The Moon Is Down : Beyond Documentary and Propaganda

Abstract This article deals with The Moon Is Down, a novel by American writer John Steinbeck, which later evolved into a play and movie. On its publication in 1942, it came as a shock to readers eagerly waiting another book on the same epic scale as its monumental predecessor, The Grapes of Wrath. During World War II, The Moon Is Down successfully served as a work of propaganda, as Steinbeck intended, raising morale in the European resistance movement. However, it is not contingent upon time or place; the enduring appeal of this work, which reflects delusions, traumas, and fears of a historical period, is attributable to its idea about the unconquerable spirit of those reacting to the assault on freedom and democracy. This is the assurance the people of Ukraine and Gaza, among others, want to hear.