Grapes Of Wrath Allusions

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In his novel, The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck uses Biblical allusions to tell the story of a migrant worker family, the Joads. John Steinbeck grew up in a little farming town named Salinas with nothing more to read than a Bible. It is no wonder then that so many of his books have Biblical allusions in them. For example, Jim Casy compares to Jesus Christ. In his novel, The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck uses Biblical allusions to tell the story of a migrant worker family, the Joads.
At the beginning of the book, Tom Joad stumbles upon a former preacher by the name of Jim Casy. Casy has lost the faith and changed his religious philosophy to personal philosophy, breaking from the “primitive” style of worship (Lisca 100). He draws reference to Jesus Christ. In addition to the same initials, he compares to what Jesus Christ was, a prophet that broke from the traditional style of worship familiar to most in Israel. Casy later becomes a labor organizer, believing in a community rather than himself (Lisca 102). This theme of community is present throughout the book; for example, Muley Graves says that if a man has food, and sees a fellow man hungry, he must share it (Lisca 102). This sense of community is present throughout the book as many migrant workers who are in the same pair of shoes find a need of another family and fill it as best they can. For example, instead of splitting their train car with another family,
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Al tears down the tarpaulin between the two families and the family welcomes them (Lisca 102). Finally, Casy is killed in a strike advocating for what he believed in. It wasn’t for himself; it was for others he died, just as Jesus Christ did. Upon the cross, Jesus told God, “Father, forgive them, for they do...

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...ly compares to the building of the Ark in Genesis (Reider and Bergstrom 12). Both floods are associated with bringing back life and preserving the life of the lands.
The Garden of Eden is exhibited through the character of Grandpa, and the spiritual death after being taken from his home in Oklahoma (Reider and Bergstrom 13). At his funeral down the road, Casy says, “Grandpa didn’t die tonight. He died the minute you took ‘im off the place.” The spiritual death compares to the spiritual death of Adam and Eve after they had disobeyed God and were made to depart from the garden (Reider and Bergstrom 13).
Steinbeck uses these symbols and themes to create a masterpiece depicting a struggle of a family in the beginning of the Great Depression. Using Biblical allusions as one of his literary devices, John Steinbeck tells the story of a migrant worker family, the Joads.

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