The Moon is Down question #3

"The Moon is Down" by John Steinbeck addresses several universal themes. I think two of these would be strength and unity. The conflict dealt with in this book is that Nazi's are taking over and trying to control the townspeople, but are struggling to do so while the townspeople are doing their best to maintain their freedom and revolt. During this struggle, the townspeople  have great strength and fight as best they can, against their oppressors. One of the first signs of fighting back was through Alexander Morden. Alexander stood up for himself and defended his freedom and in the process, killed Captain Bentick. Another form of strength shown was through Molly. Molly, out of revenge for her husband, was able to take another soldiers' life, Lieutenant Tonder. The theme of strength is universal because it applies to so much. It may not be as great as being oppressed by Nazi's, but it could be applied to simply being strong in a tough situation, such as a divorce, a hard practice, or the loss of a loved one. Another theme is unity. Unity is what made the townspeople's revolt a success. The main key that unified them was the parachutes. This gift gave them the courage they needed and the resources they lacked. Working together, they were able to successfully blow up the Nazi's rail road tracks and begin their revolt. John Steinbeck understands a lot about human nature. The two main points he writes about is the nature for freedom and the nature for love and family. The nature for love and family is shown through the soldiers. One example of this would be when they talk about how they wish to go home for Christmas. Another example would be when Lieutenant Tonder explains his feelings for Molly." 'You are so beautiful, so warm. Your hair is bright. Oh, I've seen no kindness in a woman's face for so long!' " (Steinbeck, 75). The nature for freedom is shown through the people. An example of this would be when Alex attacks Loft and the townspeople's attempts to revolt.


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

The Moon is Down question #2

There are many causes, gains, and losses, dealt with in "The Moon is Down" by John Steinbeck. The main conflict of the story is that the Nazi's are taking over but struggling to control the townspeople and the townspeople are working to revolt and over take them without being shot themselves. The cause of this conflict is simply because it is war. It is also because of the Nazi's cruel desire for control and the townspeoples' natural resistance to being controlled by others. The Nazi's try to dictate their control through threats and punishment. A great example of this is Alexander Morden. Loft was demanding Alexander to get back to work when he was wanting to quit. Alexander already had a short temper and shouting that he was a free man, he came at him with his pick. When Captain Bentick tried to interfere, he was killed. Alexander was then sentenced to trial and was shot in a public execution. A gain dealt in this conflict would be the soldiers power. Because of their weapons and such, it seemed almost impossible for the townspeople to have a chance, but a gift they receive completely changes the playing field. Later in the book, the townspeople gain courage from a small gift sent from above. "They landed in the white fields and among the woods of the hills and they landed in trees and hung down from the branches" (Steinbeck, 90). These would be the blue parachutes dropped from the planes. These parachutes contained chocolate, dynamite, and directions on how and where to use it. This gave the townspeople a fighting chance against the Nazi's and the courage to revolt. Because of the gift of the dynamite, the Nazi's suffered losses. The first to go, was their confidence and they became worried and angry about the parachutes being received. Another loss dealt with was the loss of soldiers. One of them was Lieutenant Tonder, who was killed out of revenge by Molly. One last loss was the rail road tracks. With the help of the dynamite, the townspeople were able to destroy the rail roads and begin their revolt.

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

The Moon is Down question #1

The writing "The Moon is Down" reveals a lot about John Steinbeck's values and attitudes. One of the things the book reveals about what John Steinbeck values would be courage. I feel like courage is shown through the townspeople and especially towards the end of the book. At the end of the book, plans of revolt start to form. The first real act of revolt I think was when Molly kills lieutenant Tonder when he comes to visit the second time. Her bitterness for him because of the death of her husband Alex was too much for her to forgive and she took her revenge. This is also displayed when the Anders boys flee and then when the planes carrying the parachutes are sent. These blue parachutes were just what the townspeople needed to get the ball rolling. These gifts contained chocolate, dynamite, and directions on exactly what to do with it. "They went to them and picked them up. They saw the gift and suddenly each finder grew furtive, and he concealed the long tube under his coat and went to some secret place and hid the tube" (Steinbeck, 90).The townspeople needed to have courage in order to pull this off and they did. "The Moon is Down" also revealed the authors attitudes. This story I think reveals John Steinbeck's attitude about World War II and this attitude being that he does not agree with Germany and is celebrating their defeat. This idea is displayed by the way he wrote about their revolts and victories. These would be when Molly kills Lieutenant Tonder. It was also shown by the parachutes and their success in blowing up the Nazi's rail road tracks. "The Moon is Down" by John Steinbeck is written in third person. I think this was a good choice for this type of book because it does not tell the story from a certain side. It is written in a way that the reader does not see the story from the Nazi's or townspeople point of view, but simply how it is.

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

Marlin in The Old Man and the Sea

The marlin serves a great role in "The Old Man and the Sea". This character, although not a human character, makes up the other half of the story along with Santiago. The marlin is what makes the story interesting. Without this character, the book would just be about some old guy that is out at sea for five days doing nothing. The marlin in "The Old Man and the Sea" is described as being massive. We learn at the end of the book that the marlin is eighteen feet long. The fish is also described as being purple and silver striped. "The fish had turned silver from his original purple and silver, and the stripes showed the same pale violet colour as his tail" (Hemingway, 96). Now Santiago did not intentionally set out to sea in hopes of finding this marlin, he was just fishing where the big fish promised to be. The fight between the marlin and Santiago lasted three full days. During these days the marlin fought to stay alive while Santiago fought for the biggest catch of his life. The marlin was very strong and swam pulling the old man and his skiff for a long time before deciding to swim with the current. At the end of the three days the great marlin grows tired and eventually starts to circle and is then killed by Santiago. Even after its death, the fish continues to cause problems for the old man. His scent attracts sharks and in the end there is nothing left of him except for his carcass. I think in this book, the marlin represents your goal. In "The Old Man and the Sea" , Santiago's goal was to catch the marlin. This can teach the reader to never give up and fight until your goal is achieved even if you must go through some hardships to get it. I think the marlin could also symbolize the ideal opponent. The marlin was a great opponent for Santiago because he brought out such great characteristics in him. These included respect, strength, love, and determination.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1952. Print.

