The Moon Essay, Research Paper

The Moon is Down Chapter One: Here we learn

that a small town has been taken over by one of the many

Nazi groups during World War Two. Mr. Corell ? The town

good guy?, the way I view it, sent the town postmen and

policemen on a boating trip, keeping them from the invasion

(we learn later that ?The town good guy? is really a

back-stabber later in the book). After the invasion, the

Nazis request a meeting with the town?s Mayor, Mayor

Orden. Joseph and Doctor Winter, two of Mayor Orden?s

colleagues, await the arrival of Nazis too. The two meet

Captain Bentick, a rank lower than Colonel Lanser who is

the one who had requested the meeting. Bentick searches

the home. During the meeting Annie, Mayor Orden?s cook,

becomes very aggravated by the soldiers who wait outside

the front porch of the Mayor?s home, and throws a pot of

boiling water at them. Chapter Two: In this chapter,

Steinbeck explains the characteristics of each of the Nazis.

Major Hunter, an engineer, ?arithmatician?, and seemingly

indifferent to the fact that he is a soldier. Captain Bentick, a

family man, was old and kind. Bentick also has certain

admiration to the English. Captain Loft, a young man, took

much pride in the fact that he was a soldier. He dreams of

his own death on the battlefield, where he is respected.

?Lieutenants Prackle and Tonder were snot noses,

undergraduates, lieutenants, trained in the politics of the day?

(Quoted out of the book; there seemed to be no sense

putting it in my own words since it was right there, and

couldn?t have been worded any better). Colonel Lanser

takes much pride in what he does. To me, he sees life as an

order given by a higher rank that must be taken out. It is also

in this chapter that Captain Bentick dies by one Alexander

Morden, a town dweller. Chapter Three: The chapter begins

with a discussion between Annie and Joseph, who are

talking about Alexander Morden and the death of Captain

Bentick. Joseph reveals to Annie what he surely thinks will

happen… ?They?ll shoot him?. Annie is rejecting the awful

thought. Unfortunately it is true and Alex will be tried. Molly

Morden, Alex?s wife, met with the Mayor because of a

rumor that had been circulating in the town. ?You wouldn?t

convict Alex would you??, the replies, ?No?. To the

Mayor?s anger he found that he did have to sentence Alex to

death; luckily he managed to shirk the awful duty. Chapter

Four: This Chapter is very brief, it simply goes into Alex?s

trial, where he IS convicted, and shot in a public area.

Because of Alex?s death, the Mayor requests Annie to keep

Molly company in her time of Mourning. Chapter Five: This

snow begins to stick, and the Nazis begin a friendly

discussion that turns into a bitter argument of being home for

Christmas and when the war will end. Chapter Six: The

chapter begins with a description of the town. The streets

are quiet, lights are turned out, and fear is about. Annie

arrives to the home of Molly to keep her company and to

catch her up on current events. Mayor Orden will be arriving

to her home soon to speak to her and the Anders? will be

leaving that very night. When she left, minutes later, Molly

heard a knock at the door. She thought of Annie and what

she could?ve left behind or forgotten, but it was Lieutenant

Tonder. Molly turned straight to her own defense by asking

who he was and what he wanted. Tonder explained his

feelings toward Molly, and Molly although seemingly

flattered, she became bitter because of the death of her

husband. She calms down and apologizes for her behavior.

She then begins talking about her husband and how he was

killed. She then tells him that he was the one who was told

to publicly execute him. When Tonder remembers, he

becomes crushed because he realizes the is no chance for

the two of them to remain friends even though their

relationship had only lasted minutes. Tonder leaves and

Annie enters. ?You haven?t joined them have you?? Molly

replies, ?No Annie, I haven?t?. With Annie come the Anders

brothers and the Mayor. The two brothers tell Molly how

they plan to flee and who they will take with them. ?We?re

also taking Mr. Corell; it?s only fitting if we also take his

boat.?. The group began putting their heads together to think

of some kind of retaliation. The Mayor tells the Anders

brothers to tell people of what has been happening and to

bring back defensive and offensive weapons. Tonder comes

back and knocks on the door; Molly quickly rushes the

group outside the backdoor not to be seen. Chapter Seven:

To me, this chapter is what I think of as the turning point in

the book. The chapter begins with two soldiers going back

and fourth with meaningless dribble. One of them spots

planes high in the sky. The planes begin to drop little devices

with blue parachutes attached. The Nazis begin to fear what

these packages are. Still some men go on to open them, and

inside them reveal plans for a revolt. It gives directions on

how to sabotage the railroads made by the Nazis. A meeting

was then held about these devices (The Nazis were afraid to

open them). When opened, Colonel Lanser?s anger raged to

find the directions to the revolt. (At this point, Steinbeck

reveals Tonder is dead as a result of coming back to Molly?s

home. ?Tonder?s death was of no help to us; he was

lonely?)Prackle enters the room and asks to go home; he

too is scared and lonely, and I believe hewants leave

because these were the same conditions Tonder was in

before he died. Colonel Lanser tells him he can?t leave, and

he may do whatever he wants to the girl he disires as long as

when he is asked, he will shoot her. Mr. Corell enters; he is

in pain and various bones in his body are broken. ?The same

night Tonder died, I was waylaid,? he said (obviously by the

Anders). ?the two escaped in my boat, the patrol saved

me?. Mr. Corell is angered by what happened to him so he

requests that Mr. Lanser place Mayor Orden and Doctor

Winter under arrest and placed to be hostages because the

two always seem to be at the scene of the crime. Mr. Corell

is sure this will stop if not slow down the revolt. Chapter

Eight: News begins to spread of the Mayor?s arrest. Even

children found the devices with the blue parachutes while

playing. They ate what food was in the package and hid the

dynamite and told the parents where they stored it.

Widespread search for more packages began by both sides

of the war. Annie is working on the house and sees Mayor

Orden in his room guarded by a soldier. Doctor Winter

enters with another soldier. The speak of what may happen

to each other. Not surprisingly, they hadn?t spoken of death.

Finally the subject of death is brought up. The two began to

move away from the subject of death, and began to

reminisce about old times. They recalled a quote and the

Mayor began to recite it. Through the quote he left out

words or forgot them and Colonel Lanser corrected him as

he quietly entered the room. Prackle barged in as the Mayor

was reciting, but Lanser did not let him interrupt the Mayor.

When he was done, Prackle told Lanser finding men with

dynamite. Lanser tells the Mayor that this must stop, but he

is denied. Not because he is angry, but because he has no

control of the people. Mayor Orden told Lanser the people

won?t stand for being conquered they will fight, and they will

be driven out. They begin to here explosions of rebellion,

and the Mayor leaves the room awaiting his execution.