The Religious Touch in The Grapes of Wrath

Abstract

John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath is a great piece of storytelling showing readers a glimpse of the American past. And yet, as Steinbeck once wrote to his editors, the novel had at least five layers to it. On one level, The Grapes of Wrath belies Steinbeck’s moral outrage of the American political and economic system of that time. This paper does not comment on the linguistics or the normative value of the character and plot development, instead exclusively looking at the moral and religious references amidst the turbulent American social and political backdrop. We argue these portraits of morality inserted as scenes in the novel have its roots in various biblical references and Christian thought. In this article, we deconstruct the novel into various themes and scenes and examine these against the Christian Bible.