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?
Casy’s character tells us that, in the world suffering from the plague of economic depression, it isn’t a judgment, nor a punishment from god, but just something that happened as a cause and effect of humanity. A common belief, especially during this time, is that everything happens for a reason, and that main reason is god. In times like this, religious people turn to God, and being faithful makes them “holy” and they won't suffer from this, but when Casy says “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.” (24) He realises that everyone is “holy” and people like Toms grandpa don’t die because god made them die, but that they just died, there's no reason to it. The economic depression is not a punishment from god, but rather, a consequence of corporate greed, creating a monster by their own hand, not by god's hand. Some people, especially during this time, turn to God instead of turning to themselves. Businessmen live off the idea that they are contributing to society and not detrimental to it. I believe this ultimately contributes to Casey being a preacher who no longer preaches; he has seen past the belief in God, past the belief that all is God's doing, and preaching and worshipping won't make the bad situation they are in any better. The novel takes religion and essentially puts it aside, as people band together over the growing economic depression. The novel doesn't capitalize on their religious beliefs, as that's not important; what's important is that they, and those around them, live to see another day.
ReplyDeleteReligion plays an important role in the Grapes of Wrath, but Steinbeck uses Jim Casy to question what religion is in a world with mass suffering. Although Casy was once a preacher, he has since left this role and also rejects the traditional religious ideas of sin, virtue, and divine judgement. When he says that “there ain’t no sin and there ain’t no virtue,” Casy is not arguing that morality doesn’t exist anymore, but rather that the religious labels that he used to once live by fail to explain the realities that people such as the Joads are facing. Instead of focusing on belief or being obedient to God, he now focuses on human behavior and responsibility.
ReplyDeleteCasy’s idea that all people share one big soul is to emphasize his own belief that spirituality is something collective instead of individual, which is a theme the rest of the novel has explored. Thinking about the novel as a whole, as well as the Great Depression as a whole, this belief reflects the migrant experience. In order to survive, they need to cooperate and support eachother. This perspective goes against the idea that faith ALONE can protect people from hardships or explain why horrible things happen.
Casy’s refusal to preach, especially during Grampa’s burial, also shows this change. Since he chooses not to be traditionally religious now, it shows humility and also restraint, because he can see that religion and comforting words cannot undo terrible things that these people are facing, such as loss, or hunger. Instead of offering reassurance, he acknowledges these sufferings as facts. Rather than using religion as an answer for things, he believes in a form of spirituality that is focused on people and their actions.