Through Christ
Through history, many have turned to Christ to aid themselves or gain a better understanding of a situation and Steinbeck did exactly that. In The Grapes of Wrath, the author John Steinbeck portrays the struggle and quest of a family during the Dust Bowl. Throughout the novel, there is a vast amount of religious parallels through copious characters. Whether it be through The Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ or Moses, the relation of Christ figures to the characters are used a fair amount. The use of religious symbols such as the Virgin Mary, Moses and Jesus in the novel are used to enhance the reader's knowledge and understanding of the story as a whole. To begin, Steinbeck introduces a character by the name of Jim Casy, Casy …show more content…
In the novel, the child is continuously a sign of hope, similar to the coming of Christ. Even before the child is born, it is always a sense of a new beginning and the thought of having new life in the family keeps some hope in the people. When the child is born, the family sends it down the river when they realize it was a stillbirth. When Uncle Noah sends him down the river he says, “Go tell em.” (571-572), as rivers represent new life in literature, one can infer when the baby is found, people will realize something new is coming. Furthermore, the baby of Rose of Sharon represents Jesus because the transformation of the Rose of Sharon into the VIrgin Mary creates her baby to be seen the baby born of Mary. The birth of the boy takes place in a barn just like the place of the birth of Christ. In the bible, the Virgin Mary bares the Son of God who is the savior of the people, by the boy being born from the Rose of Sharon, it is understood to the reader that the boy is coming to save the people from the travesty they are living, the Dust Bowl. Lastly, when the infant is put into the river a connection to the sending of Moses from the bible can be made. In the book of Exodus, when Moses was born, his mother sent him down a river and was found by Pharaoh's daughter. This is very similar to the sending of the deceased child down the river of new hope, intending on giving the people life and the thought of change to grasp on to. In conclusion, without the baby of Rose of Sharon relating closely to baby Jesus and Moses, one might not grasp the full meaning of new hope in the
Through history, many have turned to Christ to aid themselves or gain a better understanding of a situation and Steinbeck did exactly that. In The Grapes of Wrath, the author John Steinbeck portrays the struggle and quest of a family during the Dust Bowl. Throughout the novel, there is a vast amount of religious parallels through copious characters. Whether it be through The Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ or Moses, the relation of Christ figures to the characters are used a fair amount. The use of religious symbols such as the Virgin Mary, Moses and Jesus in the novel are used to enhance the reader's knowledge and understanding of the story as a whole. To begin, Steinbeck introduces a character by the name of Jim Casy, Casy …show more content…
In the novel, the child is continuously a sign of hope, similar to the coming of Christ. Even before the child is born, it is always a sense of a new beginning and the thought of having new life in the family keeps some hope in the people. When the child is born, the family sends it down the river when they realize it was a stillbirth. When Uncle Noah sends him down the river he says, “Go tell em.” (571-572), as rivers represent new life in literature, one can infer when the baby is found, people will realize something new is coming. Furthermore, the baby of Rose of Sharon represents Jesus because the transformation of the Rose of Sharon into the VIrgin Mary creates her baby to be seen the baby born of Mary. The birth of the boy takes place in a barn just like the place of the birth of Christ. In the bible, the Virgin Mary bares the Son of God who is the savior of the people, by the boy being born from the Rose of Sharon, it is understood to the reader that the boy is coming to save the people from the travesty they are living, the Dust Bowl. Lastly, when the infant is put into the river a connection to the sending of Moses from the bible can be made. In the book of Exodus, when Moses was born, his mother sent him down a river and was found by Pharaoh's daughter. This is very similar to the sending of the deceased child down the river of new hope, intending on giving the people life and the thought of change to grasp on to. In conclusion, without the baby of Rose of Sharon relating closely to baby Jesus and Moses, one might not grasp the full meaning of new hope in the