A Teacher's Guide for a Prayer for Owen Meany: Common-Core Aligned Teacher Materials and a Sample Chapter

By John Irving and Amy Jurskis

For teachers

We know that the Common Core State Standards are encouraging you to reevaluate the books that you assign to your students. To help you decide which books are right for your classroom, each free ebook in this series contains a Common Core–aligned teaching guide and a sample chapter.

This free teaching guide for A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving is designed to help you put the new Common Core State Standards into practice.

"Among the very best American novels of our time."—Charlotte Observer

In the summer of 1953, two eleven-year-old boys—best friends—are playing in a Little League baseball game in Gravesend, New Hampshire. One of the boys hits a foul ball that kills the other boy's mother. The boy who hits the ball doesn't believe in accidents; Owen Meany believes he is God's instrument. What happens to Owen after that 1953 foul ball is extraordinary.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Jun 24, 2014
• ISBN: 9780062374295

John Irving

John Irving has been nominated for a National Book Award three times—winning in 1980 for the novel The World According to Garp. In 1992, Irving was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma. He won the 2000 Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Cider House Rules. In 2001, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Irving's most recent novel is In One Person (2012).

Book preview

Sample Material

I

The Foul Ball

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I am doomed to remember a boy with a wrecked voice—not because of his voice, or because he was the smallest person I ever knew, or even because he was the instrument of my mother’s death, but because he is the reason I believe in God; I am a Christian because of Owen Meany. I make no claims to have a life in Christ, or with Christ—and certainly not for Christ, which I’ve heard some zealots claim. I’m not very sophisticated in my knowledge of the Old Testament, and I’ve not read the New Testament since my Sunday school days, except for those passages that I hear read aloud to me when I go to church. I’m somewhat more familiar with the passages from the Bible that appear in The Book of Common Prayer; I read my prayer book often, and my Bible only on holy days—the prayer book is so much more orderly.

I’ve always been a pretty regular churchgoer. I used to be a Congregationalist—I was baptized in the Congregational Church, and after some years of fraternity with Episcopalians (I was confirmed in the Episcopal Church, too), I became rather vague in my religion: in my teens I attended a nondenominational church. Then I became an Anglican; the Anglican Church of Canada has been my church—ever since I left the United States, about twenty years ago. Being an Anglican is a lot like being an Episcopalian—so much so that being an Anglican occasionally impresses upon me the suspicion that I have simply become an Episcopalian again. Anyway, I left the Congregationalists and the Episcopalians—and my country once and for all.

When I die, I shall attempt to be buried in New Hampshire—alongside my mother—but the Anglican Church will perform the necessary service before my body suffers the indignity of trying to be sneaked through U.S. Customs. My selections from the Order for the Burial of the Dead are entirely conventional and can be found, in the order that I shall have them read—not sung—in The Book of Common Prayer. Almost everyone I know will be familiar with the passages from John, beginning with . . . whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. And then there’s . . . in my Father’s house are many mansions: If it were not so, I would have told you. And I have always appreciated the frankness expressed in that passage from Timothy, the one that goes . . . we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. It will be a by-the-book Anglican service, the kind that would make my former fellow Congregationalists fidget in their pews. I am an Anglican now, and I shall die an Anglican. But I skip a Sunday service now and then; I make no claims to be especially pious; I have a church-rummage faith—the kind that needs patching up every weekend. What faith I have I owe to Owen Meany, a boy I grew up with. It is Owen who made me a believer.

In Sunday school, we developed a form of entertainment based on abusing Owen Meany, who was so small that not only did his feet not touch the floor when he sat in his chair—his knees did not extend to the edge of his seat; therefore, his legs stuck out straight, like the legs of a doll. It was as if Owen Meany had been born without realistic joints.

Owen was so tiny, we loved to pick him up; in truth, we couldn’t resist picking him up. We thought it was a miracle: how little he weighed. This was also incongruous because Owen came from a family in the granite business. The Meany Granite Quarry was a

Reviews for A Teacher's Guide for a Prayer for Owen Meany

[foof2you · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Powerful novel by John Irving, Owen Meany is as sure of himself about life even at an early age. He sees his fate early in his life and sets about to fulfill his destiny. A truly moving story.

[carolfoisset · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The first time I read this book I was in college - I'm much older now and re-read it for book club. The discussion was great and very interesting to hear from men who actually fought in the Vietnam war. I have read a lot of Irvings books - I also enjoy his characters and the crazy scenes he describes so well. The subject matter of this book was tough for me religion/war, a few parts drug on others were amazing.

