The Moon is Down #6

Most classic novels that are still popular and well known today are remembered for there well developed, interesting characters or a incredible story that keeps readers intrigued till the very end. The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck is different. It was not written for it to be remembered years later, it was written to be used as a work of propaganda during World War II. It was a very successful work, used to inspire people of invaded countries to act up against the people who has invaded them. The book was secretly distributed throughout Western Europe, and praised for its surprisingly accurate portrayal of the resistance movement. One of the reasons that the book is around and still relevant today is that there always seems to be a new war going on. After World War II there was the Vietnam War and the War on Terror that is still going on. With war being the most prominent aspect of the book, people in war environments can still relate to what happens in the book. We do not have to worry about people invading America any time soon, but other countries especially in the Middle East still have to worry about it. The book is also still popular because it gives you a perspective on how war effects both side of people: the enemy and the people who are invaded. "Steinbeck had decided to write a work of fiction using what he had learned about the physiological effects of enemy occupation upon the populace of conquered nations." (Introduction viii).

I would think that the main reasons that the Moon is Down is still popular is because of the war in Iraq. Although World War II and the Iraq War are very different, the book can still apply to both. Reading the novel in Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan or any other country greatly involved in war, can help inspire their people to want to fight back also.


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