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Wilfred Owen's Relationship To His Religion

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Owen’s strong connection to his faith – partially from his parents – causes him to assume that he is an instrument of God, and given that he receives messages and visions into his future, along with the fact that his whole life is set up to accomplish one task, he is correct in assuming so. Owen is regarded as a spiritual figure in the first few pages of this book.
As the novel begins, John claims: “What faith I have I owe to Owen Meany” (2). It is immediately apparent that Owen is deeply committed to his religion. The insight about his birth that the reader receives towards the end – Owen’s dad tells John “… ‘that Owen was a virgin birth…’” (536) – emphasizes the point that Owen is portrayed as a Christ figure. Although this is not a verified …show more content…

Owen does not believe in coincidences, so he knows he has an unchanging voice and short stature for a reason. After one of his dreams Owen states: “I WISH I KNEW WHY MY VOICE NEVER CHANGES... BUT GOD HAS ALLOWED ME TO KNOW MORE THAN MOST PEOPLE – SO I’M NOT COMLAINING” (366). His answer is revealed to him when he realizes that if his voice has been deeper or he himself has been taller, he would not have blend in with the children and therefore would not be able to save them. His height and voice are what allow him to successfully complete his task, and since those traits are unchangeable, it is shown he has a specified destiny since birth. John has stated, “‘Owen thinks his voice comes from God’” (191), which is proven true due to this event. To continue, John and Owen’s favorite pastime is to practice “‘The Shot’, a game where [Owen] would jump into a teammate’s waiting arms, and the teammate would (occasionally) boost Owen above the basket’s rim” (303) in order for him to stuff the ball. This game proves to be more than just a pastime when Owen needs to use the techniques he uses in practicing the shot in order to save the children. John recalls, “…I passed him the Chicom grenade and opened my arms to catch him. He jumped so lightly into my hands; I lifted him up—as easily as I had always lifted

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