[bederson-208717 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this - time to read it agin.

[octoberdad · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book introduced me to John Irving, and it set me on a path to read a bunch of his other books. I thoroughly enjoyed the ideas presented in this book, and have thought about them many times since first reading it about ten years ago.

A number of people have criticized Prayer for its inaccurate portrayal of Christianity and faith. I disagree. When I read the book, I was amazed at how spot-on Irving was in describing many of the thoughts and feelings I had experienced in my own Christian upbringing.

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the book for me is the sense of wonder that the narrator, John Wheelwright, feels toward Owen Meany's seemingly charmed--in multiple senses of the word--life. Watching someone who seems to have a purpose, a destiny, as his life unfolds while not sensing a similar purpose in one's own life provides a horde of conflicting thoughts and emotions. On the one hand, John as a child is awed and fascinated, and at times almost convinced, by Owen's seemingly unshakable belief that he is an instrument of God. At the same time, however, John feels insecure and at the mercy of uncontrollable events in his own life--which despite being intertwined with the events of Owen's life, do not seem to him to be the destined history of a benevolent.

In the end, John comes to believe in God based on the events of Owen's life. But even that belief becomes something outside his own life, a faith that is less of a heart-felt truth and more a conclusion that there simply is no better way to explain the arcane and impossible-to-understand world outside.

[drfuriosa · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A dense, slow, but ideas-rich book that has a lot of food for thought if you give it a chance. It was an uneven reading experience, but I'm glad I stuck with it. Lots to mull over.

[carriewuj · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent. This is a book that stays with you.

[formerenglishteacher · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book. I can’t believe I avoided it when it was published in the ‘80s. In fact, I would like to have taught it back then. It’s probably too dated—references to the Reagan administration, Iran Contra, Viet Nam—to use in English classes today. Also, maybe the occasional profanity and references to sex and other anatomical referenes would make using the book in a high school classroom. Irving’s writing style is interesting, although his chronology switches almost constantly from the past to the present. At times it’s confusing, although I found myself getting used to it as the lengthy novel moved along. The main characters, Johnny Wheelwright and the title character, Owen Meany are complex, and worthy of discussion. They would be great to introduce to high school or college classes. “A Prayer for Owen Meany” is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. It was well worth the time it took to read this 631 page book.

[arewenotben · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So good, Owen may be one of the best characters in modern fiction.

[emma_mc_8 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this story very much, but it could have been at least a third shorter. Irving goes on and on at some points. As an atheist, I skimmed through many of the religious portions. Those were very dull. I wouldn't have made it through this book without the addition of the audiobook. Again, the story and the character of Owen Meany are both compelling, but the details and the religion are heavy-handed and boring to get through.

[jigarpatel-6 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Abandoned. A dramatic beginning. But after 200 pages of 600, I expect more. I'm not interested in a vague mystical belief in the powers of a Christ child. Or the tug of war between the Congregationalist and Episcopal churches. Or an amateur nativity play and adaptation of A Christmas Carol. There are, in the first third, some humorous moments, but the plot never thickens and I can't say I care for any of the characters. The writing is average but functional. If you like a nice easy read to take up your summer, go ahead with this. Just be prepared to slog it out to reach the punchline you hope exists.

[sblock_16 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Still trying to figure out how I felt about the ending to this book, which I guess is a good thing. The earlier chapters made me laugh out loud, which is always a good thing.

[ffifield-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A bittersweet look at life and friendship.

[scot2-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'm really struggling with this one, so I'm leaving it aside for the moment. I may return to it later. I started off loving it. I enjoyed the characters and the descriptions of their young lives. I have only ever visited America once and I think that's the problem for me. The book is very well written, but I just can't get into the religion, baseball and Vietnam war aspects of the book.

[chellebearss · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I wish I could say that I enjoyed this novel more than I did. I liked the story itself and the characters but at over 600 pages it was just way too long. Irving probably could have cut out 200 pages and still had a wonderful novel full of meaning and a great story. I found myself skimming pages in the middle of the book. I almost abandoned it at one point but I hung in until the end. If it had been shorter I probably would have given it a higher star rating.

