John Steinbeck fully represents a great American author. His novel, "The Moon is Down" was written as a form of propaganda for its time, and Steinbeck uncovers profound, often unsettling truths about war-and about human nature. In every chapter you read, you can find a descriptive image about the town which has been conquered, and the feelings of its people. This book reveals the evil in human nature, and the reaction of a conquered people. A small town has just been taken over and is now Nazi occupied. The troops come in, and immediately the attitude of this once peaceful town, turns into vengeance. The mayor represents the word of the people. He stays office for a in while, however under the influence and control of the Nazi's. The people of the town show no kindness, and much disrespect to the officers, which in turn makes the Nazi's angry. This leads to the death of many innocent lives. There is much loneliness and danger in the town, which results in many citizens trying to escape to England. Some successfully do, and get to the English leaders to ask for help. The English sends planes over, and drops boxes and parachutes filled with bombs and ammunition for the people of the town to use against the Nazi's. This is where the trouble begins, and certain important lives are lost. Steinbeck includes striking images and fine dialogue throughout the entire novel. Every chapter contains a descriptive image of the town adding to the drama. This, for example, found on page 51, "And over the town there hung a blackness that was deeper than the cloud, and over the town there hung a sullenness and a dry, growing hatred." Even when a line is not in context, we can understand the story by Steinbeck's creative and vivid scenes. He flavors his words in such a way, that we can fully capture the mood of a scene, and the meaning of the novel. Steinbeck helps us to understand the war and the people involved in it. A sense of togetherness is exemplified in the people, and the theme of working together is expressed in their attitudes, as they fight to save one anothers lives. What was happening to them was unfair and immoral, however they stuck through it by understanding that a group is so much better than an individual, and caring for others helps make them and you a stronger person.

It is the middle of the war, and the enemy has invaded a small country. In one small town, the occupation begins, and the antagonism with it. The enemy commander would like the town to submit quietly, the enemy troops would like to go home, and the townspeople would like the troops to go home as well. As the occupation continues, the hostility between sides mounts, until finally it manifests itself with tragic results. Steinbeck's examination of the effects of war on both the aggressor and the occupied is possibly the best example of his understanding of human nature. Steinbeck has an instinctive feel for real human emotion and interaction, and he puts it to use here. The growing unrest among the enemy troops, the festering anger and rebellion among the townspeople, and the transformation of simple people into heroes are all portrayed with stunning insight and feeling. This story means as much now as it did during World War II, when it was written, translated, and circulated to every corner of the resistance. It will endure as a triumph of the human spirit over captivity.

The Moon is Down is a piece of propaganda written durring the second World War when most of eastern Europe was under Hitler's power. Steinbeck wrote it for the people of these countries, and although it was illegal for them to posess it, people translated and distributed it.

The story itself is about a small town in America, though I doubt this is true, that is taken in the early hours of a Sunday morning. The soldiers think that since this town hasn't seen war in a hundred years that they won't be as strong, but what they didn't realize is that free people are the most strongwilled, causing them more problems than anywhere else.

Ultimately, what the soldiers under "The Leader" want is coal. The colonels have soldiers gaurding the mines forcing them to work. Colonel Loft was ordering a man named Alex Morden to work and he being a free man with a hot temper went after him with a pick. Instead of killing Loft, Morden kills another Captain. It isn't until Alex Morden is "tried" and punished that the town finally realizes that their freedom is gone.

I enjoyed this book, and although it is a bit vauge (only 112 pages), it stayed true to how Steinbeck writes. There are hints of symbolism and politics. I only had the chance to read it twice, so I'm sure I'm missing alot of the big picture, but it was great from what I got out of it. I would recommend this book to people who love this country and the idea of democracy, but are sick of the morons who wave their flags around-- as it will soon remind others as swastikas in the middle of a parade or just hanging in a shop window. This novel makes you see what happens when you say that someone is infalleable- facism takes control and the free spirited are killed, literally or figuratively.

I thought this book went extremely slow. If you are into lots of detail, however, you may like it. For instance, Steinbeck takes like 3 pages to tell how a turtle crosses the road. There is not much meat to the story, but it is an American classic, for some reason!

This book is not Grapes of Wrath. The previous reviewer's review is not a review of this book. Hayashi was one of the most important Steinbeck scholars, and this book is a very important collection of fifteen essays in his honor.