The Moon is Down Blog 5

The Moon is Down was written by John Steinbeck to raise the morale of occupied countries during World War II and encourage them not to give up.  This book reflects what actually occurred during World War II to many of the affected countries.  Each town that was conquered by the Germans probably went through very similar challenges as seen in The Moon Is Down.  Some of these challenges include the use of citizens for forced labor and the setup of puppet governments to control the people.  The behaviors seen in The Moon Is Down also reflect the attitudes and feelings during World War II.  The Nazis were still human, and many of them probably did not want to be fighting.  This is the same as seen in this novel, where the soldiers are portrayed as real people not monsters.  “’Maybe we could go home for a while.’  And he said, smiling,’ Maybe I could walk down the street and people would say, ‘Hello,’ and they’d say, ‘There goes a soldier,’ and they’d be glad for me and they’d be glad of me.’” (Steinbeck 67).  This quote shows that even the commanders of the invasion just wanted to go home and were miserable were they were at.  Attitudes of depression were seen like this during World War II for both the Allies and the Nazis.  The themes and symbols addressed in The Moon Is Down played a significant role in its effectiveness as a work of war propaganda.  The themes of democracy being incorruptible gave conquered countries a much needed morale boost while the symbolism of winter and “the missing moon” represented the evils that were taking over Europe during this time.  The title of this book represents the idea that the absence of the moon means the entrance of evil.  Steinbeck borrowed this idea from Shakespeare’s Macbeth.  These significant themes and symbols have made The Moon Is Down into the great classic that it is referred to as today. 

Steinbeck, John. The Moon Is Down. Ney York: Penguin Group, 1995. Print.