The Evolution of the Mayor

In The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck, I was able to see major growth of character in the mayor of the town. This was very interesting seeing how the mayor rose to occasion and grew as a person after the soldiers invaded his town. At the beginning of this story the mayor is kind of portrayed as a little silly and not someone you would think would be a good leader. In fact when the first time the mayor walks into the room he has his finger in his ear scratching around or something, and was late because his wife was trying to make him look presentable (Steinbeck 6). At the beginning of the story he admits to the colonel that he is deeply confused by the sudden occupation that has happened in his town (Steinbeck 15). This makes the mayor seem slow to take action. He also does not put up much of a fight when Colonel Lansing wants to put his headquarters in the mayor's house (Steinbeck 17). I think the mayor would have tried to refuse if he realized this action was taken to keep an eye on the mayor. The colonel probably only lets the mayor keep his job because he doesn't seem like he will put up much of a fight. The colonel, the reader finds, ends up being gravely mistaken. The mayor cares for his people and is dedicated to them. He hates knowing the people think he is involved in the soldier's plot. (Steinbeck 42) This and the cruelty the soldiers have shown move the mayor to action, and he decides to fight with the people. He is the mastermind of getting explosives from other countries and begins to lead the people in their rebellion (Steinbeck 78). This is a far cry from the person he used to be and has rose to the occasion of helping his people. This causes the army to take the mayor captive in return for the stopping the bombing (Steinbeck 97). The mayor will not agree and gives his life so the villagers can keep up their fight (Steinbeck 98).

Bibliography:Steinbeck, John. The Moon Is Down. New York. Penguin Group USA, 2009. Print