Chapter four is a really depressing chapter. We know that Alexander is going to have to die, though many of us want him to be allowed to live. I feel sorry for both him and his wife. Basically, all that goes on in this chapter is Alexander's trial and death sentence. When asked if he denied killing Captain Bentick, Alexander replied sadly that he did not mean to kill him. His actual intention was to hit Captain Loft, no Bentick, but Bentick got in the way. Also, when asked if he is sorry for what he did, he replied with, "Sorry? I'm not sorry. He told me to go to work - me, a free man! I used to be alderman. He said I had to work." (Steinbeck 53). My only reaction was, "You're just making it worse for yourself." Truthfully, though, the death sentence was going to occur no matter what. We also can see from the dialogue between Mayor Orden and Alexander that they are friends, which makes the situation even worse. We learn that because their town has been invaded, even though he is the mayor, Orden can not do anything about this sentence. Alex understands and sadly goes outside to be shot. Immediately afterwards, another shot rings out. Lieutenant Prackle has apparently been shot in the shoulder. Now, the whole town is pretty much on lockdown... Great.
I like this novel so far. Again, its not my favorite, but it is not as boring as I believe it would be. It has good, believable dialogue, which I really enjoy. In normal conversations, people tend to try to add a little bit of humor. They also get side-tracked sometimes. The characters in this story do exactly those things, and it often makes me smile. The book is rather dark though, so that part kind of upsets me, but its real life. The characters in this novel are in the middle of a war-situation, and that is a dark and serious time. I feel that the author has accurately captured these sullen emotions. I look forward to reading on.
Steinbeck, John. The Moon Is Down. New York: Penguin Classics, 1942. Print.
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