A Prayer for Owen Meany: Symbolism

Mary Magdalene

Mary Magdalene

• Owen and John often vandalize the statue, and Owen hates it.
• Not only does Owen hate the statue because of its symbolism to Catholicism, he thinks that the statue looks like a goalie and wants to change it.
• Owen eventually does change the way the statue looks after he amputates the statue of its head and arms and then moves it to the stage of Gravesend Academy.
• On a literal level, the statue of Mary Magdalene is supposed to celebrate who she is and her connection to Jesus.

Mary Magdalene

Mary Magdalane

• Owen also utilizes Mary Magdalene to showcase his faith.
• At one point in the book, Owen and John are near the statue at night. Owen repeatedly asks John whether the statue is there. John responds yes so many times that he seems annoyed.
• Owen illustrates his faith by telling John that his certainty that the statue of Mary Magdalene is there is representative of Owen's faith in both God and the task he is assigned. This is one way Irving makes the statue of Mary Magdalene an important symbol throughout the book

Who is Mary Magdalene?

• The Mary Magdalene Statue is located outside the playground of the Catholic School.
• It is intensely guarded by the nuns, also known as the "penguins".

• Mary Magdalene is a religious figure in Christianity.
• She's often thought of as the second most important woman in the New Testament, after Mary (Jesus's Mother).
• Mary Magdalene is one of Jesus's followers and witnessed his crucifixion and resurrection.
• On a side note, there are hints of resurrection throughout the novel (ex: Tricking the Rev. Merril w/ Dummy)

The Mary Magdalene statue is a pretty important symbol that is integral to the book. A lot of what Owen Meany is about is faith or the lack thereof. Owen is a character who has an unbreakable faith while John Wheelwright and Reverend Merrill are both characters who struggle to have faith (in the end they have some sort of faith).

• Irving tries to highlight the conflict between doubt and faith throughout entire book. Mary Magdalene is integral to the book because of its literal relationship to Catholicism and Jesus.
• It's hard to replace this sort of symbol because it already has an established significance to it (unlike the armadillo); she's a follower of Jesus! It's not something you can easily replace.
• The statue is also used to highlight Owen's rebellious act against Mr. White (the principle). On a symbolic level, the statue reinforces the theme of armlessness and amputation. For these reasons, Mary Magdalene is an integral symbol to the book.

A Prayer for Owen Meany: Symbolism

Mary Magdalene

The statue enforces the motif of armlessness and amputation.

• The statue is connected to the armadillo and the dummy, as they are also amputated.
• The statue reinforces the quote "GOD HAS TAKEN YOUR MOTHER. MY HANDS WERE THE INSTRUMENT. GOD HAS TAKEN MY HANDS. I AM GOD'S INSTRUMENT" (p 337).
• The amputation of the statue of Mary Magdalene (a saint) reflects Owen's belief that he was sent by God to finish a task; cutting off Mary Magdalene's arms symbolizes God taking Owen's arms.
• Amputating the statue and moving it to the stage is also his way of rebelling against the authority figure which has been Mr. White.

Mary Magdalene

The motif of amputation and armlessness also reveals Owen's helplessness to God's task.

• God has taken Owen's hands so he is now God's instrument and is part of fate and God's will.
• Irving tries to reveal Owen's belief of his fate to the audience and characters in the book by including many symbols that have been amputated such as the Mary Magdalene statue, the armadillo, the Watahantowet totem, and many others.
• All these amputated symbols appear to resemble a form of helplessness; The armadillo cannot stand on its own, the Watahantowet totem represents the Indian's loss of their land (most precious piece of their lives), and the amputated Mary Magdalene statue represents Owen's helplessness against God's fate. Owen cannot change his fate; Owen believes this and amputates the statues' arms to reflect it.

Mary Magdalene

• Perhaps Owen is much like Mary Magdalene in terms of being a saint; he is described as a being not from Earth, with qualities (like his voice and size) that allow him to be God's instrument. He also dies a heroic figure by saving vietnamese kids.
• When Owen moves the amputated statue to the stage in a rebellious act against Randy White (the new principle at Gravesend Academy), perhaps it is symbolic of Owen trying to communicate to the world of his fate.