Across Five Aprils Characters

Now this is a story all about howJeth's life got twisted upside down.And we'd like to a minute to give it a whirl,Tell you all about Jethro Creighton in Across Five Aprils.And that's how you spit i...

Shad is probably one of the smartest guys in Jasper County, and it's a good thing since he's the local schoolteacher. He's got all sorts of higher education experience and "book learning" (4.66) un...

It's the man… the legend… the 16th President of the United States of America. Okay, so Abraham Lincoln doesn't have a starring role in Across Five Aprils, but he certainly does in Jethro's mind...

If the Creightons were a boy band, Bill would be the gentle and quiet bassist that all the girls swoon over. And with blond hair, blue eyes, and "great physical strength" (1.90), we wouldn't be sur...

It's hard to like Dave Burdow in the beginning (because of the whole Mary thing, plus we're Team Creighton in general), but then he does Jeth a solid and steers him clear from Wortman's trap. It's...

"I'm goin' to git into this war jest as quick as I kin make it." (2.57)—Eb, speaking before war."All at oncest I knowed I couldn't stand it no longer, and I jest up and left." (9.65)—Eb, speaki...

Ellen Creighton gives Wonder Woman a run for her money. Not only has she given birth to twelve children, but when we first meet her she's out in the fields planting potatoes with Jethro, so she's a...

Even Guy Wortman's name makes him sound like a scumbag extraordinaire. We think that Dave Burdow is accurate when he straight up refers to Wortman as "evil" and a "piz'nous snake" (5.175). Wortman...

Jenny is a little spitfire, and not your typical young farm girl of the 1860s. She's clever and a bit outspoken, and not afraid to lay claim to her contributions. One of our favorite moments in the...

The oldest of the Creighton kids still hanging around the farm, John is besties with Bill. Being only a year apart, they have a close bond despite John being "more impatient, quicker to anger than...

Patriarch of the Creighton clan, Matt is a stand up guy, respected by both his family and the community. (And Shmoop—we think he's pretty swell, too.) His first act of awesome is established earl...

Nothing like a good ol' wise sage to admire, and Ross Milton fills that role perfectly. He has all the makings for a great role model: he's the first line of defense for Jethro against Guy Wortman...

This guy is definitely on Team Creighton, and for that we adore him. The "pudgy, round-faced proprietor of the general store" (7.45) first wins us over when he throws some free gumdrops in Jethro's...

We've got a fighter on our hands in Tom Creighton who, along with Eb, is more than eager to sign up for the army. But he is in for quite a surprise when he finds out that war is actually horrible....