A Prayer for Owen Meany Characters

Owen Meany

We've read a lot of books in our day, and we're sure that you have, too, but we think it's safe...

John Wheelwright

When we first get to know our narrator, we know him as Johnny Wheelwright. He's a curious but...

Dan Needham

Dan Needham is one of those guys that you just can't help but like. We meet him for the first...

Tabby Wheelwright

Tabby is John's mother. As far as we can tell, she's kind of a babe. Owen is a little bit in love...

Reverend Lewis Merrill

Rev. Lewis Merrill is the pastor of the Congregational Church in Gravesend. When we first meet...

Hester Eastman

Hester is John's cousin and the third of the Eastman kids. She's just a kid when we first meet...

Harriet Wheelwright

Harriet is Tabby's mother and John's grandmother. She is sort of your stereotypical old-school,...

Mary Beth Baird

Mary Beth Baird gets to play the Virgin Mary during the Christ Church Christmas Pageant. She is...

Ginger Brinker-Smith

Ginger Brinker-Smith is married to Mr. Brinker-Smith, one of the teachers at Gravesend Academy....

Mr. Brinker-Smith

Mr. Brinker-Smith is one of the teachers at Gravesend Academy. He's British; he's also married to...

Canon Campbell

Canon Campbell is in charge of Grace Church on-the-Hill, the Anglican church that John starts...

Mr. Chickering

Mr. Chickering coaches Johnny and Owen in little league. On the day that Tabby dies, Mr....

Harold Crosby

Harold Crosby is a chubby, shy kid with whom Johnny and Owen participate in the Christ Church...

Maureen Early

Maureen Early is Mr. Early's daughter. John tries to hook up with her at one point. She is...

Mr. Early

Mr. Early is a teacher at Gravesend Academy. He is a frequent actor in the plays put on by Dan...

Aunt Martha Eastman

Aunt Martha is Johnny's aunt and Tabby's sister. She lives in Sawyer Depot with her husband...

Uncle Alfred Eastman

Uncle Alfred is Aunt Martha's husband. He runs a lumberyard in northern New Hampshire. He seems...

Simon Eastman

Simon is one of Aunt Martha's sons and John's cousins. He's Hester's brother. He and his brother...

Noah Eastman

Noah is one of John's cousins. Like his brother Simon, Noah is really into roughhousing and...

Ethel

Ethel is the new maid at 80 Front Street. She replaces Lydia after Lydia has her leg amputated....

Mr. Fish

Mr. Fish is the Wheelwright's next-door neighbor at 80 Front Street. He's not married, nor does...

Germaine

Germaine is one of the maids at 80 Front Street. Harriet Wheelwright hires her to take care of...

Mr. Giordano

Mr. Giordano owns Jerrod's, a fancy store on Newbury Street in Boston where Tabby bought her red...

Harry Hoyt

Harry Hoyt is on Johnny and Owen's little league team. He is one of the last people to go up to...

Mrs. Hoyt

Mrs. Hoyt is Harry Hoyt's mom. She becomes a major activist against the Vietnam War after Harry...

Dick Jarvits

Dick Jarvits is a teenage boy of about fourteen or fifteen who lives in Phoenix, Arizona. His...

Katherine Keeling

Katherine Keeling is a figure from John's adulthood in Toronto. She is the headmistress of the...

Lydia

Lydia is Harriet Wheelwright's maid. Lydia gets some sort of cancer (John isn't too specific...

Canon Mackie

Canon Mackie is the current head honcho at Grace Church on-the-Hill when we follow John around...

Graham McSwiney

Graham McSwiney lives in Boston. He was Tabby's voice teacher while she was still alive. When...

Mr. Meany

Mr. Meany is Owen's dad. He runs a granite quarry in Gravesend. Every time he sees John, from...

Mrs. Meany

Mrs. Meany is Owen's mother. We hear barely a peep out of her throughout the novel, but she has a...

Mrs. Merrill

Mrs. Merrill is Rev. Lewis Merrill's wife. Johnny remarks about how she must have been pretty at...

The Merrill Kids

Reverend and Mrs. Merrill have three kids. We never learn their names, and maybe there's a reason...

Mrs. Needham

We only briefly meet Mrs. Needham. She's Dan's mom. She's sort of pretentious and elitist. Dan...

Chief Pike

Chief Pike is the police officer on the scene when Tabby is killed. Whenever we see him...

Sagamore

Sagamore is Mr. Fish's dog. John can't help but think it's irreverent to name a dog after a...

Archibald Thorndike

Archibald Thorndike is the headmaster of Gravesend Academy when John and Owen first start going...

Buzzy Thurston

Buzzy Thurston bats ahead of Owen on the day that Tabby is killed. He will later become addicted...

Mrs. Walker

Mrs. Walker is the Sunday School teacher in Gravesend. She gets to star in a lot of plays. John...

Reverend Dudley Wiggin

Rev. Wiggin is the rector at the Episcopal Church that Johnny, Tabby, and Dan start attending...

Barb Wiggin

Barb is Rev. Wiggin's wife. She used to be a stewardess. Barb is loud and brash, and Owen...