Religion plays an outsized role in the lives of the Joads and their fellow migrants. Yet, the closest thing to a preacher in the story, Jim Casy, is a preacher who has renounced his vocation and who voices controversial views that depart from orthodox Christainity. Early in the novel he proclaims, "The hell with it! There ain't no sin and there ain't no virtue. There's just stuff that people do"(23) He later adds, "[M]aybe that's the Holy Sperit -- the human sperit--the whole shebang. Maybe all men got one big soul ever'body's a part of"(24). Later when he is pressed to give a eulogy over the grave of Grampa he says, "This here ol'man jus' lived a life an 'jus died out it . . . He was alive, an' that's what matters. An' now he's dead, an' that don't matter"(144). He goes on to quote a Blake poem that states that "all that lives is holy"(144).
What is the significance of Casy, the preacher who no longer preaches? What is it telling us about religion in a world that is seemingly suffering from a catastrophic plague almost Biblical in proprtion? What is the novel's take on religion and spirituality?
The character of Jim Casy relating to the Joad family is used as a symbol for how different families may have applied religion during desperate circumstances. Jim Casy is a preacher who no longer preaches. He doesn’t even associate himself as being a follower of Christianity, but more as a religious presence. Jim Casy guides the Joad family as they make their travels west towards California. The author wants to show that in times of uncertainty, like the Dust Bowl, religion doesn’t necessarily mean believing in something, it can mean questioning everything. Jim Casy is the perfect illustration of the Joad family’s journey thus far. Towards the beginning of the novel Casy exclaims, “‘The hell with it! There ain’t no sin and there ain’t no virtue. There’s just stuff that people do’” (Page 23). Previously being a member of the Christian faith, Casy knows that sin is very important to that religion. In this situation, Casy proves that he questions some of those beliefs. This symbolizes how the Joad family had to drop everything they ever knew and travel into the unknown. They could have been stubborn and stayed at their farm, but they questioned what that would mean for them, and eventually, they decided to leave. Throughout the story, Jim Casy continually provides a guiding presence for the Joad family, going back and forth between a background influence, and a main source of counsel. Further showing how religion was used differently by different people in contrasting conditions.
ReplyDeleteThrough the old preacher, Casy, and Grandma, the Novel Grapes of Wrath comments on the contrast of religion as a means of controlling people through fear, and giving people hope. When Tom Joad and Jim Casy begin to talk about Casy’s old life as a preacher, he says “I got the call to lead the people, but no place to lead ‘em… Tell ‘em they’ll burn in hell if they don’t think like you. What the hell you want to lead ‘em someplace for? Jus’ lead ‘em” (Steinbeck 21) When Casy says he’s “got the call to lead the people”, it is evident that he still enjoys helping others and the spirit of religion. However, after years of preaching, he has realized that the words he preaches were simply to convince people to think a certain way, not to bring them together. Steinbeck uses Casy’s character to critique religion filled with judgment and highlight it as a form of control. Later on in the story, Grampa passes away shortly after the Joads depart from Oklahoma. After Casy refused to pray for Grampa at his eulogy, Granma demanded, “‘Pray anyway’, she ordered. ‘You know the stuff by heart’” (Steinbeck 137). Even though Grandma knows Casy isn’t a preacher anymore, and doesn’t have the spirit to continue preaching, she still wants him to say the words. This emphasizes that like many others in the story, Grandma views religion as hope. After her husband dies, and she is living through a catastrophe, she falls back on the thing she knows, religion. Earlier in the book, when Casy was praying at the dinner table, Grandma yelled hallelujah, even though the words Casy was saying were not positive. This again portrays religion as a form of hope. She didn’t care what was being said, she just wanted the comfort of an old tradition. Steinbeck uses both Casy and Grandma to illustrate the complexities of religion and encourages readers to steer away from traditional Christianity and shift towards the humanistic qualities of religion such as compassion and hope.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel The Grapes of Wrath, the character of Jim Casy serves as an outlet for John Steinbeck’s criticism of the Christian faith; this is shown by Casy’s strong and apparent rejection of traditional Christian doctrine.
ReplyDeleteAt the very moment we are introduced to Jim Casy, we learn about his unorthodox religious views. When Jim Casy is introduced early in the book, he describes himself as having sinful yet pragmatic thoughts when he says he has “a lot of sinful idears—but they seem kinda sensible” (Steinbeck 20). This differentiation of religious virtue and sensibility is a critical commentary on the Christian doctrine’s assessment of morality, which as Steinbeck displays through the character of Casy, is not logically sound nor sensible.
Casy’s rejection of Christian dogma isn’t limited to his opinion of sin and virtue, as he also staunchly criticizes the idea of love and subservience to Jesus. When Casy is confronted with the question of whether he loves Jesus, he bluntly says “No, I don't know nobody name' Jesus. I know a bunch of stories, but I only love people” (Steinbeck 23). This strong statement demonstrates two things about Casy; firstly, he sees Jesus as no more than “a bunch of stories,” and secondly he believes the love of humanity is far more important than faith to a religion, with both of these things being refusals of the fundamental Christian creed.
