Hester and John felt the hurt and pain of Owen’s deed, for they loved him and wanted him in their lives for longer. Irving uses Owen’s death as an example of how one person’s suffering is another’s gain. It was part of the greater plan that the children needed to be saved and their safety was more important than Owen’s. Looked at from an outsider’s perspective it seems obvious to save the group over an individual. It’s only when personal emotional ties cloud our vision that such moral decisions seem to be without reason. Many people react to tragedy by losing their faith saying that God could never let this happen. Owen always looked beyond such petty reasoning and focused on the larger picture and the idea that everything happens for a reason. Another lesson taught through Irving’s text is that faith based on evidence is not faith. The textual confirmation of this lesson comes from Owen’s faith being considered the only legitimate faith throughout the novel. His belief is regarded as being true and above his peers because he never required evidence to really trust in God. John can be viewed as a fake for he never took religious lessons honestly, he always searched for their manifestation in reality. His faith is also never taken seriously in the book and he comes off as undedicated and …show more content…
In one of Owen’s final diary entries he writes, “It doesn’t make any sense...Was it just a terrible dream? Am I simply crazy? It tomorrow just another day?” (614). It’s completely natural to second guess the future. Even Owen, the saint of the novel, faces moments of doubt and confusion. It occurred to Owen how much he had thrown away in order to act out his plan, and how lost he would be if his predictions were false. Irving included Owen’s uncertainties to serve as a lesson. The lesson learned is that everyone has doubts and it is those who continue to push forward through their doubts that reach