One theme in The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck is
democracy. The small town that was
invaded had elected officials whose job it was to govern and protect the
people. Even after the country was
conquered the mayor insisted that the people will do as they please; he cannot
tell them what to do nor can he fully predict how they will react. When Colonel Lanser made a deal with the
people to stop all attacks against the army in exchange for Mayor Orden’s life,
the mayor did not try to plead with the people but rather told the colonel that
the peoples’ willpower will prevail.
The next
theme is overconfidence. When the
foreign army invaded the town they thought that the people were nice and that
they would want to live there in the future.
Lieutenant Tonder told Colonel Lanser, “it’s a nice country, nice
people…it would be a nice place to settle, I think.” (Steinbeck 26) Matters get worse, however, for the army
after Captain Bentick dies and Alex Morden is convicted of the murder. The people now hold a new level of anger and
distrust for the invaders. Later, Lieutenant
Tonder takes back his previous statement by saying, “These people! These horrible people! These cold people! They never look at you…They never speak. They answer like dead men.” (Steinbeck 48) When the citizens of the town become armed
with dynamite, they really begin to see how wrong their first impressions
were. Not only could the people make
minimal attacks now but they could also cause fear to enter the enemy, making
them anxious and restless. Colonel
Lanser told his men that after the dynamite they will receive grenades and then
poison (Steinbeck 70).
Another theme is betrayal.
The people of the town had been betrayed by their long-time storekeeper,
George Corell. Corell had lent a
sailboat to the town’s postman and policeman to go fishing for the day and he
arranged a shooting competition to take place six miles away from the town for
the local troops (Steinbeck 8). Everyone
trusted Corell so they never suspected that his motive was to allow easy access
for the invading troops into the town.
Steinbeck, John. The
Moon Is Down. New York: Viking, 1942. Print.
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