Grapes Of Wrath Allusion Essay

888 Words4 Pages
A New Kind of Journey Hardship can be identified in many ways. Hardship can mean pain and suffering, or grueling endurance. When authors attempt to express such suffering and struggle, they resort to various important elements to help the reader understand the gravity of the situation. Dating back hundreds of years, authors have discovered that the Bible is a valuable tool for drawing comparisons to the stories they are trying to tell. One specific author, John Steinbeck, found a unique way of doing this by incorporating the Bible in to his novel, The Grapes of Wrath. This novel tells the story of the Joad family, and their long and grueling trip west in search of new beginnings. Steinbeck understands the importance of allowing the reader to travel alongside the Joad family, and finds the Bible a useful tool in making that happen. In The Grapes Wrath, Steinbeck utilizes various Biblical allusions and imagery to show the struggle of the Joad family, and to strengthen the overall theme that society views religion as an affliction. In The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck alludes to the struggles of the Hebrew people in order to reveal the long and painful journey of the Joad family. The story of the Joad family is a direct parallel to that of the Hebrews in the Bible. First, Steinbeck shows the captivity that both groups endured. In the Bible, the Hebrews became prisoners of the Pharaoh, and were under his control without any say at all. Just as the Hebrew people were held captive, the Joad family is also locked up, but in a much different way. The Joad family makes a living off their farm and the crops that it produces. Therefore, the Joad family is restrained by their farm, which constantly tears the family apart as they ultimately decide to leave and head westward. Aside from their captivity, the Hebrews and the Joad family embark on similar journeys, which are supposed
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