A Prayer for Owen Meany Memory and the Past Quotes

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Quote #10

About the middle of the afternoon, Owen started playing what he called "THE REMEMBER GAME."

Owen asked me: "DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME YOU MET MR. FISH?"

I said I couldn't remember—it seemed to me that Mr. Fish had always been there.

"I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN," Owen said. "DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT YOUR MOTHER WAS WERING WHEN WE BURIED SAGAMORE?"

I couldn't remember. "IT WAS THAT BLACK V-NECK SWEATER, AND THOSE GRAY FLANNEL SLACKS—OR MAYBE IT WAS A LONG, GRAY SKIRT," HE SAID.

"I don't think she had a long, gray skirt," I said.

"I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT," he said. "DO YOU REMEMBER DAN'S OLD SPORTS JACKET—THE ONE THAT LOOKED LIKE IT WAS MADE OF CARROTS?"

"It was the color of his hair!" I said.

"THAT'S THE ONE!" said Owen Meany. (9.461-469)

In this scene, Owen knows that he's going to die the next day. For him, playing the "remember" game is a way of going through his life with John – it's sort of like how TV shows seem to always do a clip show before going off the air.