comment on language and meaning

Howard Fast tells his novel “April Morning” in language that is simple and straightforward. This is done for a few reasons. First, the narrator of the novel is a 15-year-old boy who has not had the experience of higher education. Thus, his language will reflect his life circumstances as well. Adam and his family are humble farmers who all have the ability to read, and so their vocabulary is better than some (for example, Solomon Chandler’s), though not better than others. Their humility, both in their faith and work, is reflected in their simple language, and straightforward way of talking. This also adds a tremendous amount of realism to the novel, making the characters and the events much more believable – and this is crucial, given the historical reality of the battles of Lexington, Concord, North Bridge, and the running fight back to Boston.