Prompt #1986 Edit

1986. Some works of literature use the element of time in a distinct way. The chronological sequence of events may be altered, or time may be suspended or accelerated. Choose a novel, an epic, or a play of recognized literary merit and show how the author's manipulation of time contributes to the effectiveness of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

The novel A Prayer for Owen Meany uses a nonlinear narrative to reveal the characteristics of Owen Meany in order to reveal his characteristics gradually instead of at the beginning of the book. The book is set in the present from the perspective of John, Owen's best friend, but most of the book flashes back to when John and Owen were boys, and within those flashbacks are flashbacks to when John's mom was alive, since she died at the beginning of the book. These flashbacks show both how Owen influences John currently, and how John's mom influenced both of the boys growing up.

In the present day, Owen Meany's past actions directly lead to John's current status. A flashback shows the reader that John wasn't very good in school as a boy, but Owen was the best student in his class. Once high school came around, Owen was invited to gravestone academy, a private school for better students. John, on the other hand, would only be invited if he spent his freshman year in public school and then entered the next year as a freshman again. Owen decided to do the same in order to keep helping John with schoolwork.  John felt like Owen threw his chances away, but Owen wanted to stick with his only friend and show him how to succeed in school. John did get better in school, as a result of Owen's tutoring, and went on to college. However, the Vietnam War was on the rise, so young men were getting drafted every day. In order for John to avoid the draft, Owen cut off his finger with the Meany's stone cutting tools. John, determined to take advantage of the studying he did with Own and the time given to him by avoiding the draft, becomes an English teacher. English was the hardest subject for him growing up, but with Owen's friendship, it became his strongest.

John's mom dies at the very beginning of the novel to emphasize that even after she is gone, her presence is still with the two boys as they grow up. After her sudden death at a baseball game, Owen shows his guilt by chopping off the hands of their favorite toy armadillo, symbolizing how John's mom left an empty space in their lives. The two boys also give up baseball because she died at a baseball game. Later on, flashbacks reveal tiny personality traits about his mom. For example, John remembers how she always sewed her own clothes in black and white, and he remembers how even when it rained on her wedding to his stepfather, Dan, she still was happy. When John thinks back on how cautious his mother was with Dan, he also is haunted by the mystery of his father, whom his mother had a one night stand with. With Owen's help, he pieces together the memories of the baseball game and hints they learn across the years, and they finally discover his identity. John proves it by using the mannequin she used to make clothes on and the baseball that killed her to make the minister, his father, believe he is seeing her ghost. Her mysterious past continues to haunt the minister as well as Owen and John for the whole novel.

The non-linear narrative of A Prayer for Owen Meany not only keeps the reader guessing about how events in the past will drive future events forward, it also emphasizes how much John, his mom, and Owen love each other, even after death. Although the structure is confusing while reading, by the end of the novel the reader can predict the overall outcome because of the foreshadowing the past events gave, while still being suspenseful. This structure made the story much more meaningful and memorable.