How accurately does this novel reflect events in history? The Moon is Down is a piece of historical fiction. This means that most of the characters and events in the story are made up but the plot is based on something that actually occurred in history. Even though it was fictional it was still used as propaganda during World War II as I said in a previous post. It encouraged people to fight back against the Nazis who invaded their towns.
A relationship that John Steinbeck portrayed very well in this book is the relationship between Colonel Lanser and his soldiers. He was hard on them and he pushed them as hard as he could. This was true for armies then and now. Colonel Lanser also referred to them mainly as 'soldier.' He probably did this to keep his authority over them and so he made sure that they knew they were not friends. A quote I stumbled across from the book is a great example of this. "You're not a man anymore. You are a soldier. Your comfort is of no importance and, Lieutenant, your life isn't of much importance.(Steinbeck 99) This truly means that they are soldiers now, and soldiers only.
Another strong relationship is the one between Mayor Orden and the citizens. The townspeople and the mayor seemed to have a good relationship. It is one that most politicians cannot achieve with the people today. They used compromise and they worked everything out as a team. Having a mayor like that in that type of situation would be so great. He understood them and listened. Mayor Orden also communicated well with Colonel Lanser. John Steinbeck did an excellent job describing all of the relationships in the book so that the reader has a clear idea of what life was really like back then.
Steinbeck, John. The Moon is Down. New York: Penguin Classics, 1942. Print.
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