The Moon is Down
reveals much about the values of John Steinbeck, its author. Of these values freedom and democracy can be
seen as the most prominent. This book
was written during World War II and Steinbeck was a firm supporter of the
Allies cause. “He was also both a
clear-eyed political realist who understood that U.S. involvement in the war
was inevitable and a patriot eager to contribute to the Allies’ cause”
(Steinbeck vii). This quote reveals that
Steinbeck was a devote American and wanted to aid in the war effort in his own
way. By writing The Moon is Down he accomplished just that. This book is now remembered as the greatest
piece of propaganda during World War II.
“The war came on, and I wrote The
Moon is Down as a kind of celebration of the durability of democracy” (Steinbeck xii). John Steinbeck believed that nothing could
destroy the power of democracy in the people.
When the freedom of the townspeople was taken away, they began to
secretly fight the invaders. After
friends and family started to die, they turned to more of an aggressive
defense. As Steinbeck wrote, even if
invaders conquer and take away freedom, people will always rise up and fight
until there is no one left. Steinbeck
valued freedom and democracy as the utmost importance and these values were
reflected in The Moon is Down. John Steinbeck wrote this book from the third
person point of view allowing all the characters thoughts and opinions to be
heard by the reader. Although he
strongly supported the Allies, Steinbeck wrote from the perspective that the
invaders were really not that much different from anyone else. This won him many critics because some
believed that John Steinbeck was making the invaders (Nazis) look like good
people. Steinbeck did not really care
about what the critics thought though, he was writing to try to encourage as
many suffering people as possible and he believed this was the best way to do
it.
Steinbeck, John. The Moon Is Down. Ney York: Penguin Group, 1995. Print.
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