Biblical Allusions to Events

Steinbeck used a lot of biblical allusions in this novel. An allusion is a way for a writer to bring up an important idea or concept without directly discussing it. Allusions are usually used to emphasize a point or idea. Steinbeck uses allusions to indicate the gravity of the Joad family's situation and to foreshadow, or warn, of the challenges that were coming for them. There are three allusions Steinbeck uses to give reference to the three phases of life for the Joads.

The Dust Bowl

The Dust Bowl was a region in the Great Plains, including Oklahoma, that experienced severe dust storms in the 1930s. This is where the Joad family was living when they lost their farm. These storms were caused by drought and poor farming practices, and the storms caused severe issues with farming. Steinbeck used the Dust Bowl as an allusion to the desert of Egypt, where the Israelites suffered under a cruel ruler and then struggled as they followed Moses toward the Promised Land.

People Seeking Work in California

The Joads moving from Oklahoma to California is another allusion. Steinbeck describes how the Joads travel on Route 66, along with many other farming families, heading for the fertile land of California. This is like the Israelites moving out of Egypt to find the Promised Land in the Bible. The Israelites were experiencing oppression and slavery in Egypt, so they fled to find freedom and a better life. This allusion infers that the Joad's have been slaves to their land in the Dust Bowl, and now they were free.

The Flooding of the Train Car

The novel ends with the flooding of the train car, which is similar to the flood in the Bible. In the biblical story, God became angry by the sin of the people on Earth and told Noah to build an ark to save his family and two animals of every species. Then he flooded the land, killing everyone but the people and animals on the ark. The novel ends with the Joad's home, an abandoned train car, being flooded by constant rain. This could refer to a cleansing of the environment and a new beginning for the Joad family.

Biblical References to Characters

Steinbeck did not stop with using allusions for phases in his story. He also used characters to refer to individuals in the Bible.

Tom Joad

At the beginning of the novel, Tom Joad is released from prison after serving time for killing a man. Although he killed the man in self defense, he had still been imprisoned and after several years, was released and returned home. This mirrors the biblical story of the Prodigal Son, a parable about a man who squandered his inheritance, lived a wild life, and then after becoming destitute, realized he needed to go back home to his family, who accepted him with open arms.

Jim Casey

Jim Casey was a friend of Tom Joad and represents faith in the novel. Casey becomes a symbol of the good that can come during the difficult times. Jim Casey is an allusion to faith as a whole, but he also symbolizes Jesus Christ and his journey to bring faith to the people, even through obstacles.

The Joad Family

The Joad family goes through constant trials throughout their journey. They lose their farm and lose family members. Tom has to leave for fear he will be arrested again. The family also struggles to find enough work to survive. This bombardment of issues alludes to the challenges Job faces in the Bible as he is tested and tried by God. Job is a man who is rich but also faithful; however, God tests his faithfulness because Satan believed he would sin if his life was more difficult. So Job loses all of his children, his farm animals, and becomes ill himself, yet he manages to stay faithful to God, showing that it was not a wealthy life that made him faithful.

Rose of Sharon's Baby

Towards the end of the book Rose of Sharon has a baby, but unfortunately the baby is stillborn. Instead of burying the baby, her uncle places it in a box and floats it down the river, much like Moses in the story of Moses' birth. In Egypt, the pharaoh required all Hebrew children to be drowned in the river; however, Moses' mother sent him down the river in a boat instead, which saved his life when he was found and adopted by the pharaoh's daughter.

Lesson Summary

Steinbeck uses biblical allusions in his novel The Grapes of Wrath to indicate the gravity of the Joads' situation and to foreshadow the challenges the family will face. He uses references like the Dust Bowl to symbolize the Egyptian desert and California to symbolize paradise, or the Promised Land, because of its fertile soil. He also uses biblical allusions to draw comparisons between Tom Joad and the Prodigal Son, as well as comparisons between biblical characters and other characters in the novel. Steinbeck manages to incorporate relatable examples of biblical ideas throughout the message of his story.

 

John Steinbeck deals with several philosophical ideas in 'The Grapes of Wrath', including transcendentalism and the oversoul. This lesson discusses these philosophies, references to them in the book and their relevance to two major characters.

Transcendentalism

Transcendentalism is the idea that humanity is meant to have a close relationship with the universe and the life that surrounds them, and that they miss out on this relationship if they are mired in mundane, everyday experiences that stop them from achieving their potential. That is, humans should try to 'transcend' their everyday lives that hold them down, because they have the capacity to live in a more meaningful and harmonious way with the universe.