The Moon Is Down Literary Elements

Short Story, Short Fiction

An unnamed nation who have been occupied by a neighboring unspecified Northern European country who are at war with England and Germany, and the story is set in the early 1940s during the same time frame as World War II.

The point of view is that of the nation that has been occupied, specifically the residents of a small mining town that is under siege.

Suspicious and threatening; somber combative.

The protagonists are the honest citizens of the town, and the antagonist is Mr Coreli, who is a traitor.

The first conflict in the story is between the highest ranking German officer and the Mayor; they go to occupy his house, asking politely at first, but he refuses to cooperate, so a siege ensues.

The Mayor is arrested because he is siding with the villagers and refusing to help the occupying force. He walks out of the door of the barn to his death.

Corell's collaboration with the German occupiers foreshadows the imprisonment and subsequent murder of the mayor and those who do not help the Germans.

N/A

The entire story alludes to the German occupation of Norway during World War Two.

The imagery is stark and enables the reader to visualize the threatening nature of the situation and the barren backdrop of the country that they are occupying. The way in which the town is gradually more and more damaged is also described vividly by the author.

Mayor Orden tries to save Alex's life by refusing to execute him, but Alex is killed anyway.

There is a parallel between the unnamed country that is being occupied, and Norway during World War Two when it was occupied by the German army.

The villagers is used to encompass all of the individuals living in the community.

Often the author will state that "the village felt" or "it was the opinion of the village," which is personification because a village is not an entity that is capable of emotion or thought.