In the book The Grapes of Wrath there are many parallels, allusions, correlations, and allegories to Jesus Christ. All throughout the book there are subtle things that nudge the reader to think of Jesus as they read it and things that remind them of them of the stories of Jesus, and I think Steinbeck, the author did that so that the reader would realize that many things in the book point to Jesus.
I think that in this novel, Jim Casy the ex-preacher is an illusion to Jesus. Casy has many mannerisms similar to those portrayed of Jesus. One time Casy even says, "I been thinkin', I been in the hills, thinkin', almost you might say like Jesus went into the wilderness to think His way out of a mess of troubles." (Steinbeck 81) There is also a river outside of California where the Joads stop and rest. It describes the river as "lovely water flowing by" (Steinbeck 202) and I think that this river is an allusion to the Jordan River, where Jesus was baptized. In the book, it is the same river that Noah flees to when he leaves the family. Noah leaving is a parallel to some of the Israelites staying behind before they enter the promised land. Even though Jesus and Moses never existed together on the earth, I still think that both parallels are accurate and that the book The Grapes of Wrath alludes to Moses as well as Jesus.
When the Joad family finally arrives in California, there is a scuffle between Casy and Tom and a police officer. Casy immediately turns himself in and takes all of the blame so that Tom will not get in trouble. This is a very Christ-like thing for Casy to do and inspires the reader to view Casy as an allusion to Jesus. (Steinbeck 265)
Like Jesus, Casy is a leader, a thinker, and an honest man. He also taught people and preached without intending to. When he spoke, he inspired thought in other people. These things all help the reader to see Casy in a way that is Christ-like, but what really seals the deal are Casy's last words before he dies. Casy said "Listen, you fellas don' know what you're doin'. You're helpin' to starve kids." To this, a police officer replies "Shut up you red son-of-a-bitch." And to that Casy says "You don' know what you're a-doin." To some people, this may not seem like a big deal, but for those people who know what some of Jesus' last words were, it helps a lot. One of the last things that Jesus Christ said to His Father as he was dying on a cross was "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." The last words Casy speaks are remarkably similar to some of Jesus' last words. After Jesus said those words, a man mocked him and laughed at him, just like the police officer did to Casy.
Near the end of the novel, Rose of Sharon delivers a still born baby. First off, Rose of Sharon is a name that was used to refer to Christ, so it already has the reader thinking about Christ. Also, however when Ma asks Uncle John to bury the stillborn baby, John instead puts the baby in a basket and sends it floating down through the flood waters. The image of a baby floating in a basket is an allusion to baby Moses floating down the Nile river. Moses led people to freedom and saved them from slaver, just as Jesus later does. In the Bible, Moses is a foreshadowing of Jesus. And in the novel, the baby Joad floating through the flood waters reminds us of Moses, which foreshadows the coming of Jesus, especially because if that baby would not have died, Rose of Sharon would not have been able to save the starving man's life in the last scene. Just as if Jesus had not died, God would not have been able to save us.
Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York, 2002. Print.
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