Grapes of Wrath

    Uncle John sending Rose of Sharon's baby down the river is a biblical reference to Moses being sent down the Nile river. The image suggests, that the family, like the Hebrews in Egypt, will be freed of slavery and their present circumstances. As Uncle John sends the stillborn down the river, he is sending a message to the rich, or the "upper class" about the struggles of the poor. As John launches the body to the currents, he says "Go down an' tell'em.Go down in the street an' rot an' tell' em that way. That's the way you can talk."  This suggests the baby's corpse is a symbolic messenger.