By choosing to tell the story of a philosopher who perished at the hands of tyranny thousands of years ago, Steinbeck emphasizes that the message is not new, it has all been delivered before, and yet it remains unlearned.Īrmies continue to invade and defeat enemies and yet in so doing, they only elevate rather than defeat the human spirit.

In The Moon Is Down, toward the end of the book, Steinbeck uses the story of the death of Socrates as the clearest articulation of his message. Conquering armies deliver the conquered either tyranny or benevolence, but at the expense of the conquered’s freedom, the freedom of any person to determine his own destiny. Throughout time, the human spirit has risen to the challenge of conquest again and again. The truth Steinbeck reveals is that people can be beaten, be conquered, even be enslaved, but they cannot be defeated. But Steinbeck’s brilliance shows in the very choice of making both the town and the invader anonymous because to give either the town or the invader names would be to tell a specific story rather than to reveal a broader truth: The Moon Is Down is about any town, any conquerer, any war.

In addition to, and more than entertaining, it is inspiring.Īt its literal level, The Moon Is Down tells the story of an anonymous town “conquered” by an anonymous invader. It reveals truths, stirs and awakens feelings, captures insight and profound revelation, and alters the ways readers see the world. Pablo Picasso is credited with saying something like, “Art is the lie that reveals the truth.” Literature rises above being just good writing, just a good book, or just a good poem by saying so much more than the literal meaning of its words.

Steinbeck the moon is down