Essay on The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck

Throughout The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck, a controversial debate upon whether or not the novel is successful in praising the ideals of democracy and free choice occurs. Some readers claim this is not possible because the invaders are portrayed as sympathetic characters but I refuse to agree with this argument. Throughout the book, I saw evidence to support the fact that the novel is successful in praising democracy and free choice such as the inability for the invaders to take away the townspeople’s personal actions, the importance of the individual, an idea upon which democracy is founded but also the pain that occurs when freedom is taken away.Many people argue that The Moon is Down is not successful because the invaders are interpreted as sympathetic characters but this is not true. The book states, “Then the soldiers read the news from home and from the other conquered countries, and the news was always good, and for a little while they believed it, and then after a while they did not believe it any more. And every man carried in his heart the terror.” (p 58) As the novel continues on, we begin to sympathize with the conquerors because of their desperation and the problems they deal with in the town. The sympathy that we feel has led to the desire for the men to no longer be trapped under strict military protocol and the threat of death but rather to be free, establishing the book as successful in portraying free choice and democracy.The Moon is Down has accomplished praising free choice and democracy because the invaders could not take away the townspeople’s personal actions or their abilities to rebel. The novel states, “…and no man might relax his guard for even a moment. If he did, he disappeared, and some snowdr…

…ery brave, like a little boy in his first day of school.” (p 79) Molly is talking to Tonder about her deceased husband, Alex Morden. Many people have perished in the book such as Alex and not only does the victim suffer, the one being killed, but the families suffer emotional grief. The townspeople who were denied their freedoms committed acts against the conquerors who in turn killed them. This shows the pain, emotional and physical, that occurs when freedom is renounced.Throughout the book, The Moon is Down, the author managed to successfully portray the ideals of democracy and free choice. John Steinbeck managed to demonstrate these ideals through the sympathy and compassion we feel for those who fought back, the importance of the individual, a democratic idea and the pain that occurs when freedom is taken away.