GOW final essay

Jim Casy is introduced in Grapes of Wrath as an ex-preacher who gave up his practice because he felt that he was not worthy of preaching teachings that he did not truly practice or believe in. Throughout the novel, Casy undergoes a transformation in which he goes from being an ex-preacher who no longer knows where his spirituality fits in with his lifestyle to a man who has discovered exactly where he stands and uses his newfound knowledge and philosophies about life to guide others through a difficult journey. Casy’s ability to take a negative experience and learn from it in a way that led him to a positive transformation reflects the overall theme of the novel, which uses Jim Casy and the journey of a family during the Great Depression to show the valuable realizations and positive transformations that can come from going through hardships. "There ain't no sin and there ain't no virtue. There's just stuff people do. It's all part of the same thing.” These are the words that Casy found rang true to him after giving up his practice as a preacher and reevaluating his faith and spirituality. He also came to the conclusion that "maybe a fellow ain't got a soul of his own, just little piece of a big soul, the one big soul that belongs to everybody". These ideas that there’s no such thing as sin and virtue and that everybody has a special piece of this “soul” that makes them important rings as a constant theme throughout Grapes of Wrath, as Casy uses his voice of wisdom to guide Tom Joad and the Dust Bowl farmers through their struggle to find opportunity in a desolate time.
Throughout the novel, Steinbeck makes a strong point that religion and superstition is over dramatized by many and made into something that does not rely on common sense. This idea is first presented in the form of John Casy’s newfound philosophy, and carried throughout the book using different examples. Through the course of the story, these ideas are presented through the teachings of Jim Casy and the transformation of Tom Joad, as well as Rose of Sharon, who is preagnant with her first child through the family’s journey to California. For the majority of the book, Rose of Sharon is found worrying and complaining about the safety of her baby. She is told by a religious woman that if she takes part in “sinful activities”, such as dancing, that her baby will die or “be born bloody”. This thought scares Rose of Sharon, who spends all of her time ensuring that she does not sin in order to save the life of her baby. In the end, her baby dies right away in a still birth. This could be blamed on the amount of sin that Rose of Sharon was surrounded with, but the true reason is the difficult circumstances and environment that she was traveling in was much too harsh for a pregnant woman, no matter what amount of sin was happening around her.
When reflecting on the characters and the events of this book, you will find that Casy’s idea that every one of us has a spiritual importance, that we all have the power to make a change and shouldn’t rely on just one holy power to do everything for us. As the book progresses, Casy himself begins to take on a role similar to that of Jesus, helping people guiding people with his words and changing lives with his teachings. This is ironic because this happened after he resigned from his job as a preacher. The book ends with Rose of Sharon using her breast milk to nurse a starving man to life, making a sacrifice to save the life of another and presenting herself as a holy figure. This act of nobility again ties back to Casy’s philosophy.