Quick Look at Biblical Allusions

By Brian Freeman

Biblical allusion is a literary device that authors use as a brief reference to a person, event, or place from the Bible. Biblical allusions often compare characters struggles with a character from the Bible. This allows the reader to associate the character with one that is easily recognizable. When a writer uses the allusion it can be clearly seen or more subtle in its construction. The use of Biblical allusions is often used in African American literature. The allusion was often used to associate the character with one from the Bible but often was used to directly show the Whites of the time the hypocrite way. Many slave owners claimed to deeply religious but yet they held entire families against there will and forced them work. Three great examples of Biblical allusions in African American literature is Zora Hurston “Sweat”, Harriet Jacobs “Incidents in The Life of a Slave Girl”, and Phillis Wheatey “On Being Brought from Africa to America”

"Sweat" is a short story written by Zora Hurston that is rich in moral and religious parallels. The story is set in the deep south of America in the early 1900 when the south was a place of racial division and gross inequality. This story is about a common African American working woman in the Deep South and how she clings to her faith in God to see her through the hardships caused by her unfaithful and abusive husband. Delia Jones the main character is a hard working woman who uses her faith in God to guide and protect her from her husband's relentless physical and emotional abuse. Her husband Sykes Jones is completely opposite and has no virtue or faith in God. Zora Hurston uses the first biblical allusion when she has the main character finally have enough of her husband domestically abusing her. Delia Jones says, “Mah cup is done run ovah.” which is a reference to “My cup runneth over,” Psalm 23.5.

One of the best examples of biblical allusion from “Sweat” is the use of Biblical story from Genesis of the Garden of Eden and Adam and Eve. The symbolism of snakes in "Sweat" subtly and cleverly illustrates Sykes as being an evil antagonist character. The snake portrays the devil and Sykes as being evil. The serpent also takes on its role as the devil. Delia becomes Eve and gives into temptation allow for her husband’s death. This can be viewed much like the story of Adam and Eve when Eve decides to disobey God and eat the forbidden fruit.

“Incidents in The Life of a Slave Girl” is written by Harriet Jacobs and is a slave narrative. Jacobs is very religious women strong in her Christian faith. In her story she is trying to show the reader of the time period the abuse that female slaves undertake. Hoping not to gain sympathy from the reader but for the reader to have an understanding of the struggle and pain of slavery. Jacobs in “Incidents in The Life of a Slave Girl” constantly shows the reader that slaves are more than just property but human beings. The major theme in the story was bringing attention to the sexual victimization of slave women by white men. Throughout most of the story she is raped, beaten, and verbally degrade in such a manner she says, “words can not describe.” She gives vivid details that yes to be slave is terrible, but to be female slave is much worse a fate.

Her use of biblical allusion can be seen here when she says, “Will the preachers take for their text, ‘Proclaim liberty to the captive, and the opening of prison doors to them that are bound? Or will they preach from the text, ‘Do unto others as ye would they should do unto you?” The opening of prison doors to them that are bound is reference to Isaiah 61.1. Do unto others as ye would is a biblical reference to Matthew 7.12 which says “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.” What she is trying to show the reader which would be white is that they practice there religion but at the same time are hypocrites because of use of slave labor. She is showing the reader that they do not practice what they preach.

Phillis Wheatley in her poem “On Being Brought from Africa to America” she does not focus on her condition as a slave, but rather on the white Christians view of slaves. Wheatley uses biblical allusion to evangelize and to comment on slavery. The first line of the poem sets a tone of sarcasm towards white Christians. Wheatley says, “Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land”. Wheatley seems to be crediting her slavery as a positive, because it has brought her to Christianity. Without her being enslaved she would never have found faith. It was not through God that she found salvation but through her slave owners. This can be clearly seen as sarcasm towards white Christians. The very last use of Biblical allusion is when Wheatley says,” Remember, Christians, Negros, Black as Cain”. This Biblical allusion has multiple meanings which can be viewed one as showing the Negro race as evil. The use of Cain as a biblical allusion murdering his brother Abel in Genesis 4.1-15 is because of Cain’s action he was marked by God. Some readers of the Bible at that time thought that Cain was first black man. The color black can viewed as evil and freighting throughout many other forms of literature.