Annie

The narrator through all of the essays in this work appears to be the author, Annie Dillard. Although the reader is never explicitly told this and no other characters refer to her by name, the narrator remains consistent throughout all of the essays which appear to be personal in nature. The narrator, Annie, is the only common figure between the essays. The only other figures to appear in more than one of the essays are Annie's three North American male companions during her trip to Ecuador, who appear in "In the Jungle" and "The Deer at Providencia".

Although the essays are personal, the reader learns only brief bits about Annie's life. In "Total Eclipse", one learns that she is married to a man named Gary. One also learns that she grew up in Pittsburgh and lived on an island in Puget Sound for a time. She attends a...