An American Childhood

What is the role of consciousness in Dillard’s life? How does what she calls being “awake” change or improve her life? Explain.

What is the most significant theme of the memoir? Explain this theme using examples from at least three of the sections in the book, including the Prologue and the Epilogue.

How does Dillard’s adolescence change her? Explain these changes in terms of her behavior, such as drag racing and smoking cigarettes. Why does she do these things? Explain in terms of her notion of being “awake.”

How does a person “awaken” to the world? What are the tools that Dillard advocates? Are these useful tools? Why or why not?

Explain how Dillard’s relationship with her parents evolves as she grows up. In what ways do Pam and Frank Doak guide Dillard? In what ways do they leave her to make her own choices? Are they good parents? Why or why not?

In 1950s America, as described by Dillard, what significant social issues were not directly addressed? Explain at least two of the most important issues that were ignored by society in the 1950s and how they impact your reading of Dillard’s memoir. Some suggestions include racism, sexism, and economic inequality. How do these issues impact your reading of Dillard’s memoir? Do these issues matter to Dillard? Why or why not?

How does Dillard’s upper-class upbringing impact her choices in life? Her family is well-to-do, and she has access to art, dancing lessons, summer camp, and a private-school education. In what ways is Dillard’s childhood typical or atypical? What is the significance of her title, An American Childhood?

Using your own research into the literary and philosophical movement known as Transcendentalism, find at least three metaphors that Dillard employs that echo transcendental thinking. Compare her use of these metaphors to the work of at least one of the following transcendental writers: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, Bronson Alcott, or Louisa May Alcott.