QUESTIONS FOR JOHN STEINBECK'S THE MOON IS DOWN

1. Steinbeck gained national fame in the 1930s as a critic of the corporate liberal systemin his book about Dust Bowl refugees, The Grapes of Wrath. This point of view carries over into this World War II propaganda novel. How is the German occupation described here similar to the "bureaucratic control" of Taylorism? 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. Why isn't Corell made mayor by the colonel?Why isn't Annie punished?

4. How does the mayor's use of power evolve over the course of the story? What kind of authority does the mayor have?