The Moon is Down

The Moon is Down is a 1942 novel by John Steinbeck detailing the invasion of a fictional town and their subsequent resistance to occupation.

Summary
A small unnamed town is invaded by a foreign army (which is heavily implied to be the Germans). The invaders are met with almost no resistance, as the town militia consists of 12 individuals and the invaders have machine guns. Six of the town militia are killed in the takeover. Colonel Lanser, leader of the invading army and a veteran of many occupations, establishes his army headquarters in the house of Orden, the mayor of the town. Orden is described as being an expression of the will of the people, acting only when he knows that they are behind him. The occupiers expect a peaceful occupation, as they need to export coal from this town to fuel their war machine elsewhere. This is not the case, however, as a local miner revolts early on, declaring himself a "free man" and attempting to kill one of the invading officers. In his anger, however, he kills the wrong officer. He is tried by the invaders and executed by firing squad, but not until Orden assures him that he will be made into a martyr for the people. The people begin to act coldly toward the occupying force, seemingly waiting for something. The invaders slowly realize the futility of their endeavor ("to break man's spirit permanently") and the psychological effects of the resistance begin to take their toll. Most notably, Lieutenant Tonder, a young officer, lets his guard down and opens up emotionally to the wife of the man he had earlier sentenced to execution. In his moment of vulnerability, she stabs him to death. Some townspeople escape to England and request assistance from the English. They send planes and drop packets full of explosives that the people can use for resistance. Colonel Lanser, who realizes that military procedures are ineffective but follows them anyway, takes Mayor Orden captive and threatens to execute him if the people use the explosives. Orden, however, claims that nothing can stop the people and accepts his own death. He discusses the trial of Socrates and how Socrates accepted his death as necessary because "a man who is good for anything ought not to calculate the chance of living or dying; he ought only to consider whether he is doing right or wrong." Furthermore, Orden believes that the idea of the Mayor will live beyond his death, as he is really only an embodiment of the will of the people and the ideals of democracy.

The Moral of the Story
The moral of Steinbeck's story is extremely interesting when considered within its historical context: Steinbeck specifically wrote the work as anti-fascist propaganda during World War II in order to drum up support for the Allies among conquered people. The novel is an exhortation to resist unlawful occupation and transgressions against freedom and democracy. What's perhaps interesting to consider, though, is what means Steinbeck suggests for resistance. Is Steinbeck arguing for violent, militaristic resistance, like the character of Hadji Murat? Or is he advocating passive non-resistance, like Gandhi does in Hind Swaraj? On the one hand, the people are very clearly resisting violently. They kill their oppressors and are just beginning to detonate explosives against them as the novel ends. Mayor Orden states, "I couldn't stop it if I wanted to." Thus, active, violent resistance is seen as inevitable expression of the will of the people, which is the ideal that Steinbeck seems to be striving for. On the other hand, the psychological effects of the people's attitude seems to be even more effective at breaking down the invading force. Furthermore, Mayor Orden definitely practices passive non-resistance, refusing to in any way resist his execution and even expressing shame that he might have considered resisting. This seems contradictory, as both forms of resistance are fundamentally in opposition, yet Steinbeck seems to be advocating both. Perhaps the moral of the story is resistance, no matter the form. A more nuanced interpretation could also be taken up when one considers the source of the two forms of resistance: violent resistance comes from the people en masse, whereas Orden's passive resistance is highly individualized. Using the lens of Hind Swaraj, one could say that Orden's passive non-resistance is achieved through mastery of the self and his selfish desires for self-preservation. Thus, perhaps we as individuals should practice passive non-resistance, but that philosophy can never hold for entire masses of people, for whom active resistance is also an effective means.