April Morning is the story of Adam Cooper's journey into manhood on the day of the Battle of Lexington during the American Revolutionary War. Adam, a teenager, is struggling on the cusp of adulthood as war looms. He experiences the heady prelude to open combat, but ultimately he is shielded from the battle by family and friends and evades fighting by hiding outside the town. His father, Moses, is killed in the fighting.
Several major themes arise in April Morning . Although the most common theme picked up on is coming of age, several others have been noted. These others are non-violence, the rights of man, and the truth.
The first theme, coming of age, deals with Adam Cooper's becoming a man during the Battle of Lexington. After Moses Cooper is killed on the green, Adam is thrust into manhood. Vomiting and sobbing after the battle, Adam then returns home to be treated as the man of the house, against his wishes.
The theme of nonviolence is based on Moses Cooper's belief in solving problems through arguments, rather than warfare. This theme is also supported by Adam's later saying "I don't hate anyone enough to kill him." The rights of man appears several times through Moses' speeches. Also, the colonists are drafting a statement on the rights of man to send to Boston.
For the truth theme, several conflicts have been noted in the first chapter, such as Moses Cooper's talking against superstition yet birching Adam seven times.
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