The Moon is Down: Timeless Message and Characters

The Moon is Down is a great piece of literature that not only explores what the conquered people go through in times of war, but also the invaders.  Often we as the readers sympathize with the defenders or the victims.  This book, on the other hand, is a reminder that all soldiers, no matter which side they may be on, are human and humans are all capable of feeling similar emotions.  The war may change what they are doing during that time period, but they still remain the same person inside that they were before the war began.  In a way, this book shows how pointless some wars can be.  Build bridges and they get blown up, conquer a town or country and the people rises up against you, and kill a worker for killing a soldier who was in charge of getting the mined coal to the rest of the army so they can kill more people.  The other side would do the same thing and this cycle makes the war go on. 

We still read this book because its message and characters are timeless.  One timeless character is Mayor Orden.  He is the type of person who will stand by his people through rain and sunshine.  He is loyal and kind-hearted but also believes in the spirit of freedom and that the peoples’ determination is stronger than any machine gun or army that would threaten them.  At the end of the story he is seen as self-sacrificing when he is willing to die in order that the people of his town may live free again (Steinbeck 81). 

Contrary to Mayor Orden, there is George Corell, the town shopkeeper.  Unbeknownst by anyone, he was actually working as some sort of a spy.  His job was to get all of the public authorities and troops out of the area for a day so that the invading army can march right in with little to no resistance.  There are traitors like Corell all around the world at any given time.

Another set of timeless characters are the invading soldiers, especially Prackle, Tonder, and Hunter.  Many times during their conversations they are talking about life back home.  Even the enemy is not always the war machine that we may imagine.

Steinbeck, John. The Moon Is Down. New York: Viking, 1942. Print.