When Tabitha Wheelwright, the mother of the narrator in A Prayer for Owen Meany, is first introduced, a reader may just an attractive sexual object as Owen described her as having "THE BEST BREASTS OF ALL THE MOTHERS," and smelling "BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE, TOO." (32-33). Almost immediately into the book, Irving shares the freak death of Tabitha who is stuck in the temple by Owen Meany's foul hit in a Little League game. However, it is not until the after her death that Irving introduces the reader to a more multi-dimensional Tabitha, one that was a great mother, loyal daughter, and loving wife, whose presence has made a huge impact on the novel's plot at large. After losing his mother, Johnny is adopted by Dan Needham, who provides Johnny with a father figure he never had or had even known. Dan's presence and adoption of Johnny turn out to be two of the best things that have ever happened in Johnny's life. Dan is the best "Dad" Johnny could ever picture. With Dan as a parent/mentor/left-hand man, Johnny begins to find himself as a person and eventually loses the deep desire to discover who his real father is.
While the death of a parent or loved one should never be seen as positive and hurts many around, like Johnny and Dan, it is how one continues with their life post death that can drastically change their own personal state of being. Johnny and Dan both mourned the death of Tabitha and continue to miss her, but because of her death, they have come together as mutual loved ones and grown closer. Johnny and Dan's growing relationship and existence in each others' lives as a result of a life-altering tragedy has definitely benefited them both and has made their lives feel a bit more complete.
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