Symbols and Symbolism in John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath

2001 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The grapes of wrath biblical allusion

Symbols and Symbolism in John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath

Symbolism in The Grapes of Wrath is extremely complex, with many images drawn from the Old and New Testaments. However, Steinbeck as usual was eclectic in his use of symbols, and a great deal of the novel is given to either pagan and universal archetypes, or to highly original meanings unique to the author's own vision and experience. While acknowledging the Judeo-Christian content, these other symbols are just as important, and an exploration into their use in Steinbeck's work, reveal their real significance.

Much of the existing critical discussion of The Grapes of Wrath has focused on the pervasive Judeo-Christian symbolism of the work, particularly the identification of Jim Casy with Jesus Christ. Undeniably, Steinbeck intended this association; but to attempt to force the book's rich imagery onto the Procrustean bed of only one religion is to do it a disservice. Perhaps the central device that powers The Grapes of Wrath is the contrast and conflict between a benevolent, passionate and altruistic life force and a destructive, selfish or, worse yet, uncaring negativism.

Martin Shockley, in his critical essay entitled "Christian Symbolism in The Grapes of Wrath", enumerates the Biblical references that pervade the novel, among them, the Okies as "a homeless and persecuted people...seeking their own Promised Land" (the Israelites) (Shockley, page 139), and most obviously, Jim Casy as Christ. First of all, the initials J.C. signal Steinbeck's intent; also, Jim goes "into the wilderness like Jesus to try to find out sumpin", then embraces an ideal of love for his fellow man ("Maybe it's all men and women we love"), takes on t...

... middle of paper ...

...ess kindness, rolled together into a series of evocative and timeless images and symbols that suggest a means of moving forward toward a positive future.

Works Cited

Gladstein, Mimi Reisel, (1986). "Indestructible Women in The Grapes of Wrath"; Leone, Bruno, Editor (1996). Readings on John Steinbeck, San Diego: Greenhaven Press.

Hunter, J.P., (1963). "Artistic and Thematic Structure in The Grapes of Wrath"; Leone, Bruno, Editor (1996). Readings on John Steinbeck, San Diego: Greenhaven Press.

Shockley, Martin, (November 1956). "Christian Symbolism in The Grapes of Wrath"; Leone, Bruno, Editor (1996). Readings on John Steinbeck, San Diego: Greenhaven Press.

Steinbeck, John, (1996). The Grapes of Wrath. (14th edition). New York: Bantam Books.

Steinbeck, John, (1960). To A God Unknown (8th edition). New York: Bantam Books.

Show More
Related

  • John Steinbeck's East of Eden - Good Versus Evil

    976 Words  | 2 Pages

    Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath, The Moon is Down, Cannery Row, East of Eden, Of Mice and Men. New York: Heinemann/Octopus, 1979. pp.475 - 896.

    Read More

  • How Does Steinbeck Overcome Homelessness In The Grapes Of Wrath

    716 Words  | 2 Pages

    In conclusion the Grapes of Wrath is a literary masterpiece that portrays the struggles of man as he overcomes the adversity of homelessness, death, and the wrath of prejudice. Steinbeck fully explores each faucet coherently within the boundaries of the Joad family’s trials and

    Read More

  • Grapes of Wrath Essay: Steinbeck's Political Beliefs

    991 Words  | 2 Pages

    Steinbeck's relationship to the transcendentalists [Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman] was pointed out soon after The Grapes of Wrath appeared by Frederick I. Carpenter, and as the thirties fade into history, Jim Casy with his idea of the holiness of all men and the unreality of sin seems less a product of his own narrowly doctrinaire age than a latter-day wanderer from the green village of Concord to the dry plains of the West.

    Read More

  • Grapes of Wrath Essay: Steinbeck's Powerful Style

    981 Words  | 2 Pages

    When Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath, our country was just starting to recover from The Great Depression.  The novel he wrote, though fiction, was not an uncommon tale in many lives.  When this book was first published, the majority of those reading it understood where it was coming from-they had lived it.  But now very few people understand the horrors of what went on in that time.  The style in which Steinbeck chose to write The Grapes of Wrath helps get across the book's message.

    Read More

  • Grapes Of Wrath

    2419 Words  | 5 Pages

    John Steinbeck’s novel, The Grapes of Wrath is one of the most influential books in American History, and is considered to be his best work by many. It tells the story of one family’s hardship during the Depression and the Dust Bowl of the 1930’s. The Joads were a hard-working family with a strong sense of togetherness and morals; they farmed their land and went about their business without bothering anyone. When the big drought came it forced them to sell the land they had lived on since before anyone can remember. Their oldest son, Tom, has been in jail the past four years and returns to find his childhood home abandoned. He learns his family has moved in with his uncle John and decides to travel a short distance to see them. He arrives only to learn they are packing up their belongings and moving to California, someplace where there is a promise of work and food. This sets the Joad family off on a long and arduous journey with one goal: to survive.

