Allusions In The Grapes Of Wrath

In the novel written by John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath, a myriad of allusions to the Bible were made by using metaphorically Biblical characters, actions, and a journey to the “promised land” in an attempt to draw the reader’s attention to the struggles of the migrant people with the allusions to the familiar text of the Bible, while Steinbeck remained true to his own beliefs. While Steinbeck had the effrontery to approach the Bible in an unconventional and possibly adverse way, he managed to come across as well versed on the matter. Although Steinbeck clearly had known the passages of the Bible, he had developed his own views on religion. As stated in The Grapes of Wrath Bloom’s Guides “Looked at in one way, these allusions seem patternless,

One character in particular, Jim Casy, is a blatant parallel to an important person in the Bible: Jesus Christ. Other than the fact that the two share the same initials– J.C – there are many connections that can be made. In the beginning of the novel, Tom Joad comes across Casy, who reveals that he has resigned from his place as a preacher. Casy says he tried to find himself like Jesus and he describes this to the Joads “‘I got tired like Him, an’ I got mixed up like Him, an’ I went into the wilderness like Him, without no campin’ stuff’” (Steinbeck 110). The news shocks Tom, and Casy explains that “‘There ain’t no sin and there ain’t no virtue. There’s just stuff people do. It’s all part of the same thing. And some of the things folks do is nice, and some ain’t nice, but that’s as far as any man got a right to say’” (Steinbeck 32). Steinbeck’s religious views can be discerned primarily through the thoughts of his fabrication of a messiah, Jim Casy. Casy establishes a new idea of religion and spreads it among the people he comes across, just as Jesus had done in the Bible. To top it off, Jim Casy, although he did not technically lead them, traveled with the twelve Joads, like Jesus Christ and his twelve disciples. He initiated a new hope within the Joad family, just like Jesus had brought new hope to his people. And finally, Steinbeck

Both women were represented as being sacrificial for the sake of their family and for others. In the Bible, the woman who is most known for her sacrifice is Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mary was chosen by God to bear His child and give birth to a Saviour, one who will atone for everyone’s sins. Before the birth of Jesus, Mary was visited by the angel, Gabriel, and he informed her “‘Don’t be afraid, Mary,’ the angel told her, ‘for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will call him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David’” (Luke 1.30-32). This was a great weight to be put upon Mary’s shoulders, but she took it with pride. Mary, of course, was afraid and confused at first, but later embraced her maternal instincts and loved and cared for her child. Rose of Sharon is similar to Mary in that in the beginning, she was naïve and even selfish, but as she grew older, and with the guiding hand of her mother, she too embraced her maternal instincts in the end, even though her beloved child did not survive the pregnancy. Ma Joad is challenged over and over and does anything she can do to just help her family get to California. This is evident as the family crosses the desert, on the verge of entering California. Granma passes away during this event, and Ma must mask her