Across Five Aprils

Resilience and Growth For the Creightons, the first tragedy of the war is not a literal death in the family but a symbolic one. Bill, one of the most beloved Creighton siblings, cuts ties with his family after deciding to fight for the South. This event is just one example of the theme of division: specifically, how war divides people on both a large and small scale. Just as the once united states are divided into North and South, the Creighton family experiences the same split.

Bill and John’s relationship is a symbolic reflection of the larger split happening in the nation. When they were young boys, they developed a close relationship which carried on into adulthood. Bill recalls to Jethro how he used to ask their father questions, and then check with John to see if their father’s answers were correct. Though John was only a year older than Bill, Bill had such respect for John that he was willing to take his word over even their father’s. But because John and Bill have conflicting views of the war, a rift develops between them. The Civil War is famously known as the war of “brother against brother,” and this is exemplified in the division between John and Bill. Bill is not cruel-hearted or evil, but in his search for truth he concludes that he must fight on the side opposite his family. This decision removes Bill from their lives permanently.

Bill’s decision has further repercussions later when the Creightons are targeted by troublemakers who see them as “Copperheads,” or Southern sympathizers. Guy Wortman and his gang represent another level of division caused by the war: neighbor against neighbor. As more and more people start to become suspicious of others in their communities, the horrors of the war come directly to the homes of ordinary citizens. Rumors spread of incidents throughout the state: “a family murdered because they were suspected of being Southern sympathizers, an abolitionist family attacked in the middle of the night and their house fired by men who hated what their victims stood for” (82). Jethro is attacked on the road because he refused to disown Bill. And later, the Creightons’ barn is burned down and their well tainted with coal oil by the “self-appointed judges” (107) of their community.

Because the war forces people to choose one side or another, it inevitably splits apart families and communities and leads to senseless violence. While the great division of North and South exists in the background, these smaller divisions spring up in response to the larger-scale conflicts. At the same time, throughout the story there are multiple examples of the Creighton family relying on one another for support, or the neighbors gathering together to help pull them through difficult times. These moments present the opposite of this theme: the importance of family and community support.

 As a coming-of-age story, one of the most important themes explored in Across Five Aprils is the theme of growth, particularly in the form of resilience against hardship and loss. In the beginning, Jethro does not understand war. He avoids talking or thinking about any subjects that seem upsetting: “For months he had moved along the edge of the furor that raged among the adults […] he supposed, if he thought of it at all, that this was the natural behavior of people interested in a vague thing called politics” (14). Therefore, his first response is denial. When Bill first confesses some of his thoughts about the war, Jethro begs him to stop talking about it. When Bill finally tells Jethro that he’s planning to leave and fight for the South, Jethro responds, “I don’t want you to go, Bill. I don’t think I kin stand it” (45). But Bill tells him, “There’s goin’ to be a lot of things in the years ahead that you’ll have to stand. There’ll be things that tear you apart, but you’ll have to stand ’em” (45). Jethro takes this lesson to heart, realizing that “there were things you had to endure” (46). As the novel progresses, Jethro faces a number of difficulties with the mindset he learns from Bill: No matter how terrible things are, you must endure them.

The theme of resilience is expressed also through Jethro’s family members. Ellen endured an immense amount of suffering before the war, having lost three children within the same year and, four years later, a teenage daughter. Still, she guides the family, especially after Matthew’s heart attack. Though weakened, he survives, and Jethro and Jenny take on the farm responsibilities themselves. Their personal struggles never stop them from fulfilling their family responsibilities, and this remains true after the war begins. Even Eb reenlists after his desertion, proving that he understands the importance of supporting his fellow soldiers despite hating the senseless loss of life.

As with many themes in Across Five Aprils, the resilience of the Creighton family is a reflection of the nation’s resilience. In spite of the devastating Civil War and Lincoln’s assassination, America persisted, just as the Creightons persist despite their losses. Jethro knows that peace will never be a “perfect pearl,” but he is prepared to endure whatever new hardships lay ahead.