The Moon Is Down [Mass Market Paperback]

 

 

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In an unnamed country (similar to Norway) during World War II, a German sympathizer lures local men and the town's twelve soldiers into the forest long enough for the Germans to take the town. They occupy the home of the mayor as a sign of their power and commandeer the local coal mine. Mayor Orden has never before been a brave or very forceful man, but he is not a fool, and while he tries to keep order in the town, as the Germans demand, he refuses to use the power of his office to betray the ideals of his people. Soon the locals begin to sabotage everything the Germans can use to prolong the war.

The narrative is dramatic, full of conversation and containing minimal description, which gives it the feeling of a simple morality tale. Steinbeck depicts the German soldiers, at first, as almost bumbling--organized, to be sure, but basically human, showing footsoldiers getting homesick, seeking understanding of the orders they must fulfill, complaining about the weather, and wondering if their mail will arrive on time. Gradually, as Berlin exerts more and more pressure to take out the coal, the German occupiers must impose more drastic measures. Local resistance becomes more violent in response: soldiers disappear and are found dead in snowbanks, small explosions blow up rail lines, and the miners have "accidents" which prevent the coal from being removed. Even the arrest of Mayor Orden and Doctor Winter cannot force the citizens to give in to tyranny.

Though the novel was published in 1942 expressly for "propaganda" in Europe's occupied countries (where it was quickly translated and disseminated secretly), it is a good story which transcends its original purpose and, as a result, it continues to find an audience. The depiction of the Germans as ordinary but flawed humans--"herd men who win the battles"--rather than as terrifying monsters, makes their defeat seem possible. Depicting the townspeople as resourceful but ordinary--"free men who win the wars"--rather than as heroes, makes their resistance seem a natural, and victory seem possible. Though the characters are shallow, Mayor Orden does grow and change, and his references to Plato's defense of Aristotle in a crucial conversation with Doctor Winter put the relationship of the individual to authority into a wider context. Simple, direct, concise, and humane, this may be the most effective piece of mass propaganda ever written. Mary Whipple

Today, Steinbeck's World War II novella, sixty six years after it was written, has gained a timeless significance: a brief, yet well thought-out glimpse into human relationships, between occupation and resistance in times of war. Published in 1942, the book was translated, clandestinely distributed and eagerly read by people in German-occupied countries. In the United States, it was also criticized for being too soft and generous in the depiction of the enemy. Whereas early impressions may suggest to the reader a surprisingly light parody or simplistic morality tale, we soon recognize the subtle, and with each page mounting, intensity of Steinbeck's anti-war message.

Set in a small mining town in an unnamed country, invaded by an unspecified enemy force, numerous hints, however, suggest that the story's events take place in Northern Norway at the time of the 1940 Nazi occupation. The townspeople, totally unprepared for an invasion after having lived in peace for a very long time, had forgotten how to fight... Consequently the initial assault is over in less than an hour, well planned with the help of a local quisling. Taking control of the town and its mining operation turns out to be a much more complicated and difficult affair than Colonel Lanser and his battalion had been trained for and anticipated. Their headquarters established in the Mayoral residence, good Mayor Orden has little choice but to tolerate their presence. Steinbeck introduces the main players in the unfolding drama with a few yet defining characteristics. Orden, for example, comes across as an indecisive, somewhat dotty, older chap, fussed over by "Madame", his protective, efficient little wife. Doctor Winter, the local medic and historian and Orden's childhood friend does not appears to be up to the challenges, despite some traits of a Dr. Watson. But, early impressions are certainly misleading in this story.

