Exploring the perspectives of both sides of an invasion, The Moon is Down is an interesting read.

Published at the height of WWII, The Moon is Down was very influential amongst Nazi occupied countries. That said, even though it was considered pro-Allies’ wartime propaganda, there were many who criticized it for not demonizing its fictitious invaders.

What is interesting about the novel is that it never specifies any of the countries involved, so it could act as a blank slate upon which people of the time could cast themselves. It is also written very much like a play, which adds to that effect. Overall, I think Steinbeck’s attempt to depict all of the characters as multi-faceted human beings, worked in the novel’s favor.

One criticism I do have of the novel though, is its sanitation and perceived civility of an invasion. Events occur in too neat a fashion, and while invasions can occur swiftly, it is hard for me to picture so tidy an affair.

Furthermore, if this was supposed to emulate a Nazi invasion, there were some key missing scenes of Jewish and other minority groups being disappeared to internment camps. Though to Steinbeck’s credit, I don’t know how common this knowledge of events were at the time of his writing this work.

What the novel does really well though, is highlight the tenacity and perseverance of everyday people in an occupied town. Also, by showing that the invading force are made up of people rather than monsters, Steinbeck shows that they can certainly be defeated. One of the tale’s lead invaders, Colonel Lanser, admits,

We trained our young men for victory and you’ve got to admit they’re glorious in victory, but they don’t quite know how to act in defeat. We told them they were brighter and braver than other young men. It was a kind of shock for them to find out that they aren’t a bit braver or brighter than other young men.

What Steinbeck demonstrates well is that occupation is not necessarily defeat, so despite my criticisms I would still definitely recommend this book.