Summary Of Prologue-Dillard

Prologue - Dillard begins the story with imagery and vivid description of rivers from the north shore of Lake Erie to West Virginia. She includes a brief history of some sort involving Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington. She then simply ends and jumps into a story about her father when she was ten. She described his dream to travel to New Orleans to hear the music he loved. She explains his occupation and the unfortunate location of his office, where he witnessed suicides at the Sixth Street bridge. She finishes the prologue by noting her observancy, a main theme throughout the story.
Part One - She now begins the story of her childhood from age five in 1950. She describes the rush of mornings living in any neighborhood
She then explains how she took up drawing. She also discovers the Homewood Library, what she describes as “the most private and obscure part of life”. She then explains how she has been slowly developing into an adult. As a thirteen year old she began to perceive the world more similarly to how adults perceived the world. She also talked about her discovering a deeper history of World War II.
Part Three - Carnegie Steel was a major industry in Pittsburgh. Dillard explains the history of the Carnegies and her initial perceptions of his work. She described his building of an art gallery. At age sixteen she saw Man Walking and created her own versions and ideas of the artwork. She also talks about a major change in her attitude and feelings, which probably had something to do with hormones and her growing up.
Epilogue - Dillard basically sums up all that she has learned from both her childhood and from recalling these memories. She wanted to observe and absorb her experiences as a child which she did and as a result wrote this book. Dillard ultimately achieved an understanding of what really matters in life by questioning her journey from childhood to