Summary

Narrator John Wheelwright begins the story with a discussion of his faith. He is a believer not because he was brought up in the church, but rather because of his childhood friend, Owen Meany. John describes his religious metamorphosis from Congregational to Anglican churchgoer. As a child, he and the other children used to torment Owen Meany—an incredibly small boy with an unusual voice—during Sunday School; they would lift him above their heads and pass him around the room while the teacher, Mrs. Walker, was out of the room. Owen would lose the contents of his pockets—money and baseball cards—when hoisted aloft, but the other children always returned his items to him. John recalls that Owen loved baseball, but was never allowed to swing at the ball, as his strike zone was too small. John also recalls on occasion, Owen Meany was...