[maureencean · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

More than a 3, but not enough to round up. Too long. It took me 10 months to read it. I read multiple books at a time and it just wasn't the one I usually wanted to pick up, even though I enjoyed it well enough when I read it. So I forced myself to focus on it before the end of the year. I adored Owen Meany for the most part, but I couldn't really work up much enthusiasm for John. Especially not for his life in Toronto. He was really only interesting when he talked with or about Owen. There were a couple of plot twists at the end which came off well, thankfully, since we were running out of pages. I had a couple of pet peeves though....I realize I am reading Irving, but nevertheless, I am not interested in the hard-ons of young boys. Also, while I admit the usage was appropriate for the time period, I have a very difficult time with describing someone as retarded. But Owen Meany was a rock star...oh hey, I made a little joke there.

[bevok-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A great novel, unusual and intrigue with bizarre characters.

[drapple_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I had read this book twenty plus years ago and loved it. My husband had not read it, so I bought an audio book version, and we listened to it together. This is such an amazing book. The characters, the symbolism, the humor, and tragedy...This is, I feel, the best of Irving's books. These characters and this story are the best that American literature has to offer.

[ouroborosangel · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the first John Irving book I have read (listened to on Audible), and I will definitely be reading more. This audio book is long - around 27 hours, where most literary books clock-in at a decent 6-9 hours. It has taken me 6 months to finish listening. The story was sometimes slow-going, but it was all interesting, all the minutiae of small town life. When I had a few minutes to finish up dishes or travel out of town, I would listen as Irving told a tale full of characters that included the incorrigible little person, Owen Meany and his best friend, John Wheelwright, the narrator of the story.

Most of the story centers around John Wheelwright's mother, her death, the identity of John's father, and Owen Meany's belief that he has seen the date of his own death. Although this description leaves one with the idea that the book will be heavy and dark, it is rather a funny, light-hearted read most of time. But, it also has heart and emotion and darkness when needed.

Though it took me a long time to finish this book, I never felt lost or a need to rewind and listen to chapters again. The author takes you back to certain events that are important to the story along the way as characters or plot points develop.

And, the end. Have you ever had the experience while approaching the end of a book where all the pieces start dropping into place like dominoes, or the meaning of a book opens up like a flower as your turn the last few pages? That is how I felt while reading (listening to) the last 3-5 chapters of Owen Meany. The end is the perfect wrap-up of all the events in the book and a map of all the things you didn't understand before. Perfect. Wrap-up. Just amazing.

If you don't mind a long read, check this one out. You won't regret it.

[blmyers-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very complex, and captivating story...outstanding character development.

[brakketh-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The prayer and examination of faith in fate I found very moving. Meany is a wonderful character who grew on me throughout the novel and I was very moved by the conclusion of the novel. Highly recommend.

[kaitanya64 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Some people love, love, love this book. My opinion is that IF one takes the symbolism and allusions seriously, this is basically a book mocking the whole idea of sincere faith, specifically faith in predestination, and the concept that one can be an "instrument of God." In that, Irving is hardly breaking new ground. But, because his narrative is so "cleverly" disjointed and rambling, it may be that most readers don't take his ideas very seriously, or take the whole idea of religious faith as a quaint, old-fashioned conceit anyway. I don't know. I didn't think this book was all that original or insightful. It seemed to me that both the narrator and apparently the author are stuck in a kind of adolescent, misogynistic, anti-religious bitterness that they believe to be original thought.

[bpeters65 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My favourite all-time book! The ending crushed me.

[librarygeek33 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I am so glad I chose to listen to this book. Owen's "voice," literally and figuratively, plays a huge part in the story and Joe Barrett's narration is astonishing. This is one of the best books I have ever read and one I'm sure I will re-read in the future. There are many levels to this book. It is a collection of short stories within a larger story, and subtleties and undertones that are impossible to digest on the first go-round are a constant. When speaking about historical events, the character John Wheelwright often repeats the phrase "remember that?". An added pleasure to the book is that, as a (young) "baby boomer," I do, and it brings up long forgotten, hazy memories of my child's mind from the sixties.

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Was blown away by the movie, had to read the book. Not my type of book at all but I was still impressed enough to read more by the author. Nothing else was as good as this one, though, imo.

[bookconcierge · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Audio narrated by Joe Barrett

Opening sentence: I am doomed to remember a boy with a wrecked voice – not because of his voice, or because he was the smallest person I ever knew, or even because he was the instrument of my mother’s death, but because he is the reason I believe in God; I am a Christian because of Owen Meany.

This is a modern fable; a story of faith, moral courage, destiny and friendship. Covering the period from 1953 to the late 1980s, Irving uses the narrator – Johnny Wheelwright – to comment on the politics of the day, social mores, the role of faith and religion in our communities, and the miracle of enduring friendship.

