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Biblical Allusions And Imagery In Steinbeck's The Grapes Of Wrath

Biblical Allusions and Imagery in Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath


John Steinbeck always makes it a point to know about his subjects first
hand. His stories always have some factual basis behind them. Otherwise, he
does not believe that they will be of any value beyond artistic impression.
Therefore, most of his novels take place in California, the site of his birth
and young life. In preparation for writing his novels, Steinbeck would often
travel with people about whom he was going to write. The Grapes of Wrath was no
exception to his other works. To prepare for it, he joined migrants in Oklahoma
and rode with them to California. When he got to California, he lived with them,
joining them in their quest for work. By publishing these experiences and
trials of the migrants he achieved an effect that won him the Nobel Prize for
literature in 1962. The writing of The Grapes of Wrath coincided with the Great
Depression. This time of hardship and struggle for the rest of America gave
Steinbeck inspiration for his work. Other peoples' stories of everyday life
became issues for Steinbeck. His writings spoke out against those who kept the
oppressed in poverty and therefore was branded as a Communist because of his
"voice." Although, it did become a bestseller and receive countless awards, his
book was banned in many schools and libraries. However, critics never attacked
The Grapes of Wrath on the artistic level and they still consider it a
beautifully mastered work of art. More than any other American novel, it
successfully embodies a contemporary social problem of national scope in an
artistically viable expression.1 In The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck utilizes
Biblical imagery and allusions to illustrate the struggle of the Joad family as
a direct parallel with that of the Hebrew people.
Steinbeck bolsters the strength of structure and character development
in the book through Biblical allusions and imagery. Peter Lisca has noted that
the...