The Moon is Down Question 5

            Question five states, “How does this novel reflect the history, behavior and social issues of the time period and setting?  What is this book’s symbolic and thematic significance?”  The Moon is Down was published in 1942, which happened while World War II was in progress.  This novel by John Steinbeck was based off of events that happened in World War II.  You are able to tell that it was set during this time because of the presence of Nazi soldiers that invade towns.  I think John Steinbeck did a very nice job describing events that happened in his novel even though people disagree with me.  Facts from World War II state that towns were invaded by Nazi soldiers and he people were forced to laborious work against their will.

            The main social issue that the people faced in The Moon is Down was betrayal.  This issue was not just a problem during that time period, but betrayal is still a concern to this day.  As I have said before, the town’s storekeeper, George Corell was a traitor and betrayed his own town.  He was a well-known and well-liked man but he threw all that respect away when he decided to be a spy for the Nazi army.  Mr. Corell was the person who helped with the invasion of his own town.  The soldiers enslaved his friends and possibly even family.  Mr. Corell was not the only spy in the town.  All over Europe there were hundreds of spies scattered around.  No one knew who to trust.  That would be a hard situation to be in because it gives you so much comfort to be able to know you have that one person who you can trust.  Imagine being in a town where you could not trust anyone because they secretly may be a spy.  I think I would become a paranoid mess if I was out into that footing.

Steinbeck, John. Novels, 1942-1952: The Moon Is Down ; Cannery Row ; The Pearl ; East of Eden. New York: Literary Classics of the United States, 2001. Print.