    Read More

  • The Powerful Ending of The Grapes of Wrath

    1143 Words  | 3 Pages

    Wyatt, David. New Essays on the Grapes of Wrath. New York: Cambridge UP, 1990. Print.

    Read More

  • Jim Casey as a Christ Figure in The Grapes of Wrath

    574 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the novel, The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck brings to the reader a variety of diverse and greatly significant characters. However, the majority of each characters' individuality happens to lie within what they symbolize in the microcosm of the Joad family and their acquaintances, which itself stands for the entire migrant population of the Great Depression era. One such character is that of Jim Casey, a former preacher and long-time friend of the Joads. In this story, Casey represents a latter-day Christ figure who longs to bring religious stability to the burgeon of migrant families facing West.

    Read More

  • Descartes

    1126 Words  | 3 Pages

    Rene Descartes was one of the most influential thinkers in the history of the philosophy. Born in 1596, he lived to become a great mathematician, scientist, and philosopher. In fact, he became one of the central intellectual figures of the sixteen hundreds. He is believed by some to be the father of modern philosophy, although he was hampered by living in a time when other prominent scientists, such as Galileo, were persecuted for their discoveries and beliefs. Although this probably had an impact on his desire to publish controversial material, he went on to devise works such as the Meditations on First Philosophy and the Principles of Philosophy Aside from these accomplishments, his most important and lasting mathematical work was the invention of analytic geometry. It seems that the underlying point of Descartes’s philosophy is to specify exactly what it is that we are sure we know.

    Read More

  • The Negative Consequences of Cloning

    1369 Words  | 3 Pages

    Automatically when people talk about human cloning that tend to be negative. Most reaction is people shouldn't play god or interfere with nature. Of course there are negative consequences that could come from cloning. On the other hand there is so many positive things that could save more lives than it would cost. Yes Cloning involves risky techniques that could result in premature babies and some deaths. That is why public policy needs to be changed on cloning. The medical possibilities are endless if federal money is given to research and develop cloning techniques.

    Read More

  • The Ethics of Human Cloning

    1483 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... the clone lives and if clones got to be very widespread they could potentially impact the gene pool. Needless to say, the cons definitely outweigh the pros and the impact clones would have on the everyday life of society would not be our greatest worry.

    Read More

  • Steinbeck's Social Commentary in The Grapes of Wrath

    679 Words  | 2 Pages

    Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath is a realistic novel that mimics life and offers social commentary too. It offers many windows on real life in midwest America in the 1930s. But it also offers a powerful social commentary, directly in the intercalary chapters and indirectly in the places and people it portrays. Typical of very many, the Joads are driven off the land by far away banks and set out on a journey to California to find a better life. However the journey breaks up the family, their dreams are not realized and their fortunes disappear. What promised to be the land of milk and honey turns to sour grapes. The hopes and dreams of a generation turned to wrath. Steinbeck opens up this catastrophe for public scrutiny.

    Read More

  • Christianity in The Grapes Of Wrath

    687 Words  | 2 Pages

    The novel The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck has many themes, but one theme the story is centralized around is the role of Christianity. The role of Christianity in The Grapes of Wrath is what allows the people to keep going during the times of the Great Depression. Without religion, the families in the novel would have simply given up all faith and hope.

    Read More

  • Rene Descartes

    1096 Words  | 3 Pages

    Rene Descartes was a famous French mathematician, scientist and philosopher. He was arguably the first major philosopher in the modern era to make a serious effort to defeat skepticism. His views about knowledge and certainty, as well as his views about the relationship between mind and body have been very influential over the last three centuries.

    Read More

  • The Pros and Cons of Human Cloning

    586 Words  | 2 Pages

    In conclusion, there are many reasons why cloning shouldn't be done. First of all, diversity could be lost if we have clones. Secondly, It would turn children into manufactured objects designed to possess specific characteristics. Likewise, it could not be developed without putting the physical safety of the clones and the women who bear them at grave risk. Moreover, as Elshtain said: "technology is rapidly gutting our ethics", and it is our ethics. Finally use intuitive sense: It just feels wrong. People might recreate Hitler or some other evil. Whatever it takes, if we suffer in the short run we may prosper in the long run. The benefits to society, in my eyes, far outreach any moral, ethical or religious dilemma that we might face as a society concerning this issue.

    Read More

  • Rene Descartes

    1262 Words  | 3 Pages

    Rene Descartes was a man obsessed with finding things out for himself, an intellectual who contributed to the field of psychology. Born in the 16th century, Descartes grew up in a society where ideas, thoughts and perceptions were not questioned but were supposed to be understood and supported. While growing up and through his studies, Descartes began to make strides in the fields of philosophy, mathematics and science. Descartes was a man who challenged accepted ideas and aided the field of psychology through his contributions to reflex theory, helping describe the mind-body problem, and challenging accepted theological ideas.

    Read More

More about Symbols and Symbolism in John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath

Open Document