Grapes Of Wrath Biblical Allusions

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John Steinbeck carefully molded his story The Grapes of Wrath to encompass many

themes and ideas. He included several Biblical allusions to enforce his message of the

migrating families coming together to form a community. Steinbeck alludes to Biblical

characters through Jim Casy and Rose of Sharon, events like the family’s journey to

California and the flood at the end of the novel, and teachings throughout the novel.

The Biblical allusions represented by the characters in the novel are most

obvious in the characters of Jim Casy and Rose of Sharon. However, the Joad family

is made up of twelve including Connie, much like the twelve disciples that followed

Jesus. Connie represents the traitor, the Judas figure who had betrayed Jesus the

night of his arrest when he walks out on his family for selfish reasons.

Jim Casy is an allusion to Jesus Christ. They have the same initials and live

their lives as examples of their beliefs; Jesus to the world and Casy to Tom. Casy even

compares himself to Christ when he says, “I got tired like Him, an’ I got mixed up like

Him, an’ I went into the wilderness like Him, without no campin’ stuff” (105). In the first

half of the book Casy is thinking and forming his ideas. He changes from a thinker to a

man of action when he sacrifices himself for Tom. When in prison Casy sees the

advantage of organizing people to achieve a common goal. When Casy tried to put his

ideas into action he, like Christ, aroused the antago...

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