A Prayer for Owen Meany
John Irving (1989)
“Owen Meany is the smallest boy in Gravesend, New Hampshire. He speaks entirely in capital letters. He believes God has chosen him for a purpose. When his foul ball kills his best friend's mother, a chain of events begins that will prove him right.”
Character Analysis
Owen is the smallest person in every room and the most certain. His permanently damaged UPPERCASE voice, his stunted growth, and his absolute faith in divine purpose make him one of the most distinctive characters in American fiction. He is funny, bossy, brilliant, and terrifying in his certainty. He knows the date of his death, the manner of his death, and the purpose of his life — and he spends every day preparing for all three. He is simultaneously a Christ figure and a completely specific human being, which is Irving's greatest achievement: Owen never becomes allegory. He remains a boy from a granite quarry in New Hampshire who happens to be right about God.
UPPERCASE speech, blunt declarative sentences, no social performance, no deference to authority. 'I KNOW THREE THINGS' — enumerated, certain, bare.