Colonel Lanser's The Moon Is Down

Throughout the course of human history, it seems an occupying force must colonize or commit genocide in order to establish stability with the occupied. If the occupier attempts to oppress the occupied by means of stripping the basic roots of said society, then the occupied will rise up and resist the occupier. The Moon is Down emulates this idea of resistance. In this novel, the occupier is a battalion, headed by Colonel Lanser, expecting cooperation with the occupied, the citizens of the town. Similar to the U.S. occupation in Afghanistan, Colonel Lanser causes physical and mental problems for his battalion because he incorrectly established and administered an oppressive authority over the town. One of the first and foremost issues that the colonel ignores …show more content…
The psychological aspect garners major attention to paranoia and uncertainty. Lieutenant Tonder epitomizes this hysteria. As he is talking to his fellow officers, he says, “Maybe I could walk down the street and people would say, ‘Hello,’…and they’d be glad for me and…of me. And there’d be friends about, and I could turn my back to a man without being afraid” (Steinbeck 67). Given the oppressive rule of the battalion, it is no wonder why the townspeople try to avoid communication and friendliness towards the soldiers. Plus, once there is a violent conflict between the two sides, there is a huge breach of trust. This highlights this unnerving fear in the back of the soldiers’ minds. To live everyday with a fear of even having their backs turned to the townspeople goes to show how deep the fear of being attacked has messed with their sanity. Lieutenant Tonder wraps up his hysteria by simply saying, “I want to go home” (Steinbeck 69). This statement is a clear indication of how bad the conditions have become. Due to the constant threat of attack, the will of the soldiers has been pushed to the

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