids. The ones, who through no fault of their own, were picked on for being different. Whether that was because of a speech impediment, or limp or some other physical or mental handicap, I couldn't resist hanging with them. The stranger they were physically, the better. My mother referred to these friends as my "strays," like they were some sort of street urchins who'd followed me home. To her credit though, she never once did not welcome them with open arms. At her table, there was always room for strays. Owen Meany, the protagonist of John Irving's international bestseller A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY, may be the strangest character to grace the pages of fiction. A stray in every sense of the word, Owen is strange physically, socially, audibly and even spiritually. Set in Gravesend, New Hampshire, Irving paints a portrait of New England small town life, lending broad strokes to social distinction. It's norms are suffocating. In Gravesend, it matters which church you belong to, which school you attend (this is a crucial tell-tell sign of economic status), where your money comes from - even how old it is - and how early your ancestors arrived on the shores of North America. It is not a place for stepping outside the norm, yet Owen Meany manages it often and brilliantly. Narrated by Owen's best friend John, his account of growing up with Owen Meany is shared with love and wonder. An unlikely hero, Owen's Christ-like love results in him rescuing his best friend time and time again. Whether it be from his unruly cousins, or the US Army, or a false narrative, Owen is there for him. Physically, Owen Meany is small. At the age of eleven he's the size of a five-year old. He apparently is inflicted with an exotic form of dwarfism, with translucent pearl-like skin, ears that protrude like a certain Star Wars character, and vocals with the effect of shouting through his nose. Treated like a pet by his peers, Owen's physique is so slight, a game is made in Sunday school of passing him overhead from one kid to the next. "'PUT ME DOWN!' he would say in a strangled, emphatic falsetto. 'CUT IT OUT! I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS ANYMORE. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. PUT ME DOWN! YOU A**HOLES!'" Owen Meany makes a habit of speaking in ALL CAPS. While it's a slippery slope to write a character whose most obvious attributes are physical abnormalities, Irving manages it well. A lesser writer could easily come across as having a laugh at Owen Meany's expense. Rather, Irving uses his physical oddness to accentuate his strengths. Owen Meany isn't left at dwarfism. His character is imbued with traits deemed honorable in members of society, even one as socially discriminating as Gravesend. Irving doesn't do this to redeem the character of Owen Meany (he doesn't require it), but rather, to lift him up as the redeemer. The result is a character unlike any Irving's conjured before. Patriot, angel, spiritual adviser, little Owen Meany may be the biggest hero in modern American literature. With my penchant as a child for the odd, I believe Owen and I would have been best friends.