Love and Friendship

“because everything of value that we will know in this life comes from our relationships with those around us because there is nothing material that measures against the intangibles of love and friendship”

-R.A. Salvatore

In John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany love and friendship bring John wheelwright in Owen Meany together after a tragic event. Without learning what unconditional love was, the boys would not have been able to grow in their friendship.

John Wheelwright and Owen Meany are best friends and are opposites of each other. Despite the fact that John was born into wedlock to his mother Tabitha, he was born into a wealthy and well-known family who provides him with all the love and opportunities you could ever need. While Owen comes from a poor family who owns a granite quarry. 

John’s mother was the kind of woman that everybody loved. She was beautiful and affectionate towards all. Tabitha Wheelwright went out of her way to provide for her son John and for his best friend Owen. She took Owen in and cared for him as if he were her own son. “she hugged him, she kissed him, she touched noses with him. She said all these things as naturally” (29). Naturally, Tabitha supported and loved both John and Owen.

To show her support for John Owen Tabitha went to one of their little league games. She had just arrived and Owen was up to bat. “the crack of the bat was so unusually sharp and loud…the ball struck her left temple, spinning her so quickly that one of her high heels broke and she fell forward” (33). The force of Owen hit killed Tabitha.

Due to this tragic accident, Owen felt that he needed to make it up to John by showing his love. To do so he gave John his most prized possession, his baseball cards. ”he gave me his baseball cards to show me how sorry he was about the accident…and to give me all his cards was his way of saying that he loved me”  (81). John then returns the gesture by giving Owen the prized armadillo. During this exchange, no words were spoken because it shows that actions speak louder than words.

The “intangibles of love and friendship” are found throughout the novel. They are demonstrated in the unconditional love of Tabitha Wheelwright and the actions of John and Owen. And without the love demonstrated by Tabitha, the friendship of Owen and John would not have been intangible.