The Moon is Down does a good
job of reflecting the history, behavior, and social issues of the time. Although the conquered country and the
invading force are not identified, it can be presumed that the setting was in
Norway and the invaders were the Germans in World War II. In real life, the German took over Norway on
April 9, 1940 (About Norway April 9, 1940).
Steinbeck published the book in 1942, so it would have given him enough
time to write the story.
One
behavior of the invaders that is mentioned is that life is insignificant. Colonel Lanser tells Lieutenant Prackle,
“You’re not a man any more. You are a soldier. Your comfort is of no importance
and, Lieutenant, your life isn’t of much importance. If you live, you will have
memories. That’s about all you will have.” (Steinbeck 73) During war, soldiers are often only seen as
numbers to win a battle instead of an actual individual.
The people in the book are said to
be hungry and there are a few passages to support this. One soldier said, “It seems funny tome,
though, that some people have dogs, and they don’t have even as much food as we
have.” (Steinbeck 65) Molly Morden said,
“We are a conquered people, Lieutenant.
You have taken the food away. I’m
hungry.” (58) A corporal said, “Couldn’t
have dogs eating up food that was needed.” (Steinbeck 65) In the story, the workers’ families were not
fed unless they worked. I have heard of
instances in Norway during the Second World War when food was scarce. These lines might be a reference to what was
happening during that time in Norway.
When the
invading force arrives in the town, they all seem rather excited. This may be because they are happy that they
were posted to a “beautiful and nice” (Steinbeck 26) town in Norway instead of
elsewhere such as on the east front where it was more violent.
The story
reflects the behavior and social issues of the time well. The invaders, the Germans, believed that
conquered people should do as they are told.
The people, however, were not accustomed to being controlled by a
foreign country and they did not like having their freedoms restricted.
The
symbolic significance of the title is a feeling of despair. When the moon is down there is an absence of
light and this creates a feeling of gloom.
Both sides in the story were feeling despair. The citizens were upset because they had been
conquered and did not like the way they were being treated. The invaders were not doing so good either
when the people began to make small attacks against them, killing some of the
soldiers and making the others anxious and homesick.
The
thematic significance of this book is that soldiers, even the enemy, are people
too. Sometimes when thinking of war, we
forget that it is a human fighting another human. The opposing side can get homesick, anxious,
angry, etc. as can the soldiers on the “good” side. There are not always good and bad sides. Each side is composed of people fighting for
what they believe is right, their country, their family, honor, or sometimes
just to be in a war.
"About Norway April 9, 1940." Norway April 9,
1940. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Aug. 2012.
<http://www.military-quotes.com/forum/norway-april-9-1940-a-t89475.html>.
Steinbeck, John. The Moon Is Down. New York: Viking, 1942.
Print.
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