I loved Owen Meany almost as much as Johnny did. He could be exasperating, but there was something so mature and wise and loving about him that simply drew me in. He was a born leader, and while he sometimes struggled with the burden of that leadership he forged ahead with courage, grace, dignity and faith.

Joe Barrett does a fine job performing the audio version. His unique voice for Owen Meany is very effective. I did read a few sections, and I have to agree somewhat with some of the negative reviews about the ALL CAPS used for Owen’s voice. This is where the audio version really helped.

[seriousgrace · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I don't know where to begin with a review for A Prayer for Owen Meany. I have been driving to and from work everyday, listening to this incredible tale about a boy named Owen for a month now and I've been thinking there is no way I can sum this up story succinctly. Like other Irving tales, this is multifaceted and wrought with symbolism. As an adult living as an ex-pat in Toronto, Canada Johnny Wheelwright remembers his childhood and best friend, Owen Meany. They grew up together in the fictional seaside town of Gravesend, New Hampshire. To describe Owen as special is as inadequate as saying the Grand Canyon is "big". There is so much more to Owen and his story from every angle. For starters, there is his size (barely five feet) and his voice (high-pitched and distinct). Then, there is his personal belief that is he is an instrument of God. Even when he accidentally hits Johnny's mother with a line drive baseball, killing her instantly, he believes it was meant to happen that way. Owen is smart, witty, kind and considerate, but you can't sway him from his political or religious beliefs (don't get him started on John F Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe or later, the Vietnam war). I don't want to spoil the story except to say you can't help but fall in love with Owen and be shocked by the outrageous things he does.

[grandpahobo_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Up until the final chapter, this was a three star book. I considered dropping it a few times, but it was an easy read, the story was mildly interesting and I kept thinking it had to be going somewhere. I figured I would probably be disappointed in the end, but I decided to stick with it.

As you can see from my rating, I was far from disappointed. The end of the book is amazing.

[keebrook · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

“like Forest Gump mixed with A Christmas Story,” i first described it to my girlfriend.

but i’ve never read the book that the movie Forest Gump was made from and Irving does not write as pithily as Jean Shepherd. nevertheless, Owen Meany is a great book. epic, i would have to stamp it.

it soars over several lives while weaving in a little history and local culture from New England’s past. religion and purpose and our dialogue about the world we inhabit are what this book is abstractly about. in its more private moments, the story shares with us the romances, attempted romances, familial interconnections, common profundity in armadillo claws, a dressmaker’s dummy, and having an unknown father. like all great pieces that draw us to think deeply and richly about the majestic mundanity in which we find ourselves, it is dark and funny and touching; witty, grotesque, and thrilling. ultimately, it left me with a wistful feeling i’ve had when confronted with stories that sweep me away, refreshing me in a dreamlike sensation of waking from a restful sleep.

[bookomaniac-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Ik was dit boek begonnen met hoge verwachtingen: van enkele vrienden had ik gehoord dat “a Prayer” het beste Irving-werk is, dus nog beter dan “Cider House Rules”. Ik moet toegeven dat de lectuur me wat teleurgesteld heeft. “A Prayer” bevat, zoals altijd bij Irving, best wel leuke, soms zelfs hilarische passages. En het personage Owen Meany, met zijn kleine gestalte en raar stemmetje en zijn onconventionele opinies en dito gedrag, wekt wel sympathie. Maar ik heb wat moeite met de boodschap van dit boek: die hinkt op verschillende benen tegelijk. Er is grote aandacht voor religie(s), maar het is me niet duidelijk wat Irving daar nu precies over wil overbrengen: of hij godsdienst belachelijk wil maken of juist de waarde ervan wil onderstrepen. Vooral het predestinatie-thema dat vervat ligt in het Owen Meany-personage, vind ik storend.Maar minsten even grote aandacht is er voor het morele failliet van de Verenigde Staten, vooral geïllustreerd door het debacle van de Vietnamoorlog; Irving is in zijn politieke boodschap wel heel erg scherp voor zijn landgenoten en vooral voor hun politieke leiders (tot en met Reagan uiteraard). Die dubbele boodschap compliceert de verhaallijn nogal en maakt dat sommige passages wel heel langdradig worden. Slotsom: zeker geen slecht boek, maar lang niet het topwerk dat ik ervan verwacht had.

[bytheseabchcmbr · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

You can find everything in this book. I had to laugh, a lot of laughing. Cry, just a little. Most of all, live, every moment of the boys growing up, and I enjoyed watching it all happen. Thank you Mr. Irving