On the opposing side, the officers are a motley collection of unlikely elite military personnel, described more like army caricatures: spending more time debating than leading the battalion: one is an Anglophile, another more concerned with his model railway than the battle, and yet another honestly believes that he can find real friendship among the women of the town. Except for Lanser, none of them had seen combat before and their naïveté is poignant. While justifying their action with "just following the Leader's orders", they soon realize that that excuse doesn't convince anybody. To achieve their primary objective, that is access to the town's coal, the officers insist on orderly cooperation from the townspeople, increased production and an easy life for the soldiers. Herein, as they soon find out, lies the problem... While the soldiers are muddling through in their attempts to control the locals through arbitrary executions for disobedience and non-cooperation, occupiers and local resistance are caught in a spiral of events that will lead to inevitable results as one side is destabilized and the other made stronger. Nobody can escape, sidestep or ignore the brutality of war.

Steinbeck's subtle build up of the characters' strengths and weaknesses is superb. Orden (his name, incidentally, in German means "medal", often as a military decoration that Orden would have deserved...) is a case in point. His perceived malleability to the colonel's demands grows in fact into disguised and effective opposition: because he cannot represent his townspeople and therefore "cannot control what they do". The townspeople, initially confused, isolated yet quietly resisting, find new defence mechanisms and strength in coordination, and, like the flies the flypaper, may eventually overwhelm the enemy...

Steinbeck's novella is written in a series of tableaux as if set for the stage. (*) Each such set is introduced by a short depiction of the background or description of events beyond the confines of the scene's space, most often the Palace's drawing room. There, the lively dialogue between the main protagonists gives immediacy to the action threads of the story. With this narrative technique, Steinbeck focuses on the personal and intimate interaction between occupiers and occupied and their evolving relationship, underscoring the human tragedy of war and those caught up in it, whatever their personal guilt or innocence. [Friederike Knabe]

(*) It was in fact produced as such in 1943.

I have the original 1942 edition of The Moon Is Down and it is set in an unspecified Scandanavian town. The story could never have been written to occur in the USA and then revised to occur in Norway, although (sadly) it's impossible to read it now without considering the situation of American soldiers in Iraq.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Should be required reading for all Americans
I just finished reading the little 90 page novel, "The Moon is Down" by John Steinbeck. Written in 1942 about an unnamed Scandinavian country that is occupied by the Nazis, it is... Read more

Published on April 5 2004 by Beth

4.0 out of 5 stars Not just propaganda
Some label The Moon Is Down as propaganda (usually a negative connotation even if its cause is virtuous) and there is an argument to make for that. Read more

Published on Jan 11 2004 by P. Nicholas Keppler

4.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful read
Before I read this book, I always thought the Nazis were unbreakable, faceless, heartless, killers with nerves of steel. Well "The Moon Is Down" proved me wrong. Read more

Published on Jan 9 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Another winner by Steinbeck...
This one may not be as well known as some of his other works, but it is worth reading. Tight writing, excellent plot and characterization rank this book right up there with his... Read more

Published on Dec 21 2003 by meiringen

4.0 out of 5 stars A different kind of Steinbeck
This is possibly the most unusual Steinbeck contribution to the body of American literature. The underlying unique Steinbeck perspective and observation placed in a setting... Read more

Published on Sep 20 2003 by Jack Purcell

5.0 out of 5 stars The Moon is Down
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. Read more

Published on May 14 2003 by MaDD

5.0 out of 5 stars Not your typical Steinbeck
The Moon is Down is not the most well-known of Steinbeck works, probably in part due to its unusual genesis, but it is a remarkably stirring work. Read more

Published on Jan 15 2003 by David Kopp

5.0 out of 5 stars The Moon Is Down
Outstanding book by John Steinbeck one of the Great American writers. The story is about the Resistance in Norway during WW-II.

Published on Jan 3 2003 by Garry D. Talbot

5.0 out of 5 stars An Important Classic
I began reading this book without much background, but from the first page I was drawn into the story and set aside the other book I was reading. Read more

Published on Sep 24 2002 by D. A Wend

4.0 out of 5 stars Good morality tale
Great story about occupation by an invading power--basically the Nazis invading Holland or somesuch, although the country isn't specified that way, nor is the invader. Read more

Published on Aug 26 2002 by Doc Savage

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