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Major Hunter
A man who has lived for some time in the town as a well-liked storekeeper, but who has actually been serving as an informant for the invading military. In addition to telling the invaders which people in the town owns guns (along with other information pertinent to conquering the village), Mr. Corell organizes a competition in the woods so that the townspeople will be unprepared on the day the invading military arrives. His betrayal comes as a great shock to everybody, especially Mayor Orden, who in the past has collaborated with Corell on various governmental projects, such as the building of a hospital. When Doctor Winter chastises Corell for collaborating with the invaders, Corell defends himself by saying, “‘I work for what I believe in! That is an honorable thing.’” Of course, this does little to pacify the townspeople’s anger, and Orden refuses to speak with Corell any further. Later, Corell tries to convince Colonel Lanser to appoint him as mayor, but Lanser tells him it would be better for Orden to remain in power, since the people trust him. Lanser also advises Corell to leave the village, since it is no longer a safe place for him to stay given how angry everybody is at him. Nonetheless, Corell decides to stay and even goes over Lanser’s head to obtain permission from the government to play a more significant role in the town’s post-invasion operations. In this way, Corell is portrayed as a power-hungry man with no loyalty or sense of shame.
George Corell Quotes in The Moon is Down
The The Moon is Down quotes below are all either spoken by George Corell or refer to George Corell. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 2
Quotes
Then Corell said insinuatingly, “Are you afraid, Colonel? Should the commander of this occupation be afraid?”
Lanser sat down heavily and said, “Maybe that’s it.” And he said disgustedly, “I’m tired of people who have not been at war who know all about it.” He held his chin in his hand and said, “I remember a little old woman in Brussels—sweet face, white hair; she was only four feet eleven; delicate old hands. You could see the veins almost black against her skin. And her black shawl and her blue-white hair. She used to sing our national songs to us in a quivering, sweet voice. She always knew where to find a cigarette or a virgin.” He dropped his hand from his chin, and he caught himself as though he had been asleep. “We didn’t know her son had been executed,” he said. “When we finally shot her, she had killed twelve men with a long, black hatpin. I have it yet at home. It was an enamel button with a bird over it, red and blue.”
Corell said, “But you shot her?”
“Of course we shot her.”
“And the murders stopped?” asked Corell.
“No, the murders did not stop.”
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George Corell Quotes in The Moon is Down
The The Moon is Down quotes below are all either spoken by George Corell or refer to George Corell. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 2
Quotes
Then Corell said insinuatingly, “Are you afraid, Colonel? Should the commander of this occupation be afraid?”
Lanser sat down heavily and said, “Maybe that’s it.” And he said disgustedly, “I’m tired of people who have not been at war who know all about it.” He held his chin in his hand and said, “I remember a little old woman in Brussels—sweet face, white hair; she was only four feet eleven; delicate old hands. You could see the veins almost black against her skin. And her black shawl and her blue-white hair. She used to sing our national songs to us in a quivering, sweet voice. She always knew where to find a cigarette or a virgin.” He dropped his hand from his chin, and he caught himself as though he had been asleep. “We didn’t know her son had been executed,” he said. “When we finally shot her, she had killed twelve men with a long, black hatpin. I have it yet at home. It was an enamel button with a bird over it, red and blue.”
Corell said, “But you shot her?”
“Of course we shot her.”
“And the murders stopped?” asked Corell.
“No, the murders did not stop.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
