Stephanie Williams

AML 2020
Professor McGrif
March 29, 2015

The Many Biblical References in the Novels of John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck won the National Book award, Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel
Prize for his fiction novel The Grapes of Wrath. The setting of this novel begins in
Sallisaw, Oklahoma where the main characters the Joads and a family friend Jim
Casey begin their journey traveling west on Route 66 eventually making their way
to California. Steinbeck gave this novel the title The Grapes of Wrath after the
lyrics from The Battle Hymn of the Republic by Julia Ward Howe. The title refers to
the scripture of Revelation 14:19-20 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the
earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the
wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out
of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six
hundred furlongs this image of the title is a symbol throughout the novel of the
authors concerns and the major plot of the story. From the title, the characters, to
the very last scene, Steinbeck used many biblical references in this novel to reveal
the Joad family and Jim Caseys journey, Jim Caseys role as Christ and the promise
land of California.
The Joads family and Jim Casey began their journey to California. There were
twelve members between Joads and Casey representing the twelve pillars
according to the twelve tribes of Israel that Moses and the Israelites built before

they set out on their journey (Exodus 24:4). As the Joads and Jim Casey leave their
home in Oklahoma, they began their journey traveling down Route 66, which is the
main migrant road, the path of a people in flight, refugees from dust and shrinking
land, from the thunder of tractors and shrinking ownership, from the deserts slow
northward invasionfrom the floods that bring no richness (151). In this passage
Steinbeck talks about how the family leaves Oklahoma that is no longer profitable
for them. This scene is a reference in the Bible to God promising the Israelites
freedom from their misery and choosing Moses to lead the people and to bring
them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk
and honey (Exodus 3:8). The Family is being led by Tom Joad which Steinbeck
relates to as a Moses figure; Tom led the family out of Oklahoma into the land of
California that they believe is flourishing with land and money which represents
milk and honey in the scripture.
During the families journey they travel through many bodies of water, one
being the Colorado River which they bathe in before going into the ominous desert.
This is a correlation by the way God led the Israelites out of Egypt, through the way
of the wilderness by way of the Red Sea (Exodus 13:18). Just like the Israelites
traveling through the Red Sea, the Joads travel through the Colorado River, both
washing away their old life and moving towards the new.
Along the families journey down Route 66, Grandpa Joad could not handle
leaving his life in Oklahoma to start over in California which resulted in him losing
his life. Much like the story of Lot and his family leaving the city of Sodom and
Gomorrah before God casting fire and brimstone destroying the city, Lots wife
looking back not able to leave her life and start a new one and turning into a pillar
of salt (Genesis 19).

Jim Caseys role as a Christ was a major theme throughout the novel. Flash
back to chapter four, Tommie Joad approaches a man sitting under a tree with his
legs crossed whistling and singing a song. It is the Reverend Jim Casey as he and
Tommie sit there under the tree talking Casey confesses, Used to howl out the
name of Jesus to Glory.But no more.(20) Casey continues I went of alone, an I
sat and figured. The sperits strong in me Here I got the sperit sometimes an
nothing to preach about. I got the call to lead the people, an no place to lead
em.(21) Casey confesses that he no longer preaches the gospel and that he has
been out alone trying to find purpose to his calling of leading the people. Much like
Christ when he went into the wilderness alone to fast and pray for forty days before
returning to the cities to lead his people (Mark 1:12).
Much like Christ, Casey begins to lead the people which will lead to the
conflict of the story. After the Joads make it into California they find themselves on
a farm picking peaches for five cents a barrel full. When the family enters the camp
they notice a lot of cops and picketers out front. After dark Tom finds himself
roaming around the camp to figure out what is going on, he crawls under a fence
and begins to walk down the road. Tom comes across a tent of to the side with a
man outside guarding the front, so Tom begins to talk to the guy. Just then Casey
pops out of the tent and invites Tom in. Casey begins to explain to Tom We come to
work there.They says its gonna be ficents. They was a hell of a lot of us. We got
there an they says theyre payin two an a half cents. A fells cant live on that- so
we says we wont take it. So they druv us of. An all the cops in the worl come
down on us. When they bust this here strike-ya think theyll pay five? Shell drop to
two an a half jus as soon as they clear us out. (398) Casey is explaining to Tom
that the farmers are taking advantage of migrate workers by cutting their pay

