The Moon is Down

by John Steinbeck

Against the fiercest assault on freedom during this century, John Steinbeck calmly reaffirmed in The Moon Is Down the bedrock principles of democracy: the worth of the individual, and the power deriving from free citizens sharing common commitments.

“Madame, I think with your permission we will not have wine. The people are confused now. They have lived at peace so long that they do not quite believe in war. They will learn and then they will not be confused any more. They elected me not to be confused. Six town boys were murdered this morning. I think we will have no hunt breakfast. The people do not fight wars for sport.”

war is treachery and hatred, the muddling of incompetent generals, the torture and killing and sickness and tiredness, until at last it is over and nothing has changed except for new weariness and new hatreds.

He’ll look down on war from above and so he’ll always love it.”

“I’m tired of people who have not been at war who know all about it.”

“How could the people know what I don’t know?” he said. “That is a great mystery,” said Doctor Winter. “That is a mystery that has disturbed rulers all over the world—how the people know. It disturbs the invaders now, I am told, how news runs through censorships, how the truth of things fights free of control. It is a great mystery.”

“you see, what I think, sir, I, a man of a certain age and certain memories, is of no importance. I might agree with you, but that would change nothing. The military, the political pattern I work in has certain tendencies and practices which are invariable.” Orden said, “And these tendencies and practices have been proven wrong in every single case since the beginning of the world.” Lanser laughed bitterly. “I, an individual man with certain memories, might agree with you, might even add that one of the tendencies of the military mind and pattern is an inability to learn, an inability to see beyond the killing which is its job.

We trained our young men for victory and you’ve got to admit they’re glorious in victory, but they don’t quite know how to act in defeat. We told them they were brighter and braver than other young men. It was a kind of shock to them to find out that they aren’t a bit braver or brighter than other young men.”

Hunter stood up and he said, “Yes. I suppose the orders are coming in from the capital?” “Yes.” “Are they—” “You know what they are,” Lanser interrupted. “You know what they’d have to be. Take the leaders, shoot the leaders, take hostages, shoot the hostages, take more hostages, shoot them”—his voice had risen but now it sank almost to a whisper—“and the hatred growing and the hurt between us deeper and deeper.”

They think that just because they have only one leader and one head, we are all like that. They know that ten heads lopped off will destroy them, but we are a free people; we have as many heads as we have people, and in a time of need leaders pop up among us like mushrooms.”

I am a little man and this is a little town, but there must be a spark in little men that can burst into flame. I am afraid, I am terribly afraid, and I thought of all the things I might do to save my own life, and then that went away, and sometimes now I feel a kind of exultation, as though I were bigger and better than I am,

Colonel Lanser said harshly, “I arrested you as a hostage for the good behavior of your people. Those are my orders.” “But that won’t stop it,” Orden said simply. “You don’t understand. When I have become a hindrance to the people, they will do without me.”

“You see, sir, nothing can change it. You will be destroyed and driven out.” His voice was very soft. “The people don’t like to be conquered, sir, and so they will not be. Free men cannot start a war, but once it is started, they can fight on in defeat. Herd men, followers of a leader, cannot do that, and so it is always the herd men who win battles and the free men who win wars. You will find that is so, sir.”