Jim Casy’s criticism and rejection of the Christian religion is not a shallow perspective written into the book for no reason, but rather a way for John Steinbeck to represent and communicate his own grievances with Christianity to the readers of The Grapes of Wrath.
In The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, the novel critiques organized religion, emphasizing the importance of beliefs rooted in collective struggle and unity, shown through the character Jim Casey. The immense suffering migrant workers faced due to the dust storms led some to view Christianity as weak, as many prioritized survival and willpower over faith. This shift is significant in a world with parallels to biblical plagues, like how the dust storms in Oklahoma mirrored some of the disastrous plagues in the Bible.
ReplyDeleteJim Casey, who was once a passionate preacher, endured this shift as he began to question the validity of religious teachings and how they addressed the struggles of the people around him. When questioned about his faith by Tom Joad, he stated, “The hell with it! There ain’t no sin and there ain’t no virtue. There’s just stuff people do.” (23) Casey holds sympathy for the many enduring struggles and turns to believe human action is the reaction to certain circumstances. He further goes on to explain, “‘Why do we got to hang it on God or Jesus? Maybe,’ I figgered, ‘maybe it’s all men an’ all women we love; maybe that’s the Holy Sperit-the human spirit-the whole shabang. Maybe all men got one big soul ever’body’s a part of.’”(24) This shows his new belief that religion is not about individual salvation and worship, rather about unity and shared experience with others around an individual. This belief becomes even more significant as the Joads travel west and need unity to conquer obstacles in their path.
When the Joads meet the Wilsons on the road, their decisions to travel together to combat their struggles exemplifies the core beliefs of collective struggle and unity Casey believes in. Tom JOad suggests, “We got a overload, but Mr an’ Mis’ Wilson ain’t. If some of us folks could ride with them an’ take some a their light stuff in the truck, we wouldn’t break no springs an’ we could git up hills.”(148) The Joads, despite their own burdens and determination to quickly start a new life in California, offer to help the Wilsons which demonstrates a deep sense of solidarity and trust from shared experiences.
Rather than finding meaning in organized religion, Casey sees holiness in people helping each other. His shifted beliefs that focus on collective human spirit and suffering, combat the beliefs he once held as a preacher where he directed people to certain spiritual paths. His beliefs highlight the novels central theme, that collective struggle and unity come from enduring hardships, not divine intervention. Through Casey, Steinbeck shows faith rooted in the resilience of humanity when faced with challenges.
The use of the character Jim Casy and religion’s role in The Grapes of Wrath is to show that traditional faith might not offer real solutions to the people’s suffering during the Dust Bowl era, but human action does. The Joads’ community is in a state of constant suffering. Their once-fertile land is failing, and the “monster” of the bank is stripping families of their homes and livelihoods. Forced off their land with no way to earn money, the book compares their struggles to those in Biblical stories. The combination of a natural disaster like the Dust Bowl, and human-caused hardships like big banks evicting a whole community of farmers, feels like a Biblical catastrophe. There is a great loss of hope for all of these people. In a time in society where faith is extremely prominent and important, they need something to believe in and to restore their hope, which would be their religion. Tom’s whole family is religious, and they used to be good acquaintances with the preacher Jim Casy. However, after years without speaking, the Joads find out that Casy is no longer preaching, and no longer believes in God. While talking to Tom and Muley, he says “I gotta see them folks that’s gone out on the road. … They gonna need help no preacher can give ‘em. Hope of heaven when their lives ain’t lived? Holy Sperit when their own spirit is downcast an’ sad? They gonna need help” (Page 52). Over time, Casy came to feel like his belief and preaching had no tangible meaning, and traditional faith offered no practical solutions to their suffering. Instead, he turned to a faith in humanity and seeing holiness in people’s struggle together. He takes on a whole new philosophy of the “one big soul” idea. When Tom is curious about his shift, Casy explains “I figgered about the Holy Sperit and the Jesus road. I figgered, ‘Why we got to hang it on God or Jesus?’ Maybe,’ I figgered, ‘maybe it’s all men an’ all women we love; maybe that’s the Holy Sperit–the human spirit–the whole shebang. Maybe all men got one big soul ever’body’s a part of’” (Page 24). He also says “‘I was a preacher,’ … ‘Reverend Jim Casy’ … ‘But not no more,’ he sighed. ‘Just Jim Casy now” (Page 20). While he still preaches to people when they expect it of him, he explains that he is just a man now, and that a preacher is just a man. He is highlighting the fact that it is the will of mankind, of the man who preaches, and not what he preaches, that makes changes. Through the character of Jim Casy, the book is critiquing the role of organized religion in times of crisis, suggesting that people find salvation through real human action, rather than through faith.
