Blue Parachutes

A little over half way through the book "The Moon is Down" by John Steinbeck, there seems to be a somewhat of a turning point. I am referring to when the blue parachutes arrive. Up to this point there really was not a lot of success with revolting against the Nazis. They did have a few victories such as Molly Morden when she murdered Lieutenant Tonder and some people had managed to escape, but really nothing major. They were kind of stuck because they really did not have the resources to do something big against their oppressors. " 'We want to fight them and we can't.' Orden said. 'They're using hunger on the people now. Hunger brings weakness. You boys are sailing for England. Maybe nobody will listen to you, but tell them from us-from a small town- to give us weapons' " (Steinbeck, 83). These blue parachutes were exactly what they needed. These blue parachutes were delivered by planes and floated down to this small coal-mining village. They were small and were easily spotted against the snow. They landed all over; in the fields, in the trees, in the streets. Each blue parachute contained chocolate, and a tube of dynamite with a piece of writing that told the finder exactly what to do with it and how to use it and where to use it. The townspeople were not hesitant to collect them. They even got their children in on the hunt. The kids would find them, eat the chocolate, hide the dynamite, and then go back to their parents to tell them where they put it. The soldiers on the other hand were much more cautious. At first, they thought the tubes were time bombs and would not go near them. When they found out what they really were, they were angered and brought them to the Colonel. They then tried to find them before the townspeople got to them, but they were not as good at finding them as the children were. With this precious gift, the townspeople planned to make their attack. Towards the end of the book, you read about the dynamite going off and destroying the Nazis rail road tracks.

Steinbeck, John. The Moon Is Down, by John Steinbeck,... Stockholm: Continental Book C°, 1949. Print.