One of the many levels on which this novel can be read is as a parallel to the stories of Christ and the Exodus (Louis Owens, John Steinbeck's Re-Vision of America, quoted in DeMott, xiii)The Biblical allusions represented by the characters in the novel are most obvious in the characters of Jim Casy and Rose of Sharon. However, the Joad family is made up of twelve including Connie, much like the twelve disciples that followed Jesus. Connie represents the traitor, the Judas figure who had betrayed Jesus the night of his arrest when he walks out on his family for selfish reasons. Jim Casy is an allusion to Jesus Christ. They have the same initials and live their lives as examples of their beliefs; Casy even compares himself to Christ when he says, "I got tired like Him, an' I got mixed up like Him, an' I went into t

Steinbeck also alludes to events in the Bible through situations among the Joad family. Their journey to California is much like the Israelites' journey from Egypt to Caanan. The novel is broken up into three sections. The first part is the Joad's eviction from their farms under the control of the banks and companies which parallels the Israelites' slavery to the Egyptians. Both groups struggled under the control of overwhelming forces and left in hopes of a better life. The second part is the Joad's journey from Oklahoma across the Panhandle in search of the promised California which parallels the Israelites wandering in the desert in search of the Promised Land. Both groups experienced many troubles, but were forced to rely on each other to survive. The third part is the Joad's arrival to California which parallels the Israelites arrival to Caanan. The journey for the Israelites lasted so many years that only the younger generation made it to the Promised Land. In the same way Granma and Grampa died before they reached the promised California.

Rose of Sharon represents a Biblical allusion towards the end of the novel. After she gives birth to her stillborn child, she gives life to a starving man by breast-feeding him. Her sacrifice suggests the notion of rebirth through Christ's physical body whi

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Approximate Word count = 883
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)