Biblical Allusions to The Grapes of Wrath Essay example

Biblical Allusions to The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California, on February 27, 1902. He studied marine biology at Stanford University and then traveled east on a freighter through the Panama Canal. Steinbeck went to New York to work as a newspaper reporter but soon returned to California and held a variety of jobs while he wrote. Steinbeck published Tortilla Flat in 1935, Of Mice and Men in 1937, and The Red Pony in 1937, which established his reputation as a forceful writer. In 1939 he wrote The Grapes of Wrath, which summoned up the despair and hardship of the early 1930s. John Steinbeck died in 1968. The Grapes of Wrath is a story about one familys hardship during the Depression and the Dust Bowl of the†¦show more content†¦Above all it showed everyone that these damn Okies were all simply men, women, and children, no different from anyone else, just poorer (Frohock 133). They were human beings with feelings and not the uncivilized beasts they were portrayed as at the time. John Steinbe ck carefully molded his story The Grapes of Wrath to encompass many themes and ideas. To help enforce his message Steinbeck included several Biblical allusions. John Steinbeck uses Biblical allusions to create the theme that strength to survive comes from faith by using characters and events. Steinbeck creates the theme of the novel by alluding the characters in his story to characters in the Bible. 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 as Casy is to Tom (Rombold 149). 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 (Slade 242). When in prison Casy sees the advantage of organizing people to achieve a common goal. W hen Casy tried to put his ideas into action he, like Christ, aroused the antagonism of the people in authority and was brutally killed. He died, like Christ saying to his crucifiers,Show MoreRelatedBiblical Allusions In The Grapes Of Wrath1796 Words   |  8 PagesThe Grapes of Wrath, is a story that construes the journey of the Joad family through the brutal migration from Oklahoma s destroying Dust Bowl to California corrupt promised land. Through the depiction of events and portrayal of characters, the bible takes part in the novel as one whole allusion. The anecdote of the struggle for survival in the fallen state of Oklahoma and in the â€Å"promised land† of California, reveals the same ideas shown as we explore in the bible. In The Grapes of Wrath, authorRead MoreBiblical Allusions In The Grapes Of Wrath1633 Words   |  7 Pagespieces is religion. The religious aspects of his stories are primarily shown through subtle connections to Biblical characters along with o ther hints. The most prominent piece of literature that displays religious connections is his novel The Grapes of Wrath. For the duration of the story, religion helps sustain the characters of the novel from difficult times. His novel contains numerous Biblical references that are conveyed through the characters of the Joad family along with Jim Casy; Steinbeck wantsRead MoreBiblical Allusions In The Grapes Of Wrath1717 Words   |  7 Pagesnovel, The Grapes of Wrath, is a story that describes the journey of the Joad family through the brutal migration from Oklahoma s destroying Dust Bowl to California corrupt promised land. Through the depiction of events and portrayal of characters, the bible takes part in the novel as one whole allusion. The story of struggle for survival in the fallen state of Oklahoma and in the â€Å"promised land† of California, reveals the same ideas shown as we explore in the bible. In The Grapes of Wrath, authorRead More Grapes Of Wrath Biblical A llusions Essay889 Words   |  4 PagesJohn 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.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Biblical allusions represented by the characters in the novel areRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck1645 Words   |  7 PagesBoth John Steinbeck’s criticism and optimism was written into The Grapes of Wrath, a book that he researched for nearly two years before he finally finished the book. While writing the novel, he said to his friend and literary agent: â€Å"I must go over into the interior valleys. There are about five thousand families starving to death over there...The states and counties will give them nothing because they are outsiders. But the crops of any part of this state could not be harvested without these outsidersRead MoreBlack Boy And The Grapes Of Wrath Analysis1728 Words   |  7 PagesThe Grapes of Wrath, respectively, full of biblical allusions to demonstrate that religion is ineffective at addressing the issues of the indigent because teleological narratives, when applied to material context, do not have the same en d. While this paper claims that both authors have a negative casting of religion, other writers feel the opposite. One writer is Kelly Crockett, who posits a positive reading of religion in The Grapes of Wrath. In her essay, she identifies a slew of biblical allusionsRead MoreEssay on Rhetorical Analysis- the Grapes of Wrath967 Words   |  4 PagesRhetorical Analysis- The Grapes of Wrath â€Å"You don’ know what you’re a-doin’,† were Casy’s last words before he died as a martyr. Casy died for his cause, his belief that the elite were not truly aware of how their greed was causing the suffering of the weak and that the weak could only surpass their sorrows if they worked together. Steinbeck uses chapter 25 of Grapes of Wrath to portray this very message. Steinbeck uses an array of rhetorical devices such as symbolism and the use of a instructiveRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck1563 Words   |  7 Pages John Steinbeck’s novel, The Grapes of Wrath, depicts a migrant farming family in the 1930s. During this time, life revolved around the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, making circumstances difficult for almost everyone involved, especially those who had little. This time of drought and despair caused people to lose hope in everything they’ve ever known, even themselves, but those who did not, put their hope in the â€Å"promised land† of California. Here, the grass was thought to be truly greenerRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Grapes Of Wrath Essay1076 Words   |  5 Pages3.. The tile itself is an allusion to a biblical reference. The line â€Å"Grapes of Wrath† comes from a Hymn, songs sang in churches, titled â€Å"The Battle Hymn of the Republic.† The journey that the Joad family goes on is a biblical allusion to the Exodus Journey. All the parts of the Journey can be traced back to the Bible. When the drought that stops the family from wor king in family comes to the journey to california and to working in california. The farm because their prison like the prisoners of theRead More A Comparison of Migrant Workers in The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men2731 Words   |  11 PagesMigrant Workers in The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   John Steinbeck wrote about what surrounded him. At the time he was writing, the nineteen-thirties, a great depression was plaguing the United States. Many people were out of work. Many farmers were losing their farms and homes. An extreme drought had also wrecked the farms of the Midwest and made them into what is now referred to as the dust bowl. It was a terrible time to be poor, and most were. People died of malnutrition