Annie Dillard Character Analysis

In an American childhood a young woman named Annie Dillard writes about her life growing up in Pittsburg. In the book Annie has many people who influence her throughout her life. One of her main influencers in her adolescent years was her mother (pam). Her mother was not the usual stereotypical woman; she possessed very unique qualities that distinguished her from the rest of the crowd. Everything that she did was not done in the usual way she had to put a twist on it. You had to always expect the unexpected when you were around her. Sometimes people got frustrated with her child like ways, but Dillard never seemed to.

Throughout the story Dillard expresses many feelings and emotions about her mother and her actions. The majority of her feelings towards her mother were approval and reverence. She said “When we children were young, she mothered us tenderly and dependably,” (pg.112). As they got older her mother “collard us into her gags” (pg.112), for example if someone called from a wrong number she would give her kids the phone and say it’s for you or “Here, take this your name is Cecile,”(pg.112). Dillard believed “She was an unstoppable force; she never let go,” (pg.113).

Two of the qualities that Dillard seemed to
These pranks would constantly anger people including, her husband, guests, and even complete strangers that she encountered. "Pam Dammit, Pam! What ails such people? What on earth possesses them?"(pg.113) was the words her husband expressed after she would ruin games by tossing down her cards, or showing her hand etc. These ways never seemed to anger Dillard though; she unlike everyone else viewed them as sort of an interesting life learning experience or