ReplyDeleteJim Casy, the preacher who no longer preached, served the role of highlighting the soft undertone of existentialism and near nihilism in the minds of the migrants. The preacher at the beginning of the book is portrayed as someone who tries to give hope to people through the lens of religion. This is the most clear during his reflection of his past religious ideals in chapter 4. He states “I ain’t sayin’ I’m like Jesus … But I got tired like Him, an’ I got mixed up like Him, an’ I went into the wilderness like Him, without no campin’ stuff” (22). The most important phrase in Jim Casy’s reflection is “I got tired like Him”, this highlights the general existential shift in mentality when it comes to religion. People simply got tired of believing in this faith and repeatedly let them down. This disappointment eventually leads to formation of new ideals in an attempt to understand their reality which Jim Casy revealed when he said “The hell with it! There ain't no sin and there ain't no virtue. There's just stuff that people do”(23). This admission from Casy is a rejection of the Christian doctrine and also a foreshadowing of what will happen to the migrants when they face more difficulties. In the broader context of the story, the migrants are just like Casy or they will soon become just like Casy. The challenges that they face will eventually force them to seek reprieve in the comfort of their religion and when that fails them, if it does, they would be forced down the path of nihilistic ideals. Also, the similarities in Casy and the migrants gives a clear purview of the nature of the world of the migrants. People are losing hope, terrible things are happening to them and to people around them, and their efforts are not giving them the results that they want. In chapter 16 when a man who came from California where every migrant wanted to be he said, "I been there. Folks got to squat in dirty ol' camps. An’ they got to pick the fruit, an’ they don’t get enough to eat. An’ if they get a big fella’s job an’ talk out, they run ‘em off in the rain. I seen it. Don’t you go on thinkin’ it’s so nice. It ain’t”(164). This admission can be seen as the final truth that would break the migrants. As they all wish to go to California and attain a better life, that's why they put up with all their suffering and therefore the moment they realize that California is not the saviour that they expect it to be they would not be able to escape their renunciation of religion like Casy and their eventual descent into nihilism through existential means.
ReplyDeleteIn the Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck uses Jim Casey to allow the Joad family to follow their traditions. Jim Casey is always helping the family with religious problems even though he stopped being a preacher. He was always around to either help or let the family deal with it as a family. A very important deed Jim Casey needed to do was when pa said to him “wont you say a few words? Ain’t none of our folks ever been buried without a few words.”(144) he allows the Joad family tradition to follow on. Everyone in the Joad bloodline that has passed and was buried had a preacher speak for them. Even though he isn't a preacher anymore he will do everything to help the Joad family even if he doesn't believe in it anymore. Even though he personally doesn't believe in god he creates ways to not disrespect the Joads tradition. His words were “this here ol’ man jus’ lived a life an’ jus’ died out of it. I don’ know whether he was good or bad, but that don’t matter much. He was alive an, thats what matters”(144). He didn’t say anything religious he was just there for the Joad family doing what they wanted him to do. He ended up saying a good word. Another time he was there for when the Joads wanted him was when he met the Joad family at uncle John’s house. One of the first things that Jim Casey did was say grace. This happened when “Grandma raised a shrill voice “Preacher? You got a preacher? Go get him. We’ll have a grace”(80). Allowing the family to have a regular thing in their life with a grace. The grandma loved having grace considering how thrilled she got.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the significance of Casy, the preacher who no longer preaches? What is it telling us about religion in a world that is seemingly suffering from a catastrophic plague almost Biblical in proprtion? What is the novel's take on religion and spirituality?
ReplyDeleteReligion is not the fence built to keep people out, but the hinged gates that beg for an entry. Grapes of Wrath highlights key elements of unity— or lack thereof— that are prospered within religion. One of the main characters, a retired preacher by the name of Casy, exhibits the struggle of the hustle as a preacher. Casy, a man who preached his relationship with God, wasn’t all the best of a man himself. He had some shady ways of dealing with the women he attempted to preach to. Casy shares that people would go on and expect something in return out of his preaching. People during this time were selfish, which pushed a social divide among the religion that brought people together. Later on, Casy is eating dinner with the Joads’ family and is asked to make a prayer before dinner, to which he goes on to pray (quote here), which builds the ideology that the people must be able to look out for not only themselves, but also their surrounding community in order to feel that sense of divine unity that the community is so desperately hungry for. After Grandpa dies, Casy makes remarks to honor him; “This here ol’ man just lived a life an’ jus’ died out of it. I don’ know whether he was good or bad, but that don’t matter much. He was alive, an’ that’s what matters” (Steinbeck 144). This reflects that Casy’s “prayer” was more a tribute to Grandpa’s life, rather than what holds out for him in the afterlife. In all, this reflects that the importance of life and understanding within oneself trumps the idea of a higher being.