Across Five Aprils - Itasca Middle School

Themes, Motifs, and Symbols 12
townspeople support the Creightons against the few who try and punish them for Bill’s
actions. In this book, forgiveness is crucial in cases where people are motivated by good.
The ability to redeem and forgive, especially during a time when everyone must exist among
hatred and anger, helps the Creightons manage through the five years of the war.
Motifs
Cycles
Hunt makes sure that most actions and reactions inAcross Five Aprils have repercussions.
There is a cyclical nature to many of the events and relationships. For example, Matthew
Creighton indirectly saves the life of his daughter’s killer, and then, in an interesting reversal,
the killer’s father, Mr. Burdow, saves Creighton’s child. Bill joins the Southern army but
has a chance to tell John that he did not fire the bullet that killed Eb. Jethro’s troubling over
Eb resolves itself in a personal letter from the president, revealing that Lincoln and Jethro
are consumed by the same thoughts. Jethro is rewarded for his work at home by moving
in with Jenny and Shadrach to pursue his studies. Jethro and Ross Milton eat at the same
restaurant both at the beginning and at the end of the war, bringing the two full circle despite
the war.
Both Sides of the Story
Hunt is consistently very fair in portraying both sides of the war. Often, the arguments that
characters have do an accurate job of exploring both sides in a compelling fashion. Having
one character so torn that he fights for the South shows how complicated this war was and
that there is no clear right and no clear wrong. Shadrach and Jethro defend Bill’s actions,
saying that the most important thing is that he stood up for what he believed.
Growing Old Before One’s Time
Jethro’s loss of innocence does not come from typical aging, but rather from a set of circumstances
that force him to feel and act much older than he actually is. Growing up during
a war casts a melancholy feeling over most days. Beyond that, all of Jethro’s brothers as
well as his teacher are gone, fighting. Jethro worries for their lives and has to take over
the responsibilities they left behind. Jethro’s father has a heart attack, which leaves him, in
the absence of his older brothers, as the man of the house. Jethro’s brother deserts the war
and comes to him for help. Those who are angry with Bill’s decision to fight for the South
threaten Jethro’s family. And, to top it all off, Jethro suffers the lost of both a public and
personal hero when Lincoln dies. Unlike some kids, Jethro cannot allow these problems to
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