Irony and tone of The Old Man and the Sea

"The Old Man and the Sea" by Ernest Hemingway is a very informative book, and Hemingway uses different techniques in this story to make his writing more effective. One of these techniques is irony. I personally like reading stories with irony and I think the correct use of it can add interest to a book and make it more enjoyable. One of the things I found ironic at the beginning of the book was the fact that Santiago had such a shockingly long streak of bad luck with fishing. I found this ironic because I figured the story being called "The Old Man and the Sea" meant that the main character would be a master at fishing. I was not expecting Santiago to be at such an unfortunate state. Another use of irony was the fact that the sharks completely devoured the entire marlin. After such an epic battle, I was surprised when I read about the numerous shark attacks. I was definitely not expecting such a heavy loss after Santiago's victory of catching the great marlin, especially since it took him an entire three days to reel him in. I think this added interest to the story and I personally was anxious as to what the outcome of the attacks would be. One last use of irony used is at the very end of the book when the spectators see the skeleton of Santiago's enormous fish. They have no idea that the skeleton belongs to a marlin and mistake it for a shark. It is ironic because sharks are the reason the fish is a skeleton. " 'I didn't know sharks had such handsome, beautifully formed tails.' 'I didn't either, ' her male companion said" (Hemingway, 127). Hemingway did a nice job of adding irony to the story and I think it was a positive add to the book.The tone used in "The Old Man and the Sea" is very straight forward and informative. There really is not any humor used and Hemingway wrote it very seriously.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1952. Print.

Manolin from The Old Man and the Sea

Manolin, although not the main character of "The Old Man and the Sea", still serves an important role in this book. Manolin is a young boy who is Santiago's apprentice in the story. It says in the book that Santiago first took Manolin out fishing when he was just five years old and they had been together ever since. After Santiago's bad luck and streak of eighty-four days without a single catch, Manolin's parents refused to let Manolin continue fishing with him. Nevertheless, Manolin disobeys his parents to stay loyal to Santiago. Santiago is a mentor to Manolin and his teachings will live on in Manolin even after he dies. Some characteristics I would use to describe Manolin would be youthful, caring, loving, and loyal. Manolin is very youthful and is a great apprentice for Santiago. Santiago says aloud multiple times how he wishes the boy was with him to reel in the great marlin. Being youthful, Manolin will be able to learn a lot from Santiago before he passes away and then be able to keep Santiago alive through his teachings that will live on through him. Manolin is very caring and comes every morning to Santiago's shack and always does whatever he can to help him. He is loving as well. Not only does Manolin visit him daily, he also makes sure he always has a blanket and helps keep him fed as well. While reading, their relationship reminded me of a father and a son in the way they would talk about baseball together and really cared for one another. Lastly, Manolin is loyal. Manolin is there for Santiago through everything. He was there for him even in his streak of bad luck and there for him waiting for him to get home. Manolin was so devoted and as the reader, I really appreciated his character. Like I said, Manolin waited five days for Santiago's return. When Manolin found him in his shack in the morning, he cried. "He went out very quietly to bring some coffee and all the way down the road he was crying" (Hemingway, 122). After crying, he immediately went to tend for him, bringing him coffee, a clean shirt, food, and the newspaper. Throughout the entire journey, Manolin had never left his mentor. 

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1952. Print.

The Old Man and the Sea question #8

I think "The Old Man and the Sea" reflects events in history quite accurately. Although the book is pretty straight forward just about Santiago's epic journey on the sea, we can still get a peek at the history going on around him through the setting and such. "The Old Man and the Sea" was written in 1951 and published in 1952. To kind of get a glimpse at what times were like during this period you can look at what Hemingway wrote about the setting. This story takes place in a small fishing village in Cuba and then the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Back then, resources were not as plentiful and a lot of people had to provide food for themselves and their families by catching or growing it themselves. This is what Santiago did. One of the struggles with this is that if you cannot provide for yourself, then you simply would not eat. This is what Santiago struggled with but luckily he had the boy, Manolin, who helped keep him fed. One set of responsibilities I think Ernest Hemingway believed existed was between workers and bosses. In "The Old Man and the Sea" this could apply to Santiago and Manolin. Manolin was very loyal and I think genuinely cared for Santiago. He came to him every morning and always did whatever he could to help him. Manolin stayed loyal to Santiago even when he was away for three days catching the marlin and came to his shack every morning to see if he had returned. "It was blowing so hard that the drifting boats would not be going out and the boy had slept late and then come to the old man's shack as he had come each morning" (Hemingway, 122). Something that I think definitely influenced Ernest Hemingway when he was writing was the fact that he had served in World War I and World War II, as well as witness the liberation of Paris and the argument in the Cuban Communist party in 1945. These events I'm sure influenced his view of defeat which he then displayed through this book.

 Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1952. Print.