s to flee, the Joad's never really found what they could consider to be a Promised Land. Though they were able to improve on their situation, they were never lucky enough to really satisfy their dreams of living a comfortable life.Another aspect of Steinbeck's character symbolism comes in the form of Jim Casy, a man undoubtedly more religious than anyone else on the journey to a better place. He is the preacher picked up along the way by the Joad's and Steinbeck manages to squeeze in a lot of background about his character. And, much of the background he creates about Mr. Casy shows us what a biblical man he really is supposed to be. So much so, that Steinbeck seems to use Casy as a symbol of Christ Himself. Oddly enough, his initials were not only the same as Jesus Christ's, but also much of his life parallels the biblical accounts of Christ. Not only did he too begin his long trek after a sojourn 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. Even his death mirrored an aspect of Christ's story, occurring in the middle of a stream, resembling the "crossing over Jordan" account in the Bible. "Particularly significant, however, are Casy's last words directed to the man who murders him" (De Schweinitz, 103,104). His last words are to forgive the man who kills him with a Pickaxe. He tells him "You don't know what you're a-doing." In this we are reminded of Christ's own words at His crucifixion when He says, "forgive them for they know not what they do." In fact, even the title of this novel alludes to Christian imagery. The title is "a direct Christian allusion, suggesting the glory of the coming of the Lord" (Carpenter, 80).Next, looking at the main character of the story, Tom Joad, we find more Christian symbolism. Tom Joad is almost a direct fit for the parable of the "Prodigal Son". Tom is the son that must lead everyone across on a...
