n Christ tells his disciples “Take, drink; this is my blood.” Rose of Sharon realizes this man will die without her, in the same way Christ says that without Him people will die spiritually. Rose of Sharon exemplifies the idea of helping others in need through her actions in the conclusion of the novel (Kennedy 533). The Joad family is made up of twelve, including Connie, much like the twelve disciples that followed Jesus. Connie represents the traitor, the Judas figure who had betrayed Jesus the night of his arrest when he walks out on his family for selfish reasons. Steinbeck also alludes to events in the Bible through situations among the Joad family. Their journey to California is much like the Israelites’ journey from Egypt to Canaan. The novel is broken up into three sections. The first part is the Joad’s eviction from their farms under the control of the banks and companies, which parallel the Israelites’ slavery to the Egyptians (Rombold 149). Both groups struggled under the control of overwhelming forces and left in hopes of a better life. The second part is the Joad’s journey from Oklahoma across the Panhandle in search of the promised California that parallels the Israelites wandering in the desert in search of the Promised Land (Rombold 150). Both groups experienced many troubles, but were forced to rely on each other to survive. The third part is the Joad’s arrival to California, which parallels the Israelites arrival to Canaan (Rombold 152). The journey for the Israelites lasted so many years that only the younger generation made it to the Promised Land. In the same way Granma and Grampa died before they reached the promised California. The flood at the end of the novel is another example of a Biblical allusion used by Steinbeck. This situation parallels to the Old Testament story of Noah’s Ark. In both events, heavy rains cause a flood that results in the families leaving th...
