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John’s Mother / Tabitha Wheelwright
Tabitha Wheelwright’s ex-lover and John’s biological father. The popular pastor at the Congregational Church, Merrill has a degree in English from Princeton and speaks eloquently. His congregation loves him because he shares their doubt and reassures them that skepticism is normal and can be conquered by faith. He tries to help Owen Meany when Owen is troubled by his visions of the future and his parents’ claim that he is the product of a virgin birth, but Merrill does not believe that Owen was truly an instrument of God. He memorably leads Gravesend Academy in a prayer for Owen Meany after Owen’s unjust persecution by the headmaster, Randolph White. However, Owen believes Merrill to be a hypocrite and a coward after he discovers that Merrill had an extramarital affair with Tabitha Wheelwright. Merrill believes he caused Tabitha’s death when, overcome with guilt regarding their affair, he prayed to God that she would drop dead; moments later, Owen accidentally killed her with a foul ball, and Tabitha really did drop dead. Merrill thinks God has turned away from him after such evil thoughts. John finds this idea preposterous, and is disgusted with his father’s selfish imagination. Merrill’s faith in God is soundly restored when John plants his mother’s armless mannequin outside the church window to make him believe that Tabitha has descended from heaven to give him a message.
Rev. Lewis Merrill Quotes in A Prayer for Owen Meany
The A Prayer for Owen Meany quotes below are all either spoken by Rev. Lewis Merrill or refer to Rev. Lewis Merrill. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 6
Quotes
In both classes, Pastor Merrill preached his doubt-is-the-essence-of-and-not-the-opposite-of-faith philosophy; it was a point of view that interested Owen more than it had once interested him. The apparent secret was “belief without miracles”; a faith that needed a miracle was not a faith at all. Don’t ask for proof—that was Mr. Merrill’s routine message.
“BUT EVERYONE NEEDS A LITTLE PROOF,” said Owen Meany.
“Faith itself is a miracle, Owen,” said Pastor Merrill. “The first miracle that I believe in is my own faith itself.”
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Chapter 7
Quotes
I remember the independent study that Owen Meany was conducting with the Rev. Lewis Merrill in the winter term of l962. I wonder if those cheeseburgers in the Reagan administration are familiar with Isaiah 5:20. As The Voice would say: “WOE UNTO THOSE THAT CALL EVIL GOOD AND GOOD EVIL.”
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Chapter 9
Quotes
Because he’d wished my mother dead, my father said, God had punished him; God had taught Pastor Merrill not to trifle with prayer. And I suppose that was why it had been so difficult for Mr. Merrill to pray for Owen Meany—and why he had invited us all to offer up our silent prayers to Owen, instead of speaking out himself. And he called Mr. and Mrs. Meany “superstitious”! Look at the world: look at how many of our peerless leaders presume to tell us that they know what God wants! It’s not God who’s fucked up, it’s the screamers who say they believe in Him and who claim to pursue their ends in His holy name!
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Get the entire A Prayer for Owen Meany LitChart as a printable PDF.
Rev. Lewis Merrill Quotes in A Prayer for Owen Meany
The A Prayer for Owen Meany quotes below are all either spoken by Rev. Lewis Merrill or refer to Rev. Lewis Merrill. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 6
Quotes
In both classes, Pastor Merrill preached his doubt-is-the-essence-of-and-not-the-opposite-of-faith philosophy; it was a point of view that interested Owen more than it had once interested him. The apparent secret was “belief without miracles”; a faith that needed a miracle was not a faith at all. Don’t ask for proof—that was Mr. Merrill’s routine message.
“BUT EVERYONE NEEDS A LITTLE PROOF,” said Owen Meany.
“Faith itself is a miracle, Owen,” said Pastor Merrill. “The first miracle that I believe in is my own faith itself.”
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Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7
Quotes
I remember the independent study that Owen Meany was conducting with the Rev. Lewis Merrill in the winter term of l962. I wonder if those cheeseburgers in the Reagan administration are familiar with Isaiah 5:20. As The Voice would say: “WOE UNTO THOSE THAT CALL EVIL GOOD AND GOOD EVIL.”
Related Characters:
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Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 9
Quotes
Because he’d wished my mother dead, my father said, God had punished him; God had taught Pastor Merrill not to trifle with prayer. And I suppose that was why it had been so difficult for Mr. Merrill to pray for Owen Meany—and why he had invited us all to offer up our silent prayers to Owen, instead of speaking out himself. And he called Mr. and Mrs. Meany “superstitious”! Look at the world: look at how many of our peerless leaders presume to tell us that they know what God wants! It’s not God who’s fucked up, it’s the screamers who say they believe in Him and who claim to pursue their ends in His holy name!
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