The Moon is Down: The Invasion

         The Moon is Down takes place in a country which is never given an official name. Alike this, the invading country is also never given a name. Although it is never said, we can infer that the novel is a reflection of World War II, where Germany invaded Norway. The country that is invading is in a war with England and Russia, as it hints at throughout the novel. As it says in the introduction to the novel takes place during World War II, but does not directly say that the two countries are Germany and Norway. The invasion and the novel discuss the topics of war and the sacrifices and losses that come from it. Although war way seem like the only way, it almost never comes out a complete positive for wither sides. In the novel, the invaders almost seemed to lose more than the townspeople. The invaders not only lost two of their men to the townspeople, they were gradually becoming more and more tired of being in a little town where no one liked or respected them. Towards the end of the novel, Lieutenant Prackle comes in to see Colonel Lanser and says he is tired of this town, wants to go home, and meet a girl either in the town or back at home (Steinbeck 1693). Lieutenant Prackle was not the only one to do this, Lieutenant Tonder felt the same way about the girls on the town, only he decided to pursue her, and he picked the wrong girl and ended up stabbed to death (Steinbeck 1532). The other side, the townspeople, also did not really gain anything either. The invaders felt threatened by the townspeople, so they took action by cracking down on the people by killing if anything bad or threatening were to happen. At the end of the novel, even the mayor was killed because the invaders felt threatened (Steinbeck 1888).              

Steinbeck, John. The Moon Is Down, a Novel,. New York: Viking, 1942. Print.

*Kindle page numbers