because of the workers vulnerable position of not having means to support

themselves or families.
Like the role of Christ, Casey decides to take a stand and lead the people out
of slavery by protesting. Just then the man outside of the tent cries out that the
cops are coming. The cops chase all four of the men down the edge of a stream
when they heard There they are!(401) the cops catch the men, Casey stares at
the light that was being shone in his eyes and said, ListenYou fellas don know
what you are doinYou don know what you are doin (401). When Jesus was hung
on the cross he cried out to God Father, forgive them for they know not what they
do. (Luke 23:34) Casey cries out a similar saying before death. The man swung his
heavy club and smashed Casey in the head killing him. Much like Jesus, Casey was
called to lead his people into salvation; because of the preaching both Casey and
Jesus Christ gave the ultimate sacrifice, their lives. Not only does Jim Casey share
the characteristic of Jesus Christ but Steinbeck gave this character his initials as
well.
The promise land of California, when the Joads make it to the promise land
they find themselves in a farm picking peaches and get assigned to a little red
house that was a boxcar with nothing but a rusty tin stove on four bricks(384)
sharing the car with another family the Wainwrights. The men began to work picking
peaches making just enough to feed the family. A rain storm comes and the fields
are too wet to pick peaches, so they wait for the rain to stop. On the third day
Roseasharn begin to go into labor, ma Joad and Mrs. Wainwright their neighbor help
as she gave birth to a still born child. Mrs. Wainwright placed the child in an apple
box and placed a sack over the top of the box. Uncle John took the box and a shovel
and slipped out the doorway into the slowly moving water that nearly rose to his

waist before he struck bottom. He walked down the highwayuntil he came to a

place where the boiling stream ran close to the roadhe held the box close to his
chestleaned over and set the box in the stream and steadied it with his hands
and said Go down an tell em. Go down in the street an rot an tell em that way.
Go on down now, an lay in the street. Maybe theyll know then.(465) Uncle John
didnt bury the child like he was originally going to do, instead allowed the box to
drift down into the town to show the people that they were killing innocent people.
This scene was a reference to when the Pharaoh ordered all of the Hebrew sons to
be killed, so Moses mother placed him in a basket down in the reeds along the Nile
riverbank where he was found and saved by the Pharaohs daughter (Exodus).
Moses mother wanted to save her child from being killed from the King, although
Roseasharn was not able to save her child, the still born was still able to be a
symbol of how the migrates were treated just as Moses was a symbol for his people.
The camp began to flood and the water started to seep up through the floor.
In this scene the flooding of the farm seemed to be a reference to the flood of Noah
and the ark, the earth was corrupt before God and the earth was filled with
violence...even I shall bring a flood of water upon the earth (Genesis 6-11,17). This
flood is a direct representation of the violence that was taking place upon the
migrate people; therefore washing away the farmers crops.
Finally as the family push through the breast deep water they see a dry barn
and hurry inside. As they enter the barn the Joads notice a man laying down on the
floor and a boy sitting beside him. The boy tells the Joads that the man is his pa
that he is starving and hasnt eaten for six days. Ma looks at Roseasharn, and the
two women looked deep into each other (472). In this moment the two women are
incent in knowing what must be done to save the dying man. Roseasharn asks

everyone to step out of the room, as she lay down beside the dying man she
loosened one side of the blanket and bared her naked breast, pulled the starving
mans head to her breast and places her hands under his head for support, She
looked up across the barn, and her lips came together and smiled mysteriously
(473). The last scene when Roseasharn feds the dying man was a selfless act and
gives back life, much like that of Jesus Christ. Unlike the Hebrew people, the Joad
family never find their promise land.

In many of Steinbecks novels he uses similar parallels to stories in the Bible.

When Steinbeck came out with The Grapes of Wrath he wanted to do something
to change the way migrate workers were treated in the 1930s and what better way
to accomplish this then with this award winning novel. Steinbecks most memorable
scene was the selfless act that gave life to the starving man. Even in the 21 st
century, we can, like the characters in this novel, stand up and give life to so many
in need.

Works Cited
"King James Bible Online." OFFICIAL KING JAMES BIBLE ONLINE: AUTHORIZED KING
JAMES VERSION
(KJV). Web. 16 Apr. 2015. <http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/>.
Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. Viking, 1967. 473. Print.