A Prayer for Owen Meany

The narrative’s “past” setting in the 1950s and 1960s coincides with the Vietnam conflict, and related events—such as the military draft and antiwar protests—play a key role in several characters’ lives. The United States’ involvement in Vietnam began in the 1950s, though the conflict began in earnest in 1965 when President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered the bombing of North Vietnam. The late 1960s, then, mark the height of American protests against US military action in the country (“Vietnam War Timeline.” History, 2023).

The conflict was unpopular among some US citizens, including John and Hester in the novel. A primary reason was the instillation of a military draft system by which citizens were forced to enter combat. Until the end of the conflict in 1975, 2.2 million Americans were conscripted (“The Military Draft During the Vietnam War.” Michigan in the World). University students were able to defer entering the draft, thus preventing the draft from being truly random. The horrors of the war were televised—a first in the United States, thanks to technologies not present in previous wars—and this, coupled with the perception that the United States was not under direct threat by North Vietnam, led to the belief that the sacrifice by US citizens was unnecessary. Indeed, the impetus to initiate bombing stemmed from the argument that the establishment to communism in North Vietnam would have a “domino effect” whereby communist ideals would gain a foothold in other nations, thus threatening democracy (“8 Reasons the Vietnam War Was Unpopular.” Global Affairs Explained).

The most vocal critics, though a minority in number, were teens and those in their twenties. Antiwar sentiments became popular among university students. The creation of the organization Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) in 1965 was instrumental in shaping political resistance on campus with a series of “teach-ins”—sessions held on college campuses designed for students and other citizens to voice dissent. Some citizens of draft age fled to Canada, receiving the moniker “draft dodger.” A countercultural movement that distrusted authority sprang up, and acts of protest became visible.

Key among these protests were marches in cities that included San Francisco, New York, Chicago, and Washington, DC. Importantly, public figures such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lennon denounced the war on moral grounds, lending credibility to the protestors’ plight. Among the most significant protests occurred in August 1968 at the Democratic National Convention, in Chicago. Angered by President Johnson’s escalation of the war, 10,000 people rallied to demonstrate. At least 686 were injured as city officials, state police, and the National Guard attempted to contain the crowd (Waxman, Olivia B. “Violence Was Inevitable.” Time, 2018). This event, considered by many to be the height of the antiwar movement, is referenced in Irving’s novel.

Demonstrations continued, marked by the infamous 1970 shooting and killing of four students and the injuring of nine students at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, by the Ohio National Guard. Though the protest began as peaceful, it was viewed as a threat, and police were authorized to use tear gas, then force (Kaur, Harmeet. “50 Years Ago Today, the Shooting of Four College Students Changed America.” CNN, 2020). A protest in 1971 followed, in which demonstrators attempted to shut down the US government proceedings in Washington, DC. War efforts deescalated from there, with the fall of Saigon in 1975 marking the official end of the conflict.