The Moon is Down: Hero

The hero in this novel is hard to find.  There are many small heroes that can be identified.  Some of the main heroes are Mayor Order, Molly Morden, and Doctor Winter.  These characters are all small heroes that complete different duties in the novel.  They all are heroes in different ways, but they are heroes none the less.

Mayor Orden is a hero in many ways.  He is kind, caring, and genuine.  He is so kind to all of his people and his feeling toward them is so genuine.  He truely cares for his people and feels deeply saddened when something goes wrong for them.  He was very sympathetic to Molly when Alex was sentenced.  He tried to help the most he could but he could not do that much.  He is heroic because he helps his town as much as he can.  He helps Molly escape when she murders Tonder, and he helps the fisherman brothers escape.  Also, when it is his time to sacrifice, he accepts that he must die in order to give his towns people the push toward rebelling against the soldiers.  He represents courage.  He is so brave when he decides to man up and die for his town.  This was so heroic for him to do.

Molly Morden is a lesser hero than the mayor.  However, she is very heroic.  She avenges her husband by murdering Tonder.  This was not that heroic, but in a way it was. She fought for her husband, herself, and her town by murdering one of their soldiers.  She is kind, strong, and a relatable character.  She is kind to all that help her and helps them back.  She is strong because she did not crumble when her husband was dead.  And she is relatable because she experienced pain and everyone can relate.  She escapes the town, and is able to live on. She represents rebellion.  She is basically the start, besides her husband, to the rebellion.

Doctor Winter is the last hero to acknowledge.  Doctor Winter is very intelligent, kind, and likable.  Everyone seeks Doctor Winter's advice and he is considered authority even though he is not elected.  He is kind to all of his peers even though others think of him as above them.  Doctor WInter shows strength when he knows that his friend, the mayor, will die.  He also knows that it will soon be his time after.  He accepts this and is brave about it.  He accomplishes thinking of ideas to help the rebellion.  This is very heroic, but in a different way than the others.  He represents leadership.  His ideas overshadow the Mayors because he is more intelligent.  He is a true logical leader.

Steinbeck, John. The Moon Is Down. New York: Penguin Classics, 1942. Print.