Religion & Doubt

The most prevalent theme within A Prayer for Owen Meany is the relationship between religion and doubt. Owen represents those with faith, John those who want to believe, and Reverend Merrill those who have lost or begun to doubt their faith. Owen believes that every being on Earth has a purpose and is part of God’s plan. From the age of eleven onward, Owen believes that he receives communications from God depicting the exact way in which he is fated to serve as part of God’s plan. When he shares bits and pieces of this with John, such as explaining his mother’s death, John fails to believe Owen and perhaps rightfully so as many of Owen’s visions seem to be coincidental. For example, a sick and feverish Owen Meany just happens to see an angel of death hovering over Tabby in the general...