**Entry I (Ch 1-10): Biblical Allusions**

Biblical Allusions

        Biblical allusions are quite common throughout The Grapes of Wrath. There have already been many of them through chapter 10:

• When Tom Joad takes off his shoes and walk from the highway towards the tree and connects himself to the land, this represents the 40 days that Jesus spent in the desert, contemplating his life and becoming closer to God, his father.
• Tom's encounter with Rev. Jim Casy at the tree after taking a long journey to get there parallels Moses' trip up Mt. Sinai, where he encounters God in the form of the burning bush. Casy shares his new religious principles after having been fed up with traditional religion. Similarly, God delivers the 10 Commandments to Moses, after the Jews had been straying from God, spelling out the new rules he has for them.
• Jim Casy's initials are JC, which also stands for Jesus Christ.
• The Dust Bowl and Great Depression represent the Great Flood.
• Throughout the novel, a snake keeps showing up. In the book of Creation, Adam and Eve are tempted by a snake/serpent, who represents Satan, the devil.
• The Joad family's trip west in a truck parallels Noah and his ark.
• The 12 people, plus Rev. Jim Casy, who travel west and leave everything behind alludes to Jesus and his 12 disciples, whom Jesus chose to spread his word, and leave all of their lives and possessions behind.

        These connections are significant, because they help to tie a sense of purpose to certain events that take place in the plot. They also help to convey the type of story this is, one that is guided by the Bible, where most of the events are similar to those which take place in it. With a similar plot taking place in the Bible, one can predict the outcome of things that are happening, future events, and undisclosed information about certain characters if they are able to pick up on the allusions that are being presented. For example, the Dust Bowl is represented by the Great Flood. The flood eventually ends, and those who God wanted to save ultimately stayed alive. Thus, one can predict that the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl will eventually end, and those who attempted to restore their lives will be successful. Also, since Tom encountered Casy at the tree, acting in the role of Moses, one can conclude that Tom will eventually help to spread Casy's new philosophy, as Moses did with the word of God.

No additional sources, knowledge taken from my study of the Bible as a Catholic.