Essay on The Grapes Of Wrath Symbolic Characters

The Grapes of Wrath: Symbolic Characters Struggling through such things as the depression, the Dust Bowl summers, and trying to provide for their own families, which included finding somewhere to travel to where life would be safe. Such is the story of the Joads. The Joads were the main family in John Steinbecks The Grapes of Wrath, a book which was written in order to show what a family was going through, at this time period, and how they were trying to better their lives at the same time. It wouldnt be enough for Steinbeck to simply write this story in very plain terms, as anyone could have simply logged an account of events and published it. Critics have argued, however, that Steinbeck was too artificial in his ways of trying to†¦show more content†¦Not only did he also begin his long trek after a stay in the wilderness, he also had rejected an old religion to try and find his own version of the gospel and convince people to follow him. His death, another aspect comparable to that of Christ, also occurred in the middle of a stream, which could represent the quot;crossing over Jordanquot; account. quot;Particularly significant, however, are Casys last words directed to the man who murders himquot; (Shockley, 92-93). Jims last words are to forgive the man who kills him with a pickax. He tells him quot;You dont know what youre a-doing,quot; which is a simple allusion to the statement by Jesus to God when He is being crucified and asks his Father to forgive them, for they knew not what they were doing. In this novel, even the title is a Christian allusion. The title is quot;a direct Christian allusion, suggesting the glory of the coming of the Lordquot; (Shockley, 90). nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Looking at the main character of the story, Tom Joad, even more Christian symbolism is seen. Tom Joad is almost a direct fit for the story of the quot;prodigal sonquot; from the bible. He is the son that must lead everyone across in a great journey, while symbolically already wandering from the favor of God by killing a man in self-defense. Tom must find a way to forget about this event and continue to keep his goalShow MoreRelatedEssay about The Grapes of Wrath - The True American Spirit1137 Words   |  5 PagesThe True American Spirit of The Grapes of Wrath    John Steinbecks novel, The Grapes of Wrath is an excellent portrayal of the common and true Americans. 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