This synopsis of Blue Moon suggests that it's a melodrama: "If, according to Aristotle, tragedy is concerned with the downfall or defeat of an heroic character or cause, melodrama is concerned with the events in the life of a victim or victims." In the case of Blue Moon, Patterson considers the characters victims because they lash out against an order but are doomed to failure. Even so, Werden's Blue Moon characters seem to enjoy the repetitive cycle of defiance and defeat.