Ulysses S. Grant once said, “Hold fast to the Bible. To the influence of this Book we are indebted for all the progress made in true civilization and to this we must look as our guide in the future.” In his novel, The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck uses the universality of the Bible to make the account of the migrant’s plight applicable and understandable to all readers. By using Biblical references, Steinbeck is able to put the major themes and motifs of his novel into a framework to which all can relate. Steinbeck uses allusions* to the following: biblical characters, such as Jim Casy as a Christ figure, biblical events, such as comparing the migrants’ exodus to the exodus of the Jews, and teachings found in the Bible, such as the brotherhood
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This quote shows the pensive nature of Casy and the way that he strives to emulate Christ in his life. Casy’s symbolism to Christ is further shown in his death as a martyr, as he is killed while advocating the rights and wages of the migrant workers. Just moments before his death, Casy imitates the Jesus quote “Forgive them Father for they know not what they are doing”, when he says, “ You fellas don’ know what you’re doin’” (455). Casy is forgiving to those who persecute him and his people, the migrant workers, in perfect resemblance of a Christ-like figure. Casy, however, is not the only biblical character alluded to in the novel. Rose of Sharon is an allusion to the Virgin Mother. Rose of Sharon’s name is a direct quote out of the Bible in which Mary is called this name. Rose of Sharon also shares several characteristics with Mary as she is young, pregnant for the first time, and how she nurtures a man in a barn, the equivalent of a stable in Bethlehem. The caring and loving nature of Rose of Sharon is shown in the ending of the book, “Then slowly she lay down beside him…loosened one side the blanket and bared her breast. ‘You got to,’ she said…Her hand moved behind his head and supported it. Her fingers moved gently in his hair. She looked up and …show more content…
The universality of the novel is contained in its themes, which can be explained using analogies through biblical allusions. One of the most universal books of all time, as Ulysses S. Grant said, is the Bible, and through this book many authors are able to apply the messages of a book’s world to the real world and to
This quote shows the pensive nature of Casy and the way that he strives to emulate Christ in his life. Casy’s symbolism to Christ is further shown in his death as a martyr, as he is killed while advocating the rights and wages of the migrant workers. Just moments before his death, Casy imitates the Jesus quote “Forgive them Father for they know not what they are doing”, when he says, “ You fellas don’ know what you’re doin’” (455). Casy is forgiving to those who persecute him and his people, the migrant workers, in perfect resemblance of a Christ-like figure. Casy, however, is not the only biblical character alluded to in the novel. Rose of Sharon is an allusion to the Virgin Mother. Rose of Sharon’s name is a direct quote out of the Bible in which Mary is called this name. Rose of Sharon also shares several characteristics with Mary as she is young, pregnant for the first time, and how she nurtures a man in a barn, the equivalent of a stable in Bethlehem. The caring and loving nature of Rose of Sharon is shown in the ending of the book, “Then slowly she lay down beside him…loosened one side the blanket and bared her breast. ‘You got to,’ she said…Her hand moved behind his head and supported it. Her fingers moved gently in his hair. She looked up and …show more content…
The universality of the novel is contained in its themes, which can be explained using analogies through biblical allusions. One of the most universal books of all time, as Ulysses S. Grant said, is the Bible, and through this book many authors are able to apply the messages of a book’s world to the real world and to