Grapes of Wrath Biblical Allusions

The perseverance of the Joads shows that difficult times can be overcome if the person continues to try. Rosasharn's dead child symbolizes Moses. The Israelites left their land, Egypt, and wandered into the desert for forty years, searching for a promised land, the land of milk and honey. The Joads participate in the mass migration of an oppressed people moving toward a glowing "promised land". The various biblical allusions that create the plot in The Grapes of Wrath enhance the overall meaning by adding to the development of the characters. The symbolic journey the Joads undertake enhances the meaning of the story by adding to the plot of the book. Tom has now become a savior figure. Go down in the street an' rot an' tell 'em that way. Casy does not make family decisions, but his words of advice often guide the Joads to their decisions. By creating characters that not only appeal to the reader's intellectual level but also in the spiritual sense, Steinbeck has enhanced the meaning of the story. Go on down now, an' lay in the street. Uncle John takes the infant in the apple box and floats it down the river, saying, "Go down an' tell 'em.