Jethro as the protagonist in Across Five Aprils relays to us through his hopes, and fears through out the novel during a tumultuous time in our history. Jethro born in the year of 52 the same year that three of his siblings died form Child Paralysis was clearly a gifted child. Because of the loss the other children his mother favored him, and even though Jethro was spared from this horrifying disease he had many hard ships to coming.
             At first Jethro questioned why Abraham Lincoln just doesn't declare war. He questions this because his decision because being an immature boy he was anxious for the war the war to begin. Jethro saw war as a womanly trait. He was fascinated in the reading of the men and the places in the newspaper. He found some of it confusing at first but as time went by he was able to arrange everything in his mind and it was coming together.
             When Jethro would have nightmares Bill was the one who would come in and console him. But it wisent soon after that Bill told Jethro he had to leave. When Jethro heard this he began to cry and his brother told him that he couldn't solve his problems by crying. That was when Jethro group.
             He was a boy at the age of ten who lost his male mentors, his two brothers, his cousin, and his teacher for the duration of the war. He cherished the infrequent letters that came from them, he read them, reread them, and even folded them carefully.
             In March 1862 he became the man of the family at ten years of age after his father had a heart attack. Jenny helped him in the fields with his work and Jethro was optimistic two. As the yoke of the farm he made sure that he kept his family informed about the war from the knowledge he got from the newspaper even thought it might not all have been true.
             Through out the novel he demonstrates maturity beyond his years with all he tolerates and how he responded to and grew from them. Jethro was verbally intimidat...