A character in John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath is named Rose of Sharon.

That name is from the King James translation of the Bible--a bride speaks. The bride speaks of herself as lowly (though lovely) in contrast with the lordly “apple” or citron tree, the bridegroom.

The white lily may be the flower called the rose of Sharon (so it is not a proper rose). Nobody is sure what flower the Bible means.

The novel’s character, also a newly-wed, dreams of new opportunities in California.

Song of Solomon 2:1-12 I am the rose of Sharon and the lily of the valleys. As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight...My beloved spake, saying unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth…



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John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath = name Rose of Sharon in Bible (Song of Solomon 2:1-12)