In these two chapters of The Moon is Down the trial of Alex Morden is discussed and carried out. Alex was ordered by Captain Loft to return back to work in the mines and Alex refused. He claimed he was a free man and he should not be told when to work. He became angry and tried to hit Loft with a pick, but Captain Bentick interferes and gets stabbed. Bentick ends up dieing and Alex will probably get shot for his crime. Lanser wants to hold a trial really for no reason it seems. They have already made their decision that Alex must be shot and nothing he says will change his mind. The soldiers want to shoot Alex to show the people what will happen if they do something like this again. Lanser just wants to public to think that Orden ruled that Alex is guilty so they think that he is on the soldiers side. Before the trial we meet Molly, Alex's wife. She gets visibly upset in her short stay at the Mayor's house, and I believe that she was probably the one to shoot at the window hitting Prackle's shoulder. If she was not actually the one to shoot the gun, she told someone to.
"Yours was the first clear act. Your private anger was the beginning of a public anger." (Steinbeck 54). Mayor Orden was right when he said this. Alex's attack is going to park a lot of courage in the other townspeople to fight against these invading soldiers. Starting when someone, probably Molly, shot at Prackle's shoulder, these people are going to revolt. They are going to get together and plan some sort of attack on the soldiers. "And understand this, please: we will shoot, five, ten, a hundred for one." (Steinbeck 56). Lanser and his soldiers are going to retaliate after each of the attacks the townspeople plan. I assume that several more of the townspeople will get shot, and probably another soldier or two also. This war is about to start in this town.
Steinbeck, John. The Moon Is Down. New York: Penguin Classics, 1942. Print.
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