The Moon is Down essays

The Moon is Down essays Set in contemporary time The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck portrays a story of the struggles of war. The book was published in 1942, which was the time when American was just rearming for World War II. Norway, Denmark, Holland, and France were all occupied. The country in this book that is under occupation is Norway. In this story the town is anonymous though peace loving and small such as Norway. A stronger country invades them, which is supposed to represent Germany. It takes place during the winter mainly at the Mayors palace. The storys setting in such a small place allows the reader to get an intimate look at the strategies and thoughts of the conquered and the conquerors during wartime. This book served as war propaganda and possession of the book resulted in death. This simple story gave those who were under the occupation of the Leader or Hitler, great hope of surviving. The purpose of The Moon is Down is to make a mockery of war and how pointless it is. Also Ste inbeck wanted to show that in the end the free individuals prevail because they are stronger in the long run than a totalitarian power. Throughout the book there are many metaphors for good and evil. The title comes from a scene in Macbeth when Banquo asks his son How goes the night boy? And Fleance replies The moon is down; I have not heard the clock. This line in the play represents evil descending on the kingdom. Though it is nighttime, there is no moon, meaning no light meaning only darkness, meaning evil with no hope of goodness. The townspeople in the story represent good and the invaders represent evil. Another symbol of evil is cold. Many times throughout the story Mayor Orden mentions the falling of snow. In this case snow represents cold weather, like the coldness of the German invaders controlling every aspect of the small towns lives. Doctor Winter says, there&...