America culture.
STUDY QUESTIONS FOR STEINBECK, THE MOON IS DOWN
Note: Cite page numbers from the text where you find your information. Hand this completed sheet in at the end of the discussion section. You may add information during the discussion section, but most of your work should be finished before you come to class.
BACKGROUND: Steinbeck gained national fame in the 1930s as a critic of the corporate liberal system in his book about Dust Bowl refugees, The Grapes of Wrath. This point of view carries over into this World War II propaganda novel.
1.) According to Steinbeck, how can a conquered people fight against a bureaucratic and technological power?
2.) How do the invaders attempt to legitimate their authority, and how are these attempts resisted?
3.) What kind of authority does the mayor have? How does this change over the course of the story?
4.) What does the Mayor tell Alex as he sends him away to his death sentence? Why is this important?