Outline for potential essay on the effects of war using Steinbeck's The Moon is Down characters.

The Effects of War

Thesis: The damaging effect of war on the conquered and the conquerors of The Moon is Down, by John Steinbeck.

I. Lieutenant Tonder

A. Naive Poet

1. He felt that the enemy should love him.

a. "... he loses control and suggests that the leader is crazy, that the war will never end , and hysterically avows that the flies conquer the flypaper" (Clancy 104).

2. He is effected by the reaction of the townspeople.

a. "These people! These horrible people! These cold

people! They never look at you. They never speak. They

answer like dead men. They obey, these horrible people.

And the girls are frozen." (Steinbeck 71).

II. Colonel Lanser

A. Soldier vs. human being

1. He was effected because all he did was listen to

orders even though they were'nt the right thing to do.

a. "I will carry out my orders no matter what

they are" (Steinbeck 125).

English: John Steinbeck

Grave site of John Steinbeck and family

English: Own Work. 2007. National Steinbeck Centre...

III. Mayor Orden

A. He is a simple man who believes in the fighting spirit

of his townspeople.

1. He thought that no sacrifice was too great for

freedom.

a. "He is made to rise from the triviality of the first

scene, in which we see him getting his hair trimmed from his

ears so he will look neat for the conquerer, to the

greatness of the last scene, in which he is led out to be

shot, he calmly quotes socrates's last words" (Lisca 192).

IV. Molly Morden

A. Her husband Alex was executed.

1. Unravels the wool from an old sweater and winded

yarn in a ball to keep heer mind off of her husband's

death.

a. laughed with Lt. Tonder and then killed him.