The Moon is Down #1

John Steinbeck wrote The Moon is Down during World War II to be used as propaganda. Because of this, the novel strongly represents the author's, and most of America's, thoughts during the war. After finishing the book, I realized that this novel was used as a different kind of propaganda then you would think. When I hear propaganda I think documents with war secrets , or weaponry information, but this book is different because it does not give away any war secrets, it instils a feeling of hope to those fighting or affected by the war. People reading the novel throughout Western Europe can get a new faith in their cause to keep fighting. I am sure at the time the novel was written, there were not many war novels that gave such human qualities to the enemy soldiers. "Captain Bentick was a family man, a lover of dogs and pink children and Christmas." (Steinbeck 20). All of the soldiers got characteristics like this one. Steinbeck seems to understand that the enemy is human just like they are. The Leader of the invaders is without a name or anything. He is the only character that does not receive any human qualities. This makes sense because Steinbeck compares The Leader to Adolf Hitler, and very few people even today consider him human.

This book is written in a third person omniscient point of view. The story is told so that the reader knows what both the invading soldiers and the townspeople are thinking. I think that the book is so much more real because you get to know both sides of the story, and how everyone is affected by each event. The author shows a group of people can come together and unite for the common goal of getting the invaders out of their country. This novel gave people whose own countries were invaded, hope to beat their own enemies and force them out of their homes.

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