Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

by Annie Dillard

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The Narrator
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek is written in the first person, with the narrator frequently referring to herself as "I." However, the book is not an autobiography, and the author is not the narrator. Interestingly, an early version of the manuscript was set in New England and narrated by a young man. For Dillard, the identity of the speaker was not crucial to her explorations. Therefore, the narrator of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek should be viewed more as a persona rather than Dillard herself.

Little biographical information is provided about the narrator. She resides near Tinker Creek in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. She is well-educated, widely read, and spends most of her time alone, meticulously observing nature. She appears to have no daily responsibilities or job, allowing her the time and patience to spend hours in one spot, watching the changing light or a duck feeding. She once had a cat but does not mention any family, and she avoids human company except for the occasional evening game of pinochle with unnamed friends. No other person plays a significant role in the book.

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