Buzzy Thurston Character Analysis in A Prayer for Owen Meany

A boy on John Wheelwright and Owen Meany’s Little League baseball team. He hits just before Owen in the lineup. In the game where Owen hits the foul ball that kills Tabitha Wheelwright, Buzzy reaches base on an error, allowing Owen to come to bat. After he graduates college and becomes eligible for the draft, he tries to convince the draft board that he is psychologically unfit to serve by consuming a spectacular amount of mind-altering drugs in the two weeks leading up to his physical. He succeeds in appearing psychologically unfit, but becomes addicted to drugs in the process. He fatally crashes his car while under the influence.

Buzzy Thurston Character Timeline in A Prayer for Owen Meany

The timeline below shows where the character Buzzy Thurston appears in A Prayer for Owen Meany. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...was sitting there. There were two outs in the inning when Harry Hoyt walked and Buzzy Thurston hit a grounder that should have been an out. Owen came up and the... (full context)

Buzzy Thurston was not present at Tabitha’s funeral—although he “should have been,” since he was the... (full context)

God did not allow Buzzy “to get off scot-free, either,” one could say. If Buzzy was judged for reaching base... (full context)

...his options for avoiding the draft: convincingly faking a history of mental illness like tragic Buzzy Thurston, or applying for the Peace Corps and going someplace like Tanzania. John is paralyzed... (full context)

...he’s going to frisk the mourners for the missing baseball. Coach Chickering is there, and Buzzy Thurston’s parents, who recently buried their own son. Father Findley and Mrs. Hoyt are there;... (full context)