Annie Dillard uses a series of literary devices in the form of figurative language in the book "An American Childhood".
In "An American Childhood", Dillard recalls her childhood experiences. She carefully gives details of how she gradually started to get into a more gloomy mood as she grew older. It struck her that her mother, who she admired for her distinctive personality was restricted to be a housewife for the rest of her life.
As she grows older she narrates how she started engaging in activities that her parents would "forbid", as getting into drag racing and smoking.