Close Reading 10/2

"'THEY'RE FRESH BEETLESKINS,' Owen told me. 'THE CATHOLICS FORBID THEM,' he added. 'THE CATHOLICS ARE OPPOSED TO BIRTH CONTROL.'" (Irving 162)

The first time I read this, I laughed out loud. I thought that Owen was being very comical commenting on the fact that Catholics do not believe in birth control. Owen was more concerned with the religious fact about finding the beetleskins (condoms) then of actually finding them.

But now delving into the quote, it actually shows a lot about Owen. Up to this point in the book, we are shown the very religious side of Owen. When something happens in the book, Owen relates it back to religion, even religions that he does not believe in any more. In this particular instance, Owen relates this small event back to the catholic religion, a religion that he no longer believes in. He does this because he is very religious and it helps him to understand the situation.  He needs to be able to tie his actions back to his religion in order to fully appreciate the experience.

With this particular event, Owen and John are investigating the dorms of the boys who went home for winter break. They come across one room, and find unused condoms. This surprises them because most of the beetleskins that they find are used and they cannot really look at them. In this room, they find tons of new ones and so they decide to open one. This is what prompted Owen's comment.

The Catholics. This is the religion that Owen as well as John have decided to stay away from. Owen finds that the religion is too controlling and he decides to leave it. John's parents are not Catholics, so when Owen changes religions, John follows him. Owen is much more religious than John is and he sees how God plays a role in his life. Owen even feels that he is carrying out God's message and that everything is happening because God wants it to happen. In this moment, I am not sure what Owen is thinking that God wants.

Right after this comment, Owen immediately states,"'I'VE NOTHING MORE TO DO WITH THE CATHOLICS.'" (162). This shows how Owen does not really care that the Catholics religion would not approve of his experimenting with condoms. He would rather not think about what the Catholics believe.

This passage also shows the changing between religious beliefs. Both of the protagonists have changed religions. This shows how they both do not believe everything that is told to them. Owen questions his beliefs much more often and he has made an educated choice on picking his religion, where as John has not looked into himself, into his beliefs as much as Owen has as a young boy. It takes John until later in life to really decide on his religion and beliefs.

This simple statement really helps to explain who Owen is and his beliefs. In a brief way, it gives insight into the sort of person Owen is and the experimentation that little boys do. A little line about condoms, can really explain a lot about a person.