Point of View

Narrative Voice

The story is told in first person point of view; John is a middle-aged man who had decided to write a sort of memoir. However, the narrative does not progress in perfect chronological order. Rather, John pieces the story together as he sees fits, often bouncing back and forth between present day and past memories. The first person perspective is conversational and accessible—readers feel as though they are listening to a friend. John presents an interesting conundrum in regards to his reliability. On the one hand, his narration of his childhood and depiction of Owen Meany is unflinching—there are times when John admits he is jealous or loves Owen and makes no excuse for moments in which Owen acts badly. However, there are also moments where John elevates Owen to an almost god-like status. Additionally, John becomes ambiguous in regards to...