The Grapes Of Wrath:an Archetypal Study

John Steinbeck, who won the Nobel Prize in literature in1962, is widely recognized for his realistic as well as imaginative writings, distinguished by a sympathetic humor and a keen social perception, especially in his masterpiece The Grapes of Wrath. The greatness of The Grapes of Wrath mainly consists in the fact that it is an epic chronicle which is a real reflection of the American society at that time, particularly with the extensive and skillful employment of a great many biblical archetypes in the novel. This thesis, based on the archetypal criticism, explores the correspondences of biblical archetypes in The Grapes of Wrath in terms of narrative structure, characters and imagery in order to uncover the everlasting charm and profound significance of the novel.The introductory part contains the relative background knowledge of John Steinbeck and his main works, as well as a literature review of the studies for The Grapes of Wrath both at home and abroad. In addition, it also expounds the critical perspective-archetypal criticism.Chapter One is an archetypal analysis of narrative structure. Following the pattern of the history of the Israeli people in the Bible, especially in Exodus as archetype, Steinbeck shows in The Grapes of Wrath a U-shaped narrative structure, which develops from a happy and harmonious start to a tragic bottom and at last, returns to a hopeful ending. After overcoming many hardships and obstacles for their dreams and a better life, at length it dawns on the poor migrants that only through collective efforts, can they withstand the testing reality and be redeemed from the sufferings.Chapter Two probes into the biblical archetype related to characters in The Grapes of Wrath. In the novel, Jim Casy, Tom Joad and Rosa of Sharon share the same biblical archetype-Jesus Christ. The correspondences of Jesus Christ in the three main characters suggest that the spirits of love, salvation and the collective spirit of mutual help and benefits which are all indebted to the Bible have been not only fully embodied but also infused with new life after interpreted in a new way in the novel. It has been sublimated into the revolutionary spirit and the spirit of sacrificing "I" for "we."Chapter Three explores the archetypal images in the novel. Many images in The Grapes of Wrath correspond to the images in the Bible. The archetypal analysis of these images reflects the harsh and ugly social reality and the sufferings that these poor migrants have gone through for their dreams. Thus, through these images, Steinbeck exposes the darkness of the American society and castigates the social, economic and political systems of the US for crushing people’s "American dreams."With the use of a string of biblical archetypes in The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck greatly enriches the content and connotation of the novel, making this realistic work abound in social value. In this thesis, after studying in great detail the biblical archetypes in narrative structure, characters and imagery in The Grapes of Wrath, the profound meaning as well as the practical significance of the novel is fully appreciated, i.e. only relying on the spirit of collectivism, mutual help and love, can the humankind get salvation